Employers say flexibility is key

Thursday 20 October 2022

A recent conference found that the vast majority of Channel Islands employers believe that offering or planning to offer increased flexibility to staff is key to solving some of their most serious challenges.

This includes recruiting and retaining employees.

Walkers' employment conference - 'The War for Talent' – was held last month across Guernsey and Jersey, with senior HR and business leaders canvassed on their strategies for hiring and keeping staff. 

The key findings in Guernsey included that: 

• 100% of attendees were finding it difficult to fill vacancies – 66% at all levels, 20% mainly at junior level, and 14% mainly at senior level 
• 73% were offering, or were planning to offer, increased flexibility / remote working to fill vacancies. 
• 44% said work life balance is the workplace factor that matters most to them, 24% said cultures and values, 19% said compensation and benefits 

Sarah Ash, the Group Partner leading the Guernsey employment law team, said: "The move towards flexible working and work from home policies poses challenges for organisations – it is clear from the poll results that work life balance is a clear motivator for employees, and the employment law challenges arising from that in terms of effectively managing staff need to be taken seriously to mitigate legal risk."