From our love of a strong cuppa to the national obsession with Only Fools and Horses, many of us would argue that being British is great! However, a recent survey has shown that being too British when it comes to recruiting can be detrimental, with employers needing to steer away from the UK’s culture norms in order to boast a diverse, thriving office.

So, how are our idiosyncrasies affecting professions such as recruitment or HR?

Emotions

According to INSEAD professor Erin Meyer, writing in Harvard Business Review, when recruiting a French person, “generally it’s alright to be emotionally expressive and even confrontational. Conversely, being either confrontational or emotionally expressive would generally turn off a candidate from the UK”.

Highlighting a difference in culture, Meyer suggests that here in the UK, we can be slightly narrow-minded when it comes to recruiting those that do not uphold the stiff upper lip stereotype.

Personal questions

In Britain, we have a slight scare of asking personal questions, feeling it to be rude to dig into a candidate’s home life, family and social activities. However, by asking such questions you gain a true insight into a person, gauging whether or not they would be suitable working in your environment.

References

A study by candidate referencing platform, Xref, recently identified a flaw in the way in which British companies request and answer references. 38% of British referees said they would answer all questions but would not say anything that would be considered negative. Undermining the whole referencing process, is our insistence to not be rude harming recruitment and HR processes?

During the research project, Xref found that this was generally because those responding to references did not want to get involved in any disputes, increasing the chances of libel action.

Technology

Though regarding ourselves as a technology hub, here in the UK we are rather slow when it comes to adopting technology regarding the recruitment cycles. While we at RSW are constantly investing in new technology to streamline the recruitment process in Wales, a recent study showed that generally the UK is behind the times when compared to countries such as US, Australia and Canada.

Looking to recruit?

If you are a Welsh company in need of recruitment support, be sure that we at Recruitment Solutions Wales can help. As a modern company with traditional values, our team create bespoke solutions that work. For more details, contact us today.