Technology Just Ousted Flexible Work – Did You Notice?

Published on November 12, 2019 - By Gemma Church

• Technology is ranked as the top way to boost recruitment performance, ahead of flexible working options. 
• This research is indicative of a wider trend where technology and flexible working cannot exist in silos.
• Coworking spaces need to start offering more tech-savvy tools to meet demand. 

Recruitment is a major bugbear for most businesses. Not only do you have to spend time and money finding the right employee, but you also have to invest in that employee to retain the best talent at your company.

You may assume that by offering a range of flexible work options, you’ll get the best candidates through your door – and they can get their job done more effectively. To some extent, you’re right. 

However, recent research has revealed that technology now has a greater impact compared to flexible work options – at least within the world of recruitment.

Recruiting professionals were asked about the best ways to improve their performance over the next five years, as part of The Future of Recruiting Report from LinkedIn Talent Solutions. Their most popular answer: investing in new recruiting technology.

More than two-thirds of recruitment professionals ranked “better-recruiting tools and technology” as the top way to boost recruitment performance in the future.  But offering “more flexible work options” only came second in the rankings, cited by 59% of respondents. “More training and development opportunities” came in third with 51% of the votes.

Suggested Reading: “Future of Work: Should Your Organization Offer (and Pay for) Retraining Opportunities?”

The report reveals that the most impactful recruitment tools over the next five years will be those that help recruiters find and engage with candidates. Other top technologies include soft skills assessments, tools that analyse the talent market, and video interviewing.

What does this mean for coworking spaces?

So, is this research the first chink in the armour of flexible working? Will demand for tech-savvy tools outstrip the desire for flexible working options across other industries too?

No. 

The situation isn’t as black and white as that. It’s clear that recruiters need both flexible work options and technology to fulfil their responsibilities and optimise their time. The report states: “While technology won’t replace your recruiters, it can augment their skills and reduce busywork – freeing them to focus on things like engaging candidates and developing your talent strategy.”

This is an important point. Just as technology won’t replace human recruiters, it won’t replace the world’s demand for flexible work – and our coworking spaces.

Coworking and tech

The link between coworking and technology is firmly established, where both rely on one another to drive demand. But too much technology can be overwhelming for your community. 

So, here are a handful of tips to help you choose the best tech for your coworking space:

1. Ask your members what they need: find out about the most frustrating challenges your members face on a day-to-day basis and what tech they think would help them most.
2. Balance depth and breadth: don’t neglect solutions that can boost the quality-of-life for your members. For example, while a smart access solution may open up your space on a 24/7 basis to improve your profitability, your members may just want a Slack channel where they can chat and arrange to meet up.
3. Focus on interoperability: it may make sense to use several solutions at your coworking space, depending on the demands of your users. If this is the case, make sure these different tools work well together and data can be shared to optimise the experience you can offer your members. When you come to launch a new tech tool, also make sure you share best practices to ensure everyone uses it correctly.

The worlds of technology and flexible work are more integrated than ever before. The LinkedIn Talent Solutions report is a clear indication of this phenomenon – but tech is something that coworking spaces must run towards, not away from, to succeed in the years ahead.