There’s a distinct shift in conversations we experienced at the recent RWM and it has us really excited. For the past few years, the focus has been on innovation and automation. Now the conversations are turning to regulation reforms – which is much needed, as well as how to resource the sector, specifically in terms of attracting people to work in waste management.
There seems to be a growing realisation that without developing people capacity, the industry will be constrained. The number that’s being talked about is 68 000 skilled people needed in the next decade. However, what roles will they be working in? What skills are needed? On that, there’s currently very little clarity. Perhaps that’s something we can work towards answering.
Broadening the talent pool is one of the biggest untapped opportunities for the resource sector. If you think about it, all the investment in infrastructure, automation and new technologies will be for naught if there aren’t the right people capable of developing, operating, or maintaining it. The question is: where will they come from?
A shift in focus
The industry recognises that there’s a lot changing and perhaps the CIWM campaign Think Again, most aptly describes it. If we are to expand the talent pool, we can’t restrict the search only to people who have been doing the exact same job in the exact same environment for years. Instead, we need to identify the skills needed to succeed in a role, as well as the personality traits that fit the environment they’ll be working in and the culture of the company.
What’s more, there’s a huge opportunity to attract more people to the sector if roles are structured differently. There are many in the UK who are unemployed and looking for work, but due to multiple factors their options are often limited because they can’t take on full-time roles. A prime example of this is women returning to work after having a family. If more companies were open to more flexible working arrangements, it could significantly expand the talent pool.
In local authorities, job sharing is normalised. Often roles are shared between 2 or more people usually because it’s shift work. Companies seem to be reticent about taking a similar approach. Yet if you think about it, there are many roles that could be shared beyond shift work. Administrative roles, training roles, sales and marketing roles, to name a few.
When you consider that many of the skills required for these roles are transferable, why isn’t job sharing or flexible working being adopted by more companies? If it’s results that matter, why not try a different approach? There’s a huge opportunity to attract more people and specifically more women to the sector if they did.
What are women looking for?
At RWM a surprising focal area of skills discussions was on women. Not just attracting them into the sector, but also retention, progression, and leadership opportunities, ensuring roles are structured to create a positive working environment for women. One point that came up was recruitment processes, how bias can creep in – both from a company and candidate perspective. Unfortunately, the way roles are sometimes described, can put some potential candidates off.
This comes back to flexible working arrangements. Typically, women look for more flexibility. If roles are marketed as work from home or working independently rather than to a set schedule, it can broaden the candidate pool. Equally, if roles are described in terms of skills rather than specific past industry experience, it expands the pool even more.
What’s next?
The sector is looking for 68 000 skilled people. There are many with transferable skills. There are also those not in employment, education, or training (NEETs). By identifying potential through personality and skills-based assessments, working experience becomes less important.
It’s an opportunity to move away from CVs and the hours spent sifting through them. It’s also a way to encourage those with little or no work experience to find a rewarding career path. With the vast assortment of roles available in the waste and resource sector, from call centres and admin to operations, it’s very possible that this could become a reality.
In our experience of recruiting for the resource, renewables and circular economy sectors for 23 years, we’ve learned that it is that often the candidates with zero waste industry experience that become the top performers. The determining factor for success is the combination of skills, attitude and behaviour rather than industry knowledge.
It’s one of the reasons we’ve developed our online skills-based assessments and the WasteRecruit Personality Assessment (WRPA), and provides a way for companies to assess behaviour and skills before investing significant time into interviews. Instead, the candidates can take the assessments independently, at their own pace, in their own home. The companies get a report and summary of potential candidates so that before the first interview, they already have a picture of who the candidate is. Then in the interview they can probe further into specific areas that are fundamental to the role.
Most importantly, because the focus is on skills and behaviour, it not only expands the candidate pool, it also helps reduce bias. When past experience is no long a factor, more candidates are likely to consider opportunities in resource management. The more we talk about what opportunities are available and what skills are needed, the more we can attract people from other sectors.
In summary, there is significant change underway in waste and resource management. While it may be unsettling, and at times frustrating due to lack of clarity (policies and programmes), in general, the feeling is positive.
Skills and regulation reform are likely to continue to take centre stage. So, let’s be acutely aware how we talk about roles, and how we talk about the industry. The impact could be surprising, and positive. We might actually get to 68000 well before the decade’s out.