Christopher Hurst is a Global Leaders in Law Ambassador and Managing Director of Kingsley Green Recruitment. Below, Chris shares his thought and insights on ‘the war for talent’ and ‘the great resignation.’ He includes his expert tips on attracting and retaining talent, offers advice to GC’s looking to move roles, and shares his thoughts on the future of work. Finally, Chris discusses the law firm pay rises and outlines the steps in-house leaders can take to ensure it does not impact their talent retention.
Corporate Counsel Advance: What are your thoughts and insights on ‘the war for talent’ and ‘the great resignation’?
Christopher Hurst: Essentially, change breeds change and the pandemic caused a massive shift in people’s life perspectives. With everyone forced to work from home, what started as a temporary response to the challenges of remote working became a seismic shift in how employees assess their working conditions. In addition to this, there was a ground swell of jobs building up and little or no active hiring because of the double-headed hydra of Covid and Brexit. As the dam burst and a torrent of opportunities, not seen since pre-Lehman, flooded the permanent and interim markets, in-house and private practice firms were forced to review salaries and working conditions including offering hybrid working as a viable ongoing option.
It is a hectic market so you need to know what you are doing. If you are a General Counsel that is trying to retain employees you cannot afford to be slow. For example, actively ensure you are looking after your staff and offering flexible working hours; employees ‘want to have their cake and eat it too.’
CCA: What advice would you offer GC’s who are looking to move roles?
Hurst: There are three things to actively focus on, firstly it is imperative to connect with the right headhunters at the senior end of the market, then really explore and connect with your network. Finally, connect with law firm partnerships that have CFO and CEO relationships.
CCA: In your experience, what are the things that truly retain employees?
Hurst: Retaining talent is all about early communication, as a leader you have to proactively ensure your employees are enjoying their job. You can’t wait until they resign and then offer to fix the problem. You must get them before they resign, carve out clear job pathways and ensure salaries are fair in the current market
The biggest complaints I hear from someone looking for a new job are that they are working private practice hours for in-house pay. In addition, a lack of career progression, too narrow a job spec and a culture where the legal team aren’t fully immersed in the wider business add to feelings of disquiet and a desire to move on.
CCA: How have you seen the working landscape change? What does the future of work look like?
Hurst: I have spoken to a lot of people recently who are searching for their next career move, and not one person has said they want to be in the office 5 days a week. People are requesting information about hybrid working before they ask for information on the salary- the times have changed!