A report recently surfaced about a company called The Hut Group which planned to have DJs perform at a return-to-work party.

PwC, an accounting firm, is offering employees a £1,000 incentive if they return to work, with the money to be spent on new work clothes, commuting cycles, or gym membership.

Phoenix Group, an insurance firm, is hosting "safe socialising" events for anyone who has fallen out of practice in recent months.

In short, employers are doing everything they can to convince employees to return to work.

What about recruitment, though? Are the same incentives available there?

The basic answer is yes.

However, despite being extremely creative with recruitment packages such as flexible working hours, decreased hours, and the possibility of working from home, firms are still having difficulty recruiting, and some businesses are being forced to run for fewer hours.

Staff shortages might "continue for two years," according to the CBI.

With additional problems such as employees re-evaluating what they want from work and life in the aftermath of the epidemic and the likely loss of some employees post-Brexit, it's no surprise that some companies are concerned about losing the "War for Talent."

The phrase "War for Talent" is evocative, but it looks to be being fought more furiously than ever at the present.

Employers must be aware of potential workers' shifting tastes.

Salary and bonus packages have slipped down the list of what potential workers value most in a job since the pandemic.

According to a recent poll, 45% of respondents picked team, people, and culture as the most essential factors, followed by 39% who chose flexible working hours.

Working for a small to medium-sized firm, where they were "more than simply a number," was also favoured by a substantial percentage.

Given the high number of new enterprises created during the lockdown, it's hardly unexpected that one-in-five people sought to go freelance or work for themselves.

Could the UK's economic recovery be hampered by the "War for Talent"?

Could this, in turn, have an influence on economic development, stock markets, and your savings and investments?

To the first question, the answer is yes. If you want a simple instance, consider the impact of a lack of lorry drivers and grocery shelves.

Whether it will have an influence on stock markets and investments is less certain; there are much more elements influencing global stock markets than a single company's recruiting issues.

What is apparent, however, is that business owners and directors are confronted with difficulties they have never encountered before, as well as changes in workplace behaviour that have been hastened by the pandemic.

The success of the firm they own or manage will be determined in large part by how they handle these problems.

At Future Life Wealth Management, this is something we'll be keeping a careful watch on.