Hybrid working helps creates new opportunities in finance recruitment

Embracing the trend for hybrid, flexible working could create advantages for both finance employees and employers.

After enforced home working for many during the lockdowns of 2020 and early 2021, we’re experiencing a real shift in what offices look like. And yet, it’s still fairly uncertain, with many workplaces in flux as they determine how to enable flexible working in the long term.

As a result, hybrid working is a hot topic across various industries, for both employers and employees alike.

We spoke with Andrew McLeod, Head of Recruitment for specialist finance recruitment and advisory firm Hutcheon Mearns, to discuss the changing landscape of flexible working in the world of finance.

Growing demand for flexibility

One of the first things to note is that there is no set model for hybrid working. It’s all about a blend of home and office working, but some companies want employees in the office on set days for set hours, while others are more flexible about how that blend works.

Regardless, there’s definitely a growing demand for hybrid working.

This is particularly true from candidates, not least because many have fully adapted to home working and committed to external factors (like reduced childcare) that make a full return to the office tricky. Now some candidates (particularly more experienced individuals and new graduates, notes Andrew) will go so far as to turn down opportunities if the flexibility isn’t there.

But businesses are starting to respond. “What we’re seeing is a bit of a split between larger organisations and smaller organisations,” explains Andrew. “From larger PLCs and multinationals, there is a much greater appetite to continue with hybrid working and actively roll-out schemes. But there isn’t any real consistency.

“If you go to the smaller organisations, there is a much larger appetite to have people back in the office.”

Advantages disadvantages

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So what are the reasons for the uncertainty towards hybrid working? To start with, while the demand for flexible and hybrid working might be growing, it’s not universal. Some people miss the camaraderie of the office and some businesses require staff to have a visible presence in the workplace.

On the plus side, fully remote finance jobs are creating opportunities for both employees and employers, with skills becoming more important than location.

Andrew explains: “First, there are the roles that have been created to be remote. They’re very niche and specific. Your interaction won’t necessarily be with people in one fixed office location, it’s going to be with international colleagues, so it doesn’t really matter where you are.

“The other side is roles that are traditionally hard to recruit for, so positions like tax or treasury, that have a small pool of candidates. Making that role remote allows you to go beyond your geographical borders to find someone.”

Starting conversations The trick to getting hybrid working right is having honest conversations. “Don’t lose out on good people by being so rigid on what you’ve always done,” adds Andrew.

Consider all flexible working options, including part-time solutions. He says: “Bringing in a more experienced person on a part-time basis working remotely might be more beneficial to your business than bringing in someone with less experience, full-time in the office, that can’t do the job nearly as well.”

This is one of the advantages of turning to Hutcheon Mearns for expert recruitment help. Like all senior management, Andrew comes from a finance background as a qualified accountant.

He brings his knowledge and experience to Hutcheon Mearns’ recruitment service, building a pool of qualified candidates and getting to know exactly what a client needs when they’re advertising a job.

This allows Hutcheon Mearns to match the right candidates with the right roles, to everyone’s benefit. With hybrid working quickly transforming workplaces, having this kind of recruitment expertise on hand can help you make the most of new ways of working.

Your team at Hutcheon Mearns.