Cleaning industry staffing shortages ‘at a critical juncture’

1st of December 2021
Cleaning industry staffing shortages ‘at a critical juncture’

Employers in the UK cleaning sector need to adapt to a rapidly-changing workforce in order to win the battle for workers.

This is the view of flexible worker company Redwigwam which claims staffing shortages are at a ‘critical juncture' and believes that new approaches are essential.

"With 1.9 million open positions and a loss of potential job seekers due to Brexit, employers are finding it extremely difficult to fill positions without added incentives," said the company's CEO Lorna Davidson.

"Moving ahead, the recruitment process requires several potential changes in how recruiters conduct business and attract candidates." Redwigwam is calling for improved pay, greater flexibility, more opportunities for hybrid and remote working plus an enhanced level of support for employees' personal lives. Other incentives should include health insurance, longer parental leave and increased levels of training, says Davidson.

"The last 18 months have been anything but predictable in the world of staffing," she said. "As we enter a new era of work, the ability to hire and maintain qualified staff has never been more frantic.

"Companies are having to rethink their own culture, policies and expectations while workers are reconsidering their workload and seeking a happy medium that builds a work-life balance they never had before."

Redwigwam has produced a white paper entitled 'Surviving Staffing Shortages: How businesses can overcome the perfect storm generated by Brexit and the Covid pandemic'. According to the white paper, other sectors under severe strain besides cleaning include the retail, hospitality, transport, warehousing and food production and manufacturing industries.

 

 

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