What do employees expect from an employer in today’s labour market?

Taking into account the current situation in Lithuania, we can talk about the turbulent changes taking place in the management of the company, in the attitudes of employees towards work and the employer, and in academic education.

The main focus of choosing or changing employers remains the same today, but new insights are emerging that show an increasingly deeper and more critical attitude of labour market participants towards the recruitment process.

The classic arguments for changing jobs are key:

Wages – Employees are more motivated and loyal when they are paid more than the market. They see this as recognition of personal effort and competence, which is directly linked to the attractiveness of the organisation. The employee positions the organisation positively on the labour market and makes recommendations to those who want to work for the organisation. Recommendations from current and former employees are one of the key points in planning the flow of candidates to be attracted in today’s situation.

Career opportunities – Candidates often opt for career counselling when looking for a job. Once they have used it and identified their potential to adapt in the industry, they plan their career in a targeted way. Candidates analyse and summarise the information they have gathered about the company, relate it to their own life and work experience, and assess the practical benefits of the job offer for their personal competences.

Knowing the employer is very important for today’s candidate. He or she is interested in the sector they want to work in (private, public, non-profit), the type of organisation (large, medium, small), the type of employment (full-time, telework, temporary, self-employed). Analyses the company through social networks, media, publicly available data, and seeks references from former and current employees. Seeks a recommendation from the recruitment agency on the company’s activities and values, positioning in the business community.

Flexible working conditions before quarantine seemed like a complex and difficult process to implement. Creative and quick solutions in the event of an emergency have shown that the awareness of employees in companies in Lithuania is quite high. HR policies in organisations have become more flexible.

This has boosted the performance of work tasks and increased staff motivation.

Various studies show that the benefits for the employer are clear: higher employee productivity and engagement, loyalty, easier attraction of new recruits, lower costs for renting premises etc. In today’s labour market, the employer is becoming more creative and flexible, while the employee can integrate more easily and freely, and perform his/her tasks more efficiently.

Today, it’s not only the candidate who has to prepare for a job interview, but also the employer. Candidate awareness and choice encourages employers to compete with each other and be creative in attracting talented employees.