Imagine trying to recruit a candidate - any candidate - with a job-posting that offered “draconian scheduling” and “small, cramped cubicles.” The job offer describes a severe boss (it actually calls her “Overlord”), distant parking, and constant micro-managing. However, it does promise free coffee to all employees.

OK, obviously the point here is that you aren’t going to attract talent to such a limited job opportunity, if you could even call that an “opportunity.” Yet, some employers still think that trying to force “round” candidates into “square” positions is a perfectly acceptable way to recruit. Instead, to attract top talent, they should be offering flexibility and freedom that will allow growth and increase productivity.

Time’s Lisa Takeuchi Cullen has a post today about the kinds of flexibility that candidates (including Quiet Working Professionals) desire. Citing a study done by the Families & Work Institute, Cullen says that “78% of workers” - both Boomers and Gens X and Y - named increased flexibility as a major concern for future jobs. 63% said they said they “would consider leaving the workplace for a period,” just to gain a sense of freedom and flexibilty. She said the numbers were so high that it was creating a culture of “reduced aspirations,” wherein a lack of flexibility made employees uninterested in increased responsibility. In other words, not giving talent enough freedom meant not being able to move them up in the organization. That, in turn, means not being able to draw new talent in.

Similarly, Systematic HR took a look at twelve major studies on employee engagement (which we’ve written about here) and found eight factors in common. Successful engagement (meaning all eight factors in play) created a willingness in employees to spend discretionary time (i.e. free time or flex-time) on work-related projects.

Does that mean they’re giving up weekends and lunch hours? Not necessarily, and you should expect them to. It simply means that given flexibility and engagement, employees want to do a better job. Conversely, if they’re under a corporate thumb, they resist productivity and even advancement. This translates directly into the world of recruiting since those same work-culture enticements are what many candidates expect from great jobs. If you can’t offer it to them, don’t expect talent to exactly beat a path to your door.

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