Close Menu
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing & Mental Health
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
Trending
  • New Venture Aims To Help Propel Growth For Start-Ups
  • Building community, one cause at a time
  • How to build a £1 million pension and ISA portfolio
  • 5 Reasons Why Every Office Should Include Flexible Spaces to Work and Their Key Benefits
  • Pension reforms risk higher prices, fewer jobs and slower growth, FSB warns
  • Building Trust in AI Through a Decision-Centric Approach in Manufacturing
  • In Profile: Michael Stausholm, founder and CEO of SproutWorld
  • A beginner’s guide to growth shares (and why they’re so popular right now)
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
You are at:Home»HR & Recruitment»Turbulent Times Ahead as September’s Seasonal Staffing Drive Approaches
UK SMEs to bolster employee numbers following promising start to 2022

Turbulent Times Ahead as September’s Seasonal Staffing Drive Approaches

0
Posted By sme-admin on September 11, 2023 HR & Recruitment

Bidding wars and salary dissatisfaction are set to cause mayhem in the coming seasonal staffing drive, according to experts.

September is traditionally a significant month of recruitment for UK employers as staff return from summer holidays – but this year is expected to see a turbulent mixture of bidding wars, as companies fight to retain talent, and dissatisfaction with pay hits a peak.

According to recent reports*, 40 per cent of employers have had to resort to counteroffers to hold onto employees, and the majority reported having to use this more and more frequently.

Whilst at the same time, more than 41 per cent of the UK workforce believe their rate of pay is unfair**.

Thea Watson, Chief International Growth Officer at BrightHR, said: “Since inflation breached the Government’s two per cent target in May 2021, it has run rampant, driving up the cost of living considerably, coupled with the fact UK interest rates have been cranked up to 5.25 per cent, from 0.1% in the same time period.

“This comes at a time when disposable household income has fallen by 3.7 per cent. That’s biggest fall in living standards for almost 70 years when data was first collected…

“As employees feel the pinch of rising prices and rent and mortgage payments, they naturally weigh job satisfaction against the perceived ‘fairness’ of their wages. If either one does not balance the ‘satisfaction scales’, then they will likely look elsewhere.

“Yet it’s important to remember that businesses are also feeling the pinch. And the pressure of looking to hire, or hold onto key personnel, is particularly daunting when small businesses are fighting for talent against larger corporations with fewer financial restrictions.

“When employees are not satisfied with the remuneration they’re receiving from their employee, this often manifests in low morale, which is a catalyst for a decline in productivity, and ultimately, high staff turnover.

“And the fact that a colossal 96 per cent of workers were reported to be looking for a new position in 2023 in a report by Monster.com which attributed the reasons largely to being in search of better pay, will surely be disturbing for the vast majority of employers to hear.

“Yet the talent pool is being heavily fished with employers battling against each other in the war for talent. And understandably, SMEs that may not have the resources to offer top dollar for roles will be concerned about missing out attracting staff, or retaining them—especially when 40 per cent of employers are reporting to have made a counter-offer to employees or prospective employees within the last year.

“In fact, nine in 10 businesses are reportedly struggling to recruit right now. And with the power shifting over more so to the employee, employers must make themselves look extra appealing to retain staff and also to attract staff.

“Salary will always come up trumps for jobseekers, with three-quarters prioritising it when looking for a role. But smaller teams may not have the capacity to carry out such extensive research as to what the going-rates are—particularly in a constantly shifting market. That’s why utilising a salary benchmarking service is essential to ensure job ads stack up against competitors and at least are in the right ballpark. This useful comparison tool can also be used to check existing salaries are in line with the market to prevent undue attrition.

“But it’s not just about salary, and SMEs needn’t necessarily worry about automatically losing out on key talent to the bigger corporations with higher budgets if they are unable to offer top rates—that’s if they can piece together an attractive benefits package that takes heed of other employee priorities.

