UK businesses now hire from anywhere in the country

The advances made in remote working owing to the coronavirus pandemic have created new hiring opportunities for UK businesses as daily commutes are alleviated, allowing firms to employ people from across the country and beyond.

Remote working has also caused over a third of businesses to see significant increases in productivity since the shift, according to a study conducted by The University of Law Business School.

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The study is based on a survey conducted by TLF Panel on 500 business leaders across the UK in March 2021. While a relatively small sample size, it could provide insight into how traditional office jobs have adapted to the pandemic.

A little under three-quarters of respondents revealed they are open to hiring new staff from across, or even outside, of the UK as companies look further afield for fresh talent.

The study also finds that women in executive roles are more likely to employ people from outside of the businesses catchment area, with more than half (51%) stating they would hire from anywhere in the UK, compared with just 38% of male respondents.

According to those polled, the top five most desirable qualities for a candidate for remote working positions are self-motivation, communication skills, adaptability, organisation and teamwork.

41% of respondents found self-motivation to be the most appealing characteristic when hiring new staff, with being able to communicate clearly while working remotely also being a key asset, with 34% of respondents seeing this as a key attribute.

By contrast, despite the challenges many British workers have faced throughout the past year with the pandemic, resilience ranks fairly low on the quota, with many employers ranking it as their least sought-after quality.

Significant advances in remote working technology have made working from home significantly easier over the past few years, with increased digitalisation being a key factor in the digital transformation and Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things.

Andres Perez, the director at The University of Law Business School admitted it was fascinating to see how well businesses have adapted to working remotely over the past year.

He said: "At the beginning of the pandemic, companies and employers were thrown into a scenario where they had to adopt a working dynamic that would have made a lot of employers nervous to begin with, but many have found it beneficial.

“With remote working set to grow further in popularity, the job market is now more flexible and international than ever, however, also more competitive. We are confident our findings will help inspire the next generation of the UK workforce moving forward to be open to opportunities beyond their geographical area.” 

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There is a chance the trend of remote working will continue in a post-Covid world across the white-collar sphere in order to save on costs for bills and office spaces.

Analysts have predicted the working atmosphere may have been forever changed by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the effects of remote working on worker productivity may signal something of a change for a number of sectors.

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