Autumn has arrived! The warm weather and summer holidays are behind us, and as the days get shorter, the demand for quality staff only increases. Heading towards the end of the year and into the peak season there’s no better time to secure a talented and dedicated team. Whether this means bringing in temporary staff to support you during busy periods or introducing a new permanent member of staff who will not only see you through the end of this year, but also to become a long-term asset to your business.

Autumn hiring trends

We’ve already noticed a shift in trends with businesses starting to plan and prepare for the Christmas period. This is common around the autumn time as we change from the summer period, where businesses require staff for shorter periods of time for smaller contracts. Many of our clients have been utilising our temporary staffing service to provide them with ad hoc staff as and when they needed to do so. We are now seeing an increase in interest in our permanent division as businesses look to plan for a more secure team with a long-term view on hiring and team culture. During peak season reliability is non-negotiable. Taking the time now plan your scale-up as we head towards the end of the year is best practice to make sure you are fully prepared. Certain skilled roles remain difficult to hire internally which is why we are seeing clients taking a more strategic approach and using our permanent recruitment services as an extension to their own hiring to help find them the perfect match. However, this does not mean that temporary staffing is not being utilised over the autumn period. If anything, temporary staffing becomes even more valuable during autumn as companies utilise it to cover last-minute absences and sudden smaller peaks.

The cost of low agency rates

Many hiring managers, HR professionals & business owners see recruitment as an expense rather than an investment and will often use recruitment agencies as a last resort rather than a tool to help them strategically build their team. When businesses focus solely on agency rates rather than the quality of service, it usually becomes more expensive in the long term. Lower agency rates often result in hiring poor quality candidates and having to replace them often, meaning you must frequently go through the training process rather than training and retaining a single quality candidate. By choosing a cheaper price you end up paying for unreliability such as a poor service from the agency, no-shows and last-minute dropouts from the candidates. Not only does this cause an immediate disruption, but it also causes major knock-on effects, such as reduced productivity, lowered core team morale, and customer dissatisfaction. By working with BE Recruitment, an agency that prioritises maintaining a high service level, we are dedicated to pairing you with the perfect candidate in terms of both skill and culture which will benefit you longer term. It isn’t always about finding the cheapest option, it’s about finding the right partner who can support your business and cater to your needs through both highs and lows.

Seasonal changes

Autumn is the season for change, in both weather and business. More demand is placed on teams, personnel changes and the pace increases as we head into winter. Having the right people in your team makes all the difference, now is the time to ensure your teams are ready to thrive.