Welcome to your HRD Connect update!

Does your organisation struggle with brand awareness among job seekers? If so, you are not alone. A Glassdoor survey of 750 hiring decision-makers in the U.S. and UK, found that 60% of organisations said that their employer brand awareness is either a challenge or a significant barrier when it comes to attracting and hiring candidates. How do you overcome this? Joe Wiggins, Director at Glassdoor, explains.

Question: If one of your business’s employees were to take 10 days off with a mental health-related illness, how would it affect the rest of their team and the business as a whole?

People who work for a big organisation might feel more secure – safe in the knowledge that one person’s workload could be absorbed across a department in the short-term, with minimal overall impact. But what about SMEs? Helen Smith, Commercial Director and Business Sponsor for wellbeing strategy at Benenden, delves into this less explored topic.

Salvatore Minetti, CEO of Prospex, discusses why SMEs must embrace new technology, or run the risk of being left behind. When it comes to embracing new technologies, small businesses face unique challenges and opportunities. But what are they, and how can these provide a competitive advantage?

It’s vital that SMEs put themselves at the forefront of this technological movement; at present only a third of UK small business leaders say they are using AI in some form within their operations – a figure that should be far higher. – Salvatore Minetti, CEO and founder, Prospex

As ever, join the conversation and tweet us at @HRDCommunity or email me at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy the features.

Best wishes,

Emily Sexton-Brown,

Editor, HRD Connect