A leading Manchester tech business has pledged not to break its salary structure in pursuit of new staff.
Manchester-based software development and data analytics expert Naimuri employ 115 staff and was acquired in 2020 by Qinetiq for £25m with a plan for growth.
Ian Makin is the co-founder and head of secure software and will be speaking at an exclusive BusinessCloud / pro-manchester event on July 5th entitled ‘Raising the bar of the modern workplace’.
He said: “The market is insane. We’re seeing a lot of counter offers but we don’t get involved in an auction. If a candidate is chasing an additional 10% at the offer stage then they’re probably not the right person for us.
“We put our own people first and won’t break the wage structure for a new recruit. We want to pay competitive, but fair packages.
“Our existing staff are brilliant and we’re not going to overpay someone who we’ve only spoken to for an hour or two on a video call. We’re simply not going to recruit at all costs.”
Makin will be joined by Lucy Sunner, head of culture at Autocab; Wayne Bennett, director of Fairmont Recruitment; Laura Herbert, head of people at Apadmi; Will Lewis, director of OBI; and Sarah Lloyd-Foster, talent acquisition manager at Travel Counsellors at next week’s event.
‘Work out what makes you special if you want to win recruitment race’
He said Naimuri have resisted making panic appointments in the pursuit of growing their workforce.
“We think the slow and steady route for growth is right for us,” explained Makin. “We want to add four, five or six people a month.
“There’s a lot of competition for candidates. We want to compete on all the other things like flexibility, culture and benefits.
“There’s still a lot of talent out there but we’re just finding it a bit longer to recruit. You seem to have to peddle twice as hard to get the same result.
“You are seeing a lot of counter offers. Companies don’t want to lose good staff. The mentality is you have to retain.”
Makin said there were signs that the recruitment frenzy was beginning to slow.
“There are some big tech companies in America like Tesla and Netflix halting recruitment and the ripple effect is being felt further afield.
“Are the current packages sustainable? If salaries are going up then sales figures have to go up accordingly. You have to consider all this is against a backdrop of the higher cost of living. Recruitment can’t continue on its current trajectory.
“People don’t want to make the wrong decision. We invite people into the office to see the culture. A lot of the interviews may have taken place virtually so it’s important they get to know us and we get to know them.
“Covid has changed the world. It’s not just about the location where people work, it’s about the hours too. They might want to work part time four days a week.
“Some candidates buy into what we do and the culture, but some might chase more money.”
Makin will be speaking at the business breakfast on July 5th at Trowers & Hamlins, in Manchester.