IT Solutions Blog

The Harvey Nash Group, a leading global provider of talent and technology solutions, published its Digital Leadership survey results earlier this month. As part of the group, Crimson is a contributor to the report. 

The 2021 Digital Leadership Report is the world’s largest and longest-running senior technology decision-makers survey. Launched in 1998 and previously called the CIO Survey, it has been an influential and respected indicator of significant trends in technology and digital for over two decades. This year a survey of over 2,100 digital leaders took place between 8th July 2021 and 11th October 2021, across 87 countries. In the UK, 823 digital leaders were surveyed.

During the last 12 months, we have seen demand spike for tech professionals as investment in IT skyrocketed to enable agility, meet customer demand, and provide new products and services. However, candidates have had a monopoly over the market with so many new opportunities, and many organisations have faced ‘The Great Resignation’. The Digital Leadership survey found that four in ten employers are struggling to retain their employees, and only one in three (38 percent) of organisations have revisited their employee offer to make it more attractive.

Aside from attracting skilled candidates’ digital leaders cannot find the talent they need. Even though more than half of the professionals surveyed said they were looking to hire regardless of location, 66 percent admitted they could not keep pace with technology trends because of a lack of skilled individuals. For example, the demand for Developers is extraordinarily high; in fact, it’s in the same league as HGV drivers and Nurses. As a result, more than half of those surveyed (52 percent) said they would be offering more apprenticeships to help plug the skills gap.

Let’s take a look at some more of the headlines from the much-anticipated report;

October is menopause awareness month and, since the ground-breaking Davina McCall documentary, ‘Sex Myths and the Menopause’, there has been a huge increase in menopause coverage. More women have shared their experiences, the medical curriculum has been challenged, and employers are stepping up to provide information and support. The documentary touched on the misconceptions surrounding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), leading to only one in ten women opting for (HRT) and the misdiagnosis of depression. Nine out of ten women will experience menopausal symptoms; however, there are 40 plus symptoms meaning everyone’s experience is different.

There is more to life than money. During the pandemic, we have seen people step back, slow down and re-evaluate. Self-care and work-life balance were prioritised as many of us faced furlough or juggled family life and working from home. As a result, there has been a change in attitude as we recognise the importance of being flexible to someone’s changing circumstances and the importance of output over hours. Understanding our worth is also about discovering what we want from life, including the benefactors and rewards we value.

According to Cendex, almost half (47 percent) of HR professionals they spoke to say their employees ask for a pay review annually, with around 7 percent of employees requesting a review every six months. Sales, media, and marketing employees are more likely to ask for a monthly salary review than other industries surveyed. However, employees in the IT and Telecoms sector were the most likely to request a quarterly review.

In 2019 a government study revealed that eight in ten businesses still pay men more than women. Research by Payment Sense also highlighted the breadth of the gender pay gap by characterising cities and industries.

It’s been almost a year and a half since we unknowingly packed our desk up for a spot of homeworking. Since then, we have wrestled with the tech, discovered some huge business advantages, but began to miss the ‘water cooler moments.’ One thing is for sure, ‘Microsoft Teams / Zoom fatigue’ is real.

Research by Harvard Business school found that although our meetings are shorter, employees now have more meetings. Otter Ai notes that middle managers spend 35 percent of their time in meetings, and 92 percent of employees they asked said they multitask during meetings. On average, UK and USA professionals lose around four days per month, thanks to ineffective meetings.

Microsoft Teams has introduced settings that recommend meeting breaks, and astute managers are reducing the number of meetings in favour of ‘quiet days.’ However, how about when we need to present? How do we delight viewers and keep them from checking their emails?

We have put together some top tips to help you and your audience enjoy a virtual presentation.

Don’t worry. We won’t be asking you to ‘check the tech’ and blur your background; that’s yesterday’s news. Instead, we will take you through some new techniques and encourage you to ask yourself what you could do differently?

Nobody wants their approach to feel dated, employers are looking for authentic, creative, changemakers and you can stand out by adopting a few of these tips

Over the last few years, the factors that attract people to companies – or make them stay at their current company – have changed. Loyalty, consistency, and routine used to be common reasons why someone would stay in their job for years, even decades, but frequent job changes are becoming increasingly popular. 

Many organisations ramped up their employee engagement strategy during the pandemic. However, according to HR software firm Personio, four in ten employees (38 percent) of UK employees are still planning to quit their job in the next six to twelve months. A whopping 58 percent of the tech workers are considering a career change. The truth is that remote working has left workers pondering new job opportunities that align with their beliefs rather than their commute. Therefore, employers must get a handle on employee satisfaction.

In a recent survey by The Hub Events, 85 percent of one thousand people described themselves as incompetent at work. Shockingly many of us believe we're not good enough at our jobs despite our achievements. Out of the 85 percent, only 25 percent were aware of something called imposter syndrome.

Neurodiversity refers to the natural differences within human brain function. Depending on our thinking style, our brain will process information differently. Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Autism, and ADHD are just a few examples of alternative thinking styles. Around 1 in 7 of us are neurodivergent, meaning we have some unique strengths such as processing information quickly, spotting patterns and Lateral thinking. Shockingly, approximately 84 percent of adults with autism suffer from unemployment. Many individuals are not diagnosed until adulthood which means there could be people within your organisation that want support from their employer.

Workplaces are typically designed for neurotypicals. When thinking about attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool, we need to understand what adjustments we can make in areas such as candidate selection and within the working environment. We’re not talking about radical changes; there are simple, cost-effective solutions that benefit all employees. Besides helping neurodivergent individuals thrive, inclusive employers will also benefit from increased employee engagement, job satisfaction, and overall success brought on by a team with different viewpoints and approaches to solving a problem.

Neurodiverse teams are at least 30 percent more productive. However, 9 out of 10 organisations do not have plans that support variation in neurocognitive functioning. Early adopters such as Microsoft and Dell have autism hiring programmes that enable them to nurture an untapped talent pool.

However, one in three people say they’re disappointed with how their employer approached their neurological condition, so what can we do to ensure we attract and retain neurodivergents?

Watch the video about Neurodiversity from HSBC.

According to CV-Library, the average time-to-hire (advert to offer) an IT professional is around 41 days. In comparison, 27.5 days is the median across all industries, according to Glassdoor. The larger the company, the quicker the recruitment process, and if you use a recruitment agency like Crimson, you are more likely to reduce your time-to-hire and the average cost-to-hire.

CV-Library research also indicates that over 80 percent of recruitment professionals do not recommend application forms; instead, CV’s and quick apply buttons are favoured. Advertising in the right place and the strength of your advert will help you attract more candidates. Advertisements that fail to pinpoint salaries and convey the company culture will not attract as much attention.

Similarly, a lengthy hiring process will also deter candidates. CV-Library state that over 49 percent of candidates believe there should be no more than two stages in the hiring process. A recent poll by Crimson’s Senior Appointments Practice revealed that over 90 percent of applicants for a senior IT role would not expect any more than two to three interviews. CV-Library also found that 71 percent of candidates will turn down a job offer if they have a bad interview experience.

Introducing video screening into the hiring process can drastically improve the candidate's experience and reduce the time-to-hire. Crimson recommends using video after you have shortlisted candidates via their CV and before their face-to-face interview.