New research* from reveals that more than three-quarters (78%) of UK companies have taken steps to increase their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), starting last year.
Amid the global pandemic and cultural movements such as Black Lives Matter, UK hiring professionals said their employer or clients have taken steps such as increasing or improving their EDI training, expanding their diversity policy, increasing hiring in EDI-focused roles and redacting identifiers of race or gender in CVs.
Also, employers have altered their focus when it comes to benefits. With traditional employee perks such as free lunches and office beer-fridges rendered meaningless as a result of home-working, 77 per cent of recruitment professionals told TopCV that their organisation or clients have implemented new policies or incentives to maintain employee engagement and attract top talent.
Topping the list of popular new employee incentives was equipment or allowances for home-office setups, with 62 per cent of hiring professionals stating their company or clients now offer this amenity to employees. Other benefits adopted include customised work schedules (31%), such as a four-day working week or flexible start and finish times, and health and fitness perks (31%), including subsidised gym memberships, vouchers for exercise classes or equipment, and virtual workout classes.
Amanda Augustine, careers expert at TopCV, commented: ‘This past year’s events have caused many professionals to prioritise job opportunities with organisations based on the values they promote and the ways in which they support and recognise their employees – in other words, the company culture.
In fact, company culture has become the single-most important factor when choosing a job – beating out career-progression opportunities and even total compensation. If job seekers are willing to do a little extra research and ask the right questions, they will find themselves employed at a company that cares about the same things as they do.’
*Research carried out by TopCV