“Take this for example: Almost all (92 per cent) employees see learning and development opportunities as a non-negotiable in their roles. In fact, they would go as far as to describe it a ‘deal-breaker’ should a prospective employer neglect this, so ensuring that your organisation offers comprehensive L&D opportunities is vital to be seen an employer of choice.

“Plus, in light of the current economic landscape, employees and job seekers are increasingly reliant on discounts and offers provided through their employer’s benefits platforms to maintain a good standard of quality of life.

“And additionally, 84 per cent of employees say that improving their mental, physical and financial health is a “top priority” this year, with three-quarters of those saying it’s “more important than advancing their career”. So, offering an employee assistance programme and other wellbeing initiatives can help shape your benefits package and appeal to those who would otherwise be at risk of taking a role at another organisation—whilst getting the most out of your people.”

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

5 Reasons Why Every Office Should Include Flexible Spaces to Work and Their Key Benefits

Leading the future: Redefining leadership in the era of agentic AI

If Your Company Isn’t Thriving, Your Culture Might Be the Problem

Comments are closed.

Follow SME Today on Linkedin and share all the topics you find interesting
Verify your identity for Companies House

The Newsletter

Join our mailing list for the best SME stories, handpicked and delivered direct to your inbox every two weeks!

Sign Up
Events Calendar
    • Marketing
    July 7, 2025

    Bold Business Marketing Specialist Speaks In Swindon This Week

    July 4, 2025

    How Generative AI is Giving SMEs a Marketing Edge

    • Finance
    July 10, 2025

    How to build a £1 million pension and ISA portfolio

    July 10, 2025

    Pension reforms risk higher prices, fewer jobs and slower growth, FSB warns

    • Health & Safety
    July 1, 2025

    Temperatures Soaring: Is Your Workplace Becoming Unsafe?

    January 29, 2025

    UK takeaways guilty of shocking hygiene failures:

    • Events
    July 4, 2025

    £20k grant for female-founded SME up for grabs

    July 2, 2025

    As Seen on BBC Panorama – Brad Burton to Headline The South West Expo in Swindon

    • Community
    July 11, 2025

    Building community, one cause at a time

    June 23, 2025

    Celebrating One Year In Fairford Supporting The Community

    • Food & Drink
    June 23, 2025

    England Cricket Captain, Ben Stokes OBE, takes a stake in Spencer Matthews’ alcohol-free spirits brand, CleanCo

    June 16, 2025

    Hospitality industry risks collapse

    • Books
    April 24, 2025

    Values-Driven Professionalism: A Path to Client Loyalty

    December 2, 2024

    Banish the banshee boss: how to lead without fear – addressing the issue of fear-based management and how NOT to be this manager

    About

    SME Today is published by the same team who deliver The Great British Expos’. We have been organising various corporate events for the last 10 years, with a strong track record of producing well managed and attended business events across the UK.

    Join Our Mailing List

    Receive the latest news and updates from SMEToday.
    Read our Latest Newsletter:


    Sign Up
    X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    Most Recent Posts
    July 11, 2025

    New Venture Aims To Help Propel Growth For Start-Ups

    July 11, 2025

    Building community, one cause at a time

    July 10, 2025

    How to build a £1 million pension and ISA portfolio

    July 10, 2025

    5 Reasons Why Every Office Should Include Flexible Spaces to Work and Their Key Benefits

    July 10, 2025

    Pension reforms risk higher prices, fewer jobs and slower growth, FSB warns

    Categories
    • Books
    • Community & Charity
    • Education and Training
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Features
    • Finance
    • Food and Drink
    • Health & Safety
    • HR & Recruitment
    • In Profile
    • Legal
    • Marketing
    • News
    • Property & Development
    • Sponsored Content
    • Technology
    • Transport & Tourism
    • Wellbeing & Mental Health

    Copyright © 2020 SME Today.

    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    Copyright © 2025 SME Today.
    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Privacy
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.