“I remember being asked by an insurance client in January 2020 what the market trend was for people wanting to work a one day a week from home. I said there was definitely an uptake in people wanting to do that. They laughed, almost hysterically.
In 2019, I was asked by a candidate what the likelihood was of finding them a fully remote role in Private Practice. They were experienced and going by all accompanying testimonials, an exceptional candidate, but there were no roles offering fully remote working available then.
Fast forward a couple of years, that same insurance client now offers remote and hybrid working, and that same candidate is now working fully remotely in Private Practice. Of course, this will be of no surprise to anyone, and it is no secret that the market has changed drastically in the past two years – primarily due to the covid pandemic and the proven ability for people to work effectively from home.
In truth, remote and hybrid working is continually evolving. Our HR Consulting colleagues who run the Maritime HR Association ran an Information Exchange recently looking at remote and hybrid working trends within the maritime industry. You can read more about this on our blog page.
It is important for us as recruiters to let clients know up front if a candidate has a preference or need for a particular working arrangement. For example, if they need to work remotely one day a week for childcare purposes. Think of it in the same way you would want to disclose your salary expectations up front too. The market is becoming ever more candidate driven, so we also contact potential employers for our candidates even if there is no active vacancy. In fact, over half of the people I found new roles for in the last 12 months were not actively looking but were happy to be kept updated with new opportunities. We don’t bombard our candidates, but you never know, that role you never knew you wanted could be just around the corner….”
Tom Brooks is a Senior Recruitment Consultant on the Spinnaker Legal, P&I and Insurance desk.
To view current legal and insurance vacancies, please visit the jobs section on the website, or if you just want to have a discussion about active roles or the wider market, please contact him in confidence.
t: +44 (0) 1702 480 142
