Summer – a season that has a magical, unreal quality to it. There’s something about this time of year that seems to make all of our problems melt away. Summertime feels like one giant national holiday; the one time each year that the sun returns for its annual headlining act, brightening up the dull UK skies.

It’s an intoxicating season filled with sunshine and social events. Work slows down to a grinding halt: rushed meal-deal lunches at your desk are turned in for sun-soaked picnics in the park with colleagues; instead of working overtime, you clock-off on Fridays at lunch for a pint or two in a beer garden; rather than wistfully wishing away the day whilst chained to your office desk, you’re cramming your calendar full to the brim with dreamy holidays abroad.

It’s easy to see how summer makes it easy to forget your problems. Granted, you may be unhappy with your job. But your discontentment becomes a faint memory when the sun is beating down and your diary is chock-a-block with distractions. As much as you may hate your current role, it’s easy to ignore any glaring problems and paper over the cracks whilst summer reigns.

You decide to put your job search on hold, waiting for the same work-related issues to inevitably rear their ugly head again. You think to yourself: just leave it until autumn, summer isn’t the time to look for a new job anyway.

But is this really true? Is the summer job market an arid desert void of prospects? Or is it a treasure trove of hidden opportunity? Read on to find out about the underestimated benefits to continuing your job search into the summer months.  

Avoiding High Season

The worst part of any summer holiday, by a country mile, is having to wake up at 6am every morning, armed with a beach towel, and joining a swarm of other tourists in their mad rush towards the hotel pool, in a bid to claim your plot on a sun lounger for the day.

Well, this is one of the worst parts of a job search, too. The feeling of being one amongst many, all desperately pursuing the same goal. But when it’s high season at the resort, there aren’t enough loungers for everyone. Likewise, when hiring is at it’s peak, there’s far more competition for the roles that are out there. And thus, the greater the chance you’ll be left empty-handed.

It’s true that most companies follow a particular recruiting cycle, and the first quarter of the year is particularly fruitful for job seekers because companies have new budgets for hiring. However that doesn’t mean that hiring comes to a standstill in the summer months. It’s not like hiring managers pack up their desks and call it a day until September 1^st. The recruitment cycle may have its ebbs and flows, but it never sleeps.

Get ahead of the competition by getting into your job search in the summertime. Don’t buy into the age-old myth that no companies hire during the summer months; there are opportunities out there, you may just have to work a little harder to find them. And no doubt, employers will admire your tenacity and commitment if you spend your summer hunting for the role that is right for you.  

The fewer competitors you have to contend with, the better. Although there may be more opportunities at other times of the year during peak hiring months, there are far more people pursuing those opportunities, putting you at a disadvantage from the get-go. The job market becomes oversaturated with an influx of talented candidates, so don’t let yourself fall to the back of the queue.

Hiring managers are less busy

Don’t let yourself be put off by the prospect of a slow summer hiring process. True, summer isn’t a peak season for hiring, and this might slow things down. But this is both a blessing and a curse.

Granted, you’ll probably have to contend with a few out-of-office emails from hiring managers, or wait a while between different interview stages. This is part and parcel of a summer job search; people are away from their desks more often, so this is likely to affect your job search. However, whilst it can be frustrating to be left in the lurch during the hiring process, you have to remain vigilant. Take the initiative to gently nudge any hiring managers you may be expecting communication from, or ask your recruiter to maintain that sense of urgency.

However, hiring managers taking their time to reply in the summer months isn’t necessarily the worst thing. One of the great things about applying for a new job in summer is being able to avoid the mad rush that comes with a peak season job search. If the communication is slower, it gives you a chance to breathe, prepare, and gather your thoughts; you won’t become all-consumed in the stressful whirlwind of high season job hunting. This is actually beneficial for your mental health, and means that you can engage in a job search whilst still enjoying the slow serenity of the summertime.

Hiring managers are significantly less busy during summer. Sure, they may take the opportunity to make use of their holiday days, but they don’t shut down completely. Because they’re not drowning in a sea of resumes and applications, they’ll have more time to promptly review your CV, taking more time to read it. You may even hear back from them quicker, as they’ll have less applications to sift through. Your CV won’t be left in a growing pile gathering dust for weeks (or months!) on end.

More time on your hands

Summertime affords you a golden ticket when it comes to taking time off work for interviews and networking. Whether it’s your Friday afternoon early finish or your vacation days, you have a supply of free time so that you can juggle your commitments without taking too much time off work. There’s no need to fall back on the universal excuse that’s been used since time immemorial: a dentist appointment. The novelty of this excuse wears off pretty quickly, and you’re sure to raise a few eyebrows when you take time off for your sixth follow-up appointment…

Work usually slows down in the summer months, so if you do decide to job search, you’ll most likely find the experience less stressful. You won’t be juggling a full work schedule with the added pressure of interviews and networking. You can take more time off without your absence being too strongly felt, meaning you don’t have to become enmeshed in a snare of lies and excuses.

And when it comes to networking, the great thing about summer is that everyone else most likely has more time on their hands, too. When the sun is shining, it’s a mood booster. People are often keener to meet in summer, whether that be for a walk in the park or a post-work drink in the sunshine. It’s prime time for networking; there’s nothing quite like the buzz in the air at summertime. People come out of their shells and metamorphosise into social butterflies. Seize this opportunity to network to broaden your horizons and remain in the loop about career opportunities.

