Expecting the Unexpected. Organisational resilience through stable, skilled workforces

Covid-19 has taught us the value of preparing for the unexpected. But how has it shaped the plans we are making now? What lessons can we learn from the pandemic to best ensure workforces contribute to organisational success?

Since the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, the UK population has adjusted to the varying climate of Covid; with the implementation of local lockdowns, the three-tier system, the five-tiered system, the roadmap for easing restrictions, and December’s move to ‘Plan B’. We can all argue their varying degrees of success, but their necessity is conclusive; Covid-19 has accelerated our need for effective contingency planning, and not just within Parliament.

Our society is now risk-assessing changing situations, analysing their options, and creating alternative arrangements.

Over the last two years, the population has grown familiar with last-minute contingency plans. Key workers in supermarkets took part in vast changes to their workplace, at the forefront of panic buying and food shortages. Most of us made alternative arrangements for Christmas in 2020, when the PM announced a move to Tier-4 restrictions. Students, teachers, and parents adapted to home learning and remote classrooms when schools were closed. Retired nurses and health care workers returned to the NHS to support the strain on services. And social care workers came up with their own safety plans when they received little to no PPE at the beginning of the pandemic.

Lessons Learned Drive Us Forward

In the longer term, sectors have adapted to accommodate remote working and widely invested in technology to train workforces, improve warehouse operations, and plug gaps in supply chains. We have learned through this pandemic that we need to strengthen our response to circumstances that might impact us. And our strongest tools to bring any contingency plans to life are our people.

Engaged, loyal and resilient people give us the edge against any challenge. So people are at the heart of everything we work towards.

The ONS’s latest publication highlights job vacancies have continued to rise to a new record of 1,219,000, with 13 out of 18 industry sectors reporting record highs. Sectors like IT and healthcare are competing for a limited pool of candidates, which has driven some employers to increase their wage offers by, up to 30%. Private health care operator HC One offered a signing bonus of £10,000 for two of their registered night nurse vacancies last year, and both Tesco and Asda have awarded new HGV drivers a signing on bonus of £1,000. However, whilst financial remuneration may attract talent into hard to fill roles, improving job quality needs to be at the core of any staff retention strategy.

Rolls Royce have a long established workforce development programme, which includes 6 different apprenticeships. However in 2020, they almost halved their budget for training and development as the company made plans to streamline. And at the same time, their staff turnover rate doubled. When workforces sense uncertainty in the future of their work, they often look elsewhere for safe, secure employment. As Rolls Royce refocus their business mission, they are reshaping their development programmes to ensure they meet the new needs of the business and build skilled teams who drive those goals forward.

In its latest report, the International Labour Organisation highlighted “There can be no real recovery from this pandemic without a broad-based labour market recovery. And to be sustainable, this recovery must be based on the principles of decent work – including health and safety, equity, social protection, and social dialogue.”

Building Solid Foundations for the Future

Investing in our workers’ experience is essential for strengthening the resilience of an organisation. We work with employers to build their workforce capacity and capability, improve standards and staff retention, and maximise business performance. We equip leaders to manage and adapt to changes that impact their workforce growth, so they can continue developing the skills of their staff.

The labour market has proven to be extremely resilient in spite of the Covid crisis, but for employers, it has exposed vulnerabilities. There are strong incentives on employers operating in price-sensitive product markets to push down pay and invest little in training. But when demand for labour exceeds supply (as it is now, with record vacancy levels), it is these sectors and employers that struggle most to attract and retain staff.

57% of employers are responding to the growing competition for talent by up-skilling their current staff, and a further 27% hiring apprentices.

Reshaping The Quality of Work

Figures released by the British Chamber of Commerce highlight 83% of hospitality businesses reported difficulties filling vacancies. After venues were forced to close throughout lockdowns, ongoing uncertainty in the industry led many staff elsewhere and now the sector is scrambling to recruit. The number of apprentice chefs fell by almost a quarter in 2021, continuing a pattern of decline seen before the pandemic. Haven holiday parks have launched a campaign to tackle the rising skills shortage, recruiting 200 chef apprentices across their 40 sites.

The hospitality sector's reputation can be redeemed through serious investment in workforce wellbeing, competitive rates of pay, pathways for career progression, quality leadership, and a safe, healthy working environment where workers can thrive.

The health and social care sectors face a similar hurdle.

As the demands on services continue to grow, so does the need for skilled workers. The social care sector has struggled to retain and recruit a skilled workforce long before the pandemic. Whilst inadequate public funding exacerbates the issue of low pay for social care staff, the sector must look to other alternatives to reframe its image and attract a loyal and capable workforce.

Fairway homecare provider has built a loyal workforce through their investment in training and development. They received a near perfect score in their annual employee satisfaction survey this year, with 100% of employees saying they were inspired by the company’s vision and values. Ahead of April’s mandatory rise in minimum wage, the company has also announced pay rises for their workers between 7.5% and 18%, offering further incentives for their workforce.

Both hospitality and the care sector face further competition for staff from industries which have expanded during the pandemic; sectors such as transport and logistics have quadrupled their job advertisements in the last two years. Hermes UK and the Royal Mail both launched their own apprenticeship schemes last year, to address the LGV driver shortage.

In our article, Do you Track or Grow Your Own Talent, we explored how employers can plan for the changing needs of their business and future-proof their workforce. Apprenticeships provide a solid foundation in which to recruit, train, and retain staff; allowing organisations access to a wider talent pool and the ability to pass on specialist knowledge and skills, developing a future generation of workers.

Accelerated requirement for effective contingency planning

This month, UCAS reported a 38% increase in the number of school leavers applying to nursing degrees, demonstrating a wave of young adults inspired by the pandemic.

Young people have been particularly affected by Covid-19, both in education and in employment. Those aged between 16-24 saw a significant drop in employment rates since 2019. The number of young adults enrolling on full and part time qualifications has risen, whilst their unemployment rates remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

In education, young people have faced complete overhauls to their examinations, long periods of stagnation in their learning, and now a sudden rush to catch up. Young adults face burdens of debt when they choose qualifications over employment and will later enter a competitive job market with no relevant experience.

When considering our business objectives, we must take this into account. How has this pandemic impacted a future generation of workers and what can we do to prepare for it? How can we plan for young adults who have or will soon be joining the labour market?

Our ambition is to create work environments that are prepared and willing to continue investing in the skills of their staff, whether they are just entering the job market or not. We inspire leaders to invest in the growth of their workforce through practical and realistic strategies, which enrich the quality of skills and work available in our communities.

Leaders who create a culture of learning within the workplace can develop a loyal workforce, engaged with developing their own skills alongside their team and with the drive to push forward business objectives.

Investing in Capacity and Adaptability

At Think, we recognise the value of workforce planning and development for employers and their workers. Through engaging skills development programmes, we can equip workforces with the capacity and capability to handle future challenges thrown their way.

Developing basic skills internally allows us to build a solid structure for our workforces to grow from. Employers who take their staff development seriously strengthen loyalty, increase job satisfaction, and nurture the invaluable potential of their workforce. An organisation is more likely to run smoothly and handle changing circumstances with a well-established, capable, and loyal workforce who understand their roles and responsibilities.

We work alongside you to build and deliver quality development programmes that maximise business performance and improve the skills of your workforce. We analyse data to assess, plan and implement robust strategies that improve the quality of your training provision, as well as streamline systems and processes. We empower leaders to develop resilient workforces, systems, and procedures, which can adapt and manage changing circumstances.

With the right support and guidance, any organisation willing to re-examine their work culture and invest in their workforce has the potential to recover from Covid stronger and more resilient.