Last year I wrote a blog about the possibility of my being penalised in the job search now that I am based back home in the North. And a year on, I’m still pondering the same question…
Earlier today I saw a job posting for a well known animal charity that I strongly support the work of. It is a charity I would happily choose to work with on a permanent basis, and yet, the role requires a graphic designer to work in-house every day in their London based HQ.
And now my main question is “why?”
I went freelance back in 2014, and although it was Pre-Covid, I worked remotely all the time. I even took my trusty laptop to the other side of the planet and was able to communicate with clients and complete the tasks without a hitch. In this Post-Covid world where it has been proven that working from anywhere is possible, why are businesses now expecting workers to come into the office every day? I’m not just saying this from the perspective of enjoying working in my PJs (which admittedly is a definite perk) but it’s from the perspective of narrowing the talent pool to those within a commutable radius. It’s also coming from the perspective of the North vs South divide. Jobs for such large charities, companies and corporations up here are few and far between – if at all, and so it’s coming from the perspective of good jobs only being available to those who want and can live in the South.
I have lived in London and it was AWESOME. Everything about it was brilliant, the social life, the possibilities and the opportunities and the public transport system is epic. Covid came along and I had to leave for both personal and financial reasons. Having experienced the South for myself, it does make me sad at the thought that it seems a constant battle up here to match what London has, and it seems a shame that some of that can’t be shared with us Northern folk. Couldn’t we start with a little flexibility when it comes to a non-negotiable approach to working in-house? This is the 21st Century with huuuuge technological advances, but instead, we’re still doing the 9-5 and expecting workers to head out rain or shine to sit in an office to come home again.
Just to be clear – this doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to head out into the big wide world (I would leave my PJs at home!). I’ve done it in the past and I’m happy to do it again for the right position. I just find that awesome roles are out there, but not accessible to everyone, whether it’s me or anyone else who could absolutely smash it, and that is what I find frustrating.
If anything positive could be taken from the pandemic (and tbh not a lot can) could it be that we think of workers welfare and the environment a little more, and when it comes to job roles choosing to extend the talent pool wider than just those within a commutable radius.