TOP TIPS FOR HIRING IN THE ‘SUMMER OF DISTRACTIONS’

Posted on 10th June 2024

From huge sporting competitions to a highly-charged general election, there are some major upcoming events! While these might typically drift under the radar for hiring managers, they present a number of major potential pitfalls for hiring practices and staff management. Our concise guide will help navigate the minefield ahead - ensuring your hiring strategy remains undamaged and your team will still be on speaking terms!

THE EUROS

KEEP THINGS FAIR

While some people will want to be glued to every second of the Euros, others will happily admit to rather watching paint dry! That can actually lead to serious potential management pitfalls. For example, allowing those that want to watch a game to do so will likely only cause resentment for those that aren’t interested if they aren’t offered any equivalent perk.

KEEP THE OFFICE LOOKING PROFESSIONAL FOR HIRING

When you find that dream candidate for your team, you want their first impression of your workplace to be one of complete professionalism. That’s not to say all offices have to feel overly-formal or traditional. But for most businesses, football decorations across the office or televised games blaring out on desktop monitors and phones could risk damaging the initial impression your business will make for new candidates and interviewees.

MAKE USE OF FLEXIBILITY WORKING WHERE YOU CAN

Flexible working doesn’t always need to accommodate emergencies, childcare or other major commitments. If you have colleagues, particularly perhaps those working more remotely, that can stagger their hours around early starts or late shifts to accommodate televised games, then there’s no real reason to discourage this.

BOOST PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH TEAM REWARDS

You might find yourself managing a team where everyone genuinely loves the Euros and wants to be as involved as possible. If that’s the case, this is actually a great opportunity to provide themed incentives for performance. This might include rewarding team targets by watch matches on-site, or even just providing the ideal opportunity for team bonding.

THE ELECTION

KEEP THE POLITICS OUT OF ANY HIRING PROCESSES

The last thing a candidate wants to be asked in a high pressure job interview is a question on their political stance or their views on the general election. Questions might be phrased and intended to be harmless and informal but this can really catch candidates off guard and make them feel uneasy. Many might feel a pressure to verbally align themselves with the interviewers’ beliefs, which is a situation they should never find themselves in.

EMPLOYEES MUST BE RESPECTFUL TO EACH OTHER

At some point during general election season, colleagues will discuss politics. While this instinctively feels like a topic to avoid, colleagues with differing viewpoints can absolutely have these discussions but this needs to work within the understanding that all staff must be respectful to each other at all times.

KEEP PARTY POLITICS OUT OF YOUR CORPORATE CULTURE

Defining your company culture is incredibly important, but this should never be guided by party politics. Instead, an effective working culture is shaped by factors such as methods of working, leadership styles, community and environmental engagement with these promoted in an inclusive way that everyone can get behind.

BEING THE BOSS DOESN’T GIVE YOU A SOAPBOX

The best managers always lead by example and bosses can’t expect their teams to act professionally if they themselves are making quick remarks about their own views - particularly with an assumption that their teams would agree! The best approach for bosses here is to consciously keep the business’s focus apolitical and draw attention to areas of team unity and shared successes.

ADVICE FOR THIS SUMMER AND THE LONG TERM

At Netbox Recruitment, we have the expertise to advise on the best approach to your hiring strategy, whether that’s over the coming summer months or the long-term. Alongside our core hiring approach, we also offer support on a wide range of additional services including:

- Creating effective job descriptions.
- Salary surveys and benchmarking.
- Competitor analysis and head-hunting.
- Help with interviews and assessments.
- Personality profiling & skills assessments.
- Candidate referencing and vetting.
- HR, employment law &contract templates.
- Employee disability awareness training.