According to a recent Comprend study, jobseekers are unable to find information about onboarding programs, learning opportunities, and career advancement on corporate websites.
Comprend’s Webranking Study evaluated the corporate sites of 110 of UK’s biggest companies, assessing transparency and accessibility in key areas, such as Careers, Investor Relations, Sustainability. The results highlight the need for improvements, particularly in meeting jobseekers’ needs.
Career Information Lacking
According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer 2024, 82 percent consider that employer-provided skills training is a major expectation or a deal breaker when selecting a job. Only 37 percent of UK firms surveyed were able to provide clear information about career advancement and promotion opportunities. Just 14 percent of companies detailed their onboarding programs, and only 3 percent provided data on the hours spent learning and developing.
Retail scored 38.9 points out of 100 for transparency. Retailers like Next and B&M lag behind when it comes to providing career information. They only fulfill 39 percent of the jobseeker criteria, compared with the UK average 56 percent. Sector also performed below average when it came to sustainability communications. The sector achieved a fulfillment rate of 40% compared with the UK average of 55%.
Investor Relations communications were also weak, with UK companies only meeting 26 percent of criteria to meet stakeholder expectations. This is slightly below the European median of 28 percent.
Sustainable and Accessibility Improvements
Sustainability communications is one area where progress has been noted in the Webranking Report. UK companies fulfilled over 52 percent of sustainability-related criteria, an improvement from the previous year. Many companies successfully presented their sustainability strategies, as well as the integration of environmental social and governance factors (ESG) into their business models.
Positive trends were also seen in digital accessibility. Over 70 percent of businesses now present an accessibility statement as a proactive way to meet the requirements of European Accessibility Act which will be in effect in 2025.
The study revealed that UK companies scored highest in the “About Us”, with an average fulfillment rate of 61% for relevant criteria. The study found that the UK companies scored highest for their “About Us” sections, with an average fulfilment rate of 61 percent for related criteria.
Only 5 percent of companies include direct commentary from their leadership in their presentations of business strategy. This is a much lower percentage than the 34 per cent that included leadership input into sustainability strategy discussions.
The Chance to Stand out
Staffan Lindgren is Comprend’s Deputy CEO. He said: “This year’s Webranking Results highlight an excellent opportunity to stand out for UK companies by presenting vital career information that jobseekers most value on their corporate website. Companies that prioritize detailed and transparent careers information attract top talent, but they also build trust and enhance their employer brand.
By showcasing their company values and aligning themselves with the needs of prospective hires, these businesses position themselves as employers-of-choice in a highly competitive market. There is a real opportunity to differentiate yourself from the competition and win over job seekers.