Hiring top talent is all well and good. But without a watertight retention strategy, you risk letting your treasured employees slip through the cracks. Losing valued employees can cost a fortune, and filling their vacant position can be a Goliath task that lasts months.

Read on for some of the best employee retention strategies to keep your employees onboard and your ship running smoothly.

1. Work life balance and flexibility

A recent HubSpot Data Survey found that 32% of 1,067 global marketers believe a poor work-life balance to be the main culprit for high employee turnover rates in their department. A balanced approach to work lays the groundwork for a team of loyal and satisfied employees.

You may think that you run a smooth operation at your company by placing an emphasis on hard work, but neglecting employee welfare could prove to be your Achilles’ heel in the long-run. Many employees nowadays refuse to simply suffer in silence, opting instead to explore opportunities elsewhere, in a workplace that views them as a human being, with interests and concerns that extend far beyond the office walls, rather than a robot geared up to work in overdrive 24/7.

In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, we are witnessing a sea change in our collective workplace expectations. Long gone are the days of glamorising toxic hustle culture. More and more people are choosing to work from the comfort of their homes, or commute only part-time into the office.

Companies should allow their employees to have a more flexible work schedule, giving them the freedom to choose where and when they work (within reason, of course). In today’s climate, companies need to be adaptable when it comes to remote working, to keep up with the evolving landscape of the working world. According to the EY 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey, 54% of employees across the globe would consider leaving their current role if they were not allowed to work flexibly. A Manpower UK survey found that 63% of workers expect flexibility in their roles nowadays.

Business leaders need to prioritise the wellbeing of their employees. Cultivating a human-centric workspace, where employees can open up about their concerns and issues, is the key to creating a healthy working environment and retaining employees.

Hold regular meetings with your employees; a simple check-in can gauge whether someone is happy in their role, or whether they’re struggling under a weighty workload. Paying attention to them on a one-on-one basis ensures that they feel looked after and cared for by your company. Launch wellbeing schemes, such as early Friday finishes or time off for team volunteering and charity work. Wellbeing activities and visible support systems form the backbone of a positive work environment.

2. Support, guidance and training

Establishing an open line of communication with your employees gives you the opportunity to let them know how they’re getting on in their role. Regular appraisals serve as the ultimate chance to provide your employees with consistent constructive feedback and guidance, so that they know exactly how they’re fairing.

But beyond this, employers need to be giving their team comprehensive training and support at every stage of their career, whether that be in their fledgling stages – during the onboarding process – or later down the line, with on-the-job training.

From the get-go, the best way to lay a solid foundation for a successful workforce is by hiring the right people, adopting efficient hiring practices. However, in order to retain a talented workforce, you need to stand by them and provide them with training and guidance whenever possible.

A supportive and thorough onboarding process is a no-brainer, but employers should also be providing their employees with the opportunity to learn a new job skill, championing their professional development by reimbursing training initiatives, offering courses, or financially supporting their further education. Employees want a company that invests in their professional development; according to a survey conducted by Better Buys, 92% of employees consider this to be an important or very important aspect of their career. A confident and capable workforce is one critical ingredient for an impactful employee retention strategy.

3. An incentive to stay and progress

It goes without saying that employees expect adequate compensation for their efforts. But there’s more to this than meets the eye. First and foremost, employers need to be keeping up to date with the latest industry standards, researching and reviewing salary surveys to ensure that their employees are being fairly compensated.

Wages should also be competitive; in today’s candidate-short market, many companies out there are actively seeking to lure in top talent with higher salaries. Selling your employees short leaves the door open to them pursuing opportunities elsewhere. LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends Report, produced in 2020, found that companies that offer their employees competitive salaries have a 56% lower employee turnover rate.

But employees need more than fair pay to keep them onboard. They require an incentive to stay at your company for the long-run, something to keep them engaged and invested in their role. By laying out a clear, concise and straightforward path for progression, employers provide their workforce with a game-plan that facilitates their growth and long-term success within the company.

When there’s an explicit career development trajectory mapped out in front of them, employees are likely to be spurred on and fuelled by a desire to reach their professional ambitions at their current place of employment. Signposting opportunities for raises and promotions is a fool-proof employee retention strategy. It’s a way of mapping out a steadfast future for your employees at your company.

And beyond this, benefits and perks should be a fundamental aspect of your employee retention strategy. However, when talking about a competitive benefits package, we don’t mean free coffees and beers in the office on a Friday afternoon. Employees want meaningful perks, such as a retirement savings plan or health insurance. These are the kinds of meaningful benefits that employees are looking for, as they prove that the company genuinely cares about them.

4. Emphasising company values

Let your employees know exactly what the impact of their work is. Subconsciously, being able to see the fruits of our labour empowers us. Present employees with statistics and case studies to demonstrate the affect their work has; people love knowing that their hard work actually counts for something.

This is where your marketing team comes in. Producing case studies and success stories is a great way to motivate your employees and keep them emotionally engaged with their work. Make sure that your marketing copy across all resources and platforms mirrors the core company mission statement, and conveys this in a clear and impactful way.

Passing down the company vision ensures that employees feel closely aligned to the company’s values. When employees feel connected to the business’s mission, every win for the company feels like a small win for each member of the team. Drilling home the company vision improves the chances that your employees feel genuinely excited and invested in the long-term success of the business.

Marketing isn’t just about attracting people from the outside. It’s about framing the business in its most attractive and exciting light, to bind employees to the company ethos in a personal and intimate way.