In so many ways the last 18 months have been a bit of a rollercoaster and not least in the world of recruitment. Following an initial meltdown at the end of March 2020 followed by 3 months of inactivity, the market rallied and since July 2020 it has just been…..bonkers. The confidence and willingness of employers to start hiring again has been impressive, the number of redundancies made in the North has been very small (compared to what the media might have led us to believe) and what has been most impressive has been the execution of interviewing via video calls and the subsequent onboarding of new employees into businesses - remotely. Whilst there are several agencies now back in the office for at least 2 days a week, this is relatively recent and many individuals are only just meeting work colleagues in real life for the first time.
When a recruiter and a client agree Terms, there is typically a rebate period agreed which covers the first three months of employment. For an employee there is a probation period agreed with their employer but the rebate allows a client some level of recompense if the hire does not turn out to be - I am struggling to find the right word here but I guess if the hire turns out to be the right one. Most recruiters keep a tight rein on the rebate fee because it’s definitely not meant to be a way for employers to try before they buy and for that reason, we are mostly fond of robust interview processes and making sure both parties are fully engaged before a contract is signed.
Fortunately, the number of rebates is extremely small. Tiny. A nice reminder that everyone engages with the process of hiring staff because they want to hire and that employees want a job - the right job. No-one invests all that time (and time is money) in a hire that then doesn’t work out.
However, every so often, I am reminded that occasionally, a role might not turn out to be as you anticipated. The first couple of weeks are a bit of a blur for most people with inductions, meet the team, client discovery sessions etc. Then towards the end of the first month most new employees will either be truly engaged and enjoying their new role - or not. I did wonder when we started to get busier whether the impact of hiring and onboarding remotely would affect the rebate numbers, whether, we’d find that the interview process just didn’t match that of interviewing face to face, whether when it came down to it, trying to grow a business whilst everyone is working from home was just not feasible. Fortunately I’m pleased to report that isn’t the case and I think huge efforts from employers and new employees has meant everyone has adapted quickly to the change in circumstances and made it work.
However, I had the situation recently when a candidate who was 5 weeks into a new role decided that it wasn’t right for them and wanted my advice as to how to deal with the situation. Tricky. Imagine you are advising a friend and I think the first thing you’d ask is ‘are you sure?’, ‘is there anything you can do to rectify the situation?’, ‘can you have a conversation with your line manager and explain what you are feeling?’. Most employers would be mortified that only 5 weeks into the role, a new employee wasn’t feeling settled so having a conversation would usually be my first recommendation. And in fairness, most employers have risen to the challenge of remote onboarding and have made huge efforts to engage new staff, to ensure the induction process is as good as it would be in the office and to surround new starters with ‘buddies’ who they can chat to.
But just occasionally, it doesn’t turn out to be the right role. You’ve explored whether you think the situation is rectifiable and often it’s not. That generally is to do with culture of the employer or work processes, or just that the expectations set by the employer at interview, have not been met. That’s generally when individuals feel that they can’t change a situation, particularly in a smaller agency where it’s owner managed and a culture is more ‘fixed’.
I think post pandemic (whenever that turns out to be!), we’ll marvel at how low the number of ‘placements which didn’t work out’ is. Against all the odds, the resilience and efforts of employers and employees has meant that our sector has not just survived, but thrived.
Anyway, if you do find yourself in a position which isn’t ‘as sold’ or you categorically know (trust your gut) that this isn’t right for you, then first talk to a recruiter who can work out what isn’t right - and thus what we need to focus on for the next role. Post Pandemic, I do think employers will understand if someone had taken a role whilst we were in lockdown only to find that it wasn’t the right role - usually, a short stint anywhere (unless it’s a contract) would potentially be a red flag but we all have had to make decisions over the last few months that perhaps in normal circumstances we wouldn’t have don.
For this candidate in question, the employer was shocked that they weren’t happy but understood their reasoning and accepted that they wanted to move on. The candidate is now 4 months into a new different role and feels very settled. Recruitment is pretty much ‘matchmaking’ and it’s not infallible. A recruiter can’t control everything but we all do everything we can to ensure that rebates are absolutely minimal and a good recruiter knows that the way to do that is to ensure the process of hiring is not to cut corners - two interviews, meet the team, take references etc. Currently, whilst the market is busier than I can ever remember, recruitment decisions are being made swiftly but it is essential to still follow the process and not cutting corners only to then repent at leisure.