If there is one positive that niche IT Recruitment can take from the recent global pandemic, it is the fact most companies are now open to their remote LIMS working. I wanted to write a blog based on the reasons that I think this is a huge positive for the candidates and recruiters. Furthermore, there are reasons why employers should be happy that working from home is slowly becoming the new normal.
Remote Working, the New Norm
As a recruiter, when qualifying a role, hearing that the position is 100% remote is music to my ears and I am certain other recruiters feel the same way. Here is my reasoning for this:
Working in niche recruitment for the past 14 years has given us the huge benefit of knowing the majority of the best candidates in the LIMS market. For certain roles that could mean only 10-15 people across the whole of the UK! If we geographically restrict ourselves on top of that, we are applying further restrictions in an already highly-limited market. For example, if I had a requirement for a LIMS Business Analyst across the UK, I already have 8-10 people in mind that I would call to speak to about the role. However, if I were also limited to that person living and working in Scotland, I can safely say I know maybe 2-3 at a push. The likelihood then that those contractors are available are slim (to none).
I am not suggesting that every LIMS role can be worked fully remotely, as I understand there are certain tasks and projects that you will always need people on-site. For the roles that can be done remotely however, getting the strongest candidate, rather than the closest candidate, will almost ALWAYS be the best choice.
Candidates
I speak to candidates within the LIMS market all day everyday. For those that I have spoken to about remote working, it appears that it is easily the preferred option. Companies that hesitate to allow remote working probably think that is because we prefer working remotely because we want to lay in bed with our laptop on our stomach, one eye on our laptop and one eye on the TV with a bowl of dry cereal next to us so we can snack in between calls. That is not reality. LIMS Candidates want to work from home for many reasons; to avoid commuting, to reduce expenses, to go for jogs on lunch, or get stuff done around the house. Not because they are lazy. The main reason I’ve found that LIMS candidates wanted to work remotely, was so they could spend more quality time with family (pets included), even if it is just an extra 30 minutes a day.
Working remotely is becoming the new normal, and employers should embrace it. It saves money on travel expenses, gives you happier and more motivated staff and it gives you the chance to get the BEST candidate on the market. Not just the closest/best within a commutable range. All these reasons will improve productivity moving forward. So next time you have a LIMS requirement that could be worked remotely, give it a try and you might be very surprised with just how effective it can be.
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