The key to hiring talent: Why clarity is your competitive advantage 

To support the launch of its annual report, Talent Trends 2025, Michael Page, in partnership with The HR World held a webinar, The Key To Hiring Talent: Why Clarity is your competitive advantage. The webinar brought together Doug Rode (Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Michael Page), Kate Shoesmith (Deputy CEO, Recruitment & Employment Confederation), and Laura Darnley (Partner, Ward Hadaway).

Michael Page’s Talent Trends 2025 report is essential reading for anyone invested in the future of work. With talent attraction and retention remaining core to HR’s value, the insights from this wide-ranging survey are invaluable for those seeking to align their strategies with evolving organisational needs. It is also a timely report: Right now working in HR, talent acquisition, and people management today means coming up against unprecedented challenges. Rarely have so many external influences converged to impact the profession, while employees and employers are facing complex and shifting dynamics.

The webinar was a chance for the experts to explore the findings from the report and show how HR and talent acquisition professionals can respond to the challenge outlined. To this end the webinar explored four key themes: the Employee Value Proposition, workforce mobility, flexible working, and how organisations can earn greater trust from both current employees and potential candidates.

A consistent message emerged: clarity is critical to effective talent attraction and retention. Clarity means organisations being honest and upfront about what being employed with them is about. It means being clear about everything from salary to culture, and most importantly it means following through on those promises. However, achieving this clarity in today’s volatile landscape is anything but simple.

Doug Rode described the current job market as dominated by a “wait and see” workforce—professionals who are willing to move roles until they find work that truly aligns with their values and goals. The panel agreed that employees now seek more than just a job; they want purpose and meaningful contribution.

Delivering clarity is especially tough given today’s powerful external forces. One area of tension discussed was workplace flexibility. As organisations promise more flexibility, they often struggle to keep those commitments amid changing business needs. New employment rights requiring flexible work requests to be considered from day one – though not necessarily granted – further complicate matters. Flexibility, after all, doesn’t always mean working from home, and its definition can vary widely by job type and sector.

Yet, getting flexibility right is critical. According to the report, 47% of UK professionals would consider changing jobs if their current work arrangement were altered.

In the end, strong communication is the cornerstone of successful talent strategies. When organisations clearly communicate what employees can expect – and deliver on those expectations – they not only retain top performers but also enhance their reputation among future candidates and even their customer base. A track record of offering meaningful, clearly defined, and competitive employment opportunities is a powerful differentiator in today’s ever-changing job market.