What will a post pandemic corporate affairs industry look like?

by Miriam Hanna, Director MadlinHanna Consulting

There is no doubt that the world will be a very different place when all social restrictions are lifted. This week, we have reached the one-year anniversary of working from home and living in a very different way. But will there be a long-term impact, or do we have a short memory?

Flexibility

The big question remains, will working from home continue to be a normal part of working life or go back to being the exception? The consensus from our conversation seems to be a bit of both. Some agencies have already made it clear that they work best when the majority of the team are in the office together. It makes collaboration better and improves the quality of strategic advice. Other firms have seen the benefits of having a more flexible team for themselves and for their employees. Down-sizing office space saves money for businesses and the opportunity to make that longed-for move out of London without having a long commute is a reality for employees. A business offering flexibility will need to be proactive in ensuring that the junior team that do a lot of learning by osmosis don’t suffer and that there isn’t a split in the business with juniors coming in and more senior people doing more work from home. It will require diligence and management teams to keep a constant eye on the situation.

Motivators

There is a shift in the motivators people have for moving and that is something we suspect will remain. The flexibility piece is relevant here and there will be some candidates who, no matter how great an opportunity is, will not go for a role that requires a 5-day-a-week office commute. Enforced working from home has been tough but it has given a taste of how a genuine work-life balance can be achieved with a more blended approach. Being stuck at home has also shone a light on significant issues with diversity and inclusion in our industry. Candidates have been asking us what businesses have been doing to tackle inequality in their workforce and this issue isn’t going away - thankfully!

Stability

Perhaps more relevant for agencies, there is an immediate question mark about stability that comes up in every conversation we have. Speculative conversations have dramatically reduced and whilst they may begin to pick up a bit, we do wonder if there will be more of an emphasis on working to live roles going forward and the more speculative hiring that used to take place will be a thing of the past. Replacement hires have an immediate appeal over growth hires because candidates feel reassured that the work is there. When having conversations about expansion hires, again, a proactive approach is going to be required to quell concerns and enable people to feel that there is no additional risk to the norm!

There is no doubt that the world will be slightly different in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. The question is, what changes will remain for the long-term?

MadlinHanna Consulting is a recruitment consultancy specialising in corporate affairs, covering public affairs, corporate communications and financial PR. Contact us on 020 8088 4102 for more information or a confidential conversation.