On Off the Cuff, we take a break from talking about “work” to talk about “people.”
We have completed our first month of Off the Cuff podcast episodes and are already into month two! Below we have extracted vital information from our industry-driven podcasts to give you a preview of what you will hear when you tune in!
One unique theme throughout these talks, no matter the topic, questions, speakers, or moderator? It’s the human-ness of what we do in the world of work!
Episode 1: Hybrid Work Strategies
With Lisa Yankie (SVP, Chief HR & Communications Officer, Dentsply Sirona) and Debbie Bolla – (VP, Editorial Director, HRO Today)
What did we learn:
- Hybrid work model is here to stay, and the research supports it.
- While total WFH might not be sustainable, a hybrid model brings a semblance of normalcy.
- No work model will work unless employee feedback is considered. Regular surveys (monthly is the sweet spot) help set policy.
- Hearing employees allows organizations to “Meet employees where they are.” But you have to show the feedback results in action to maintain credibility.
- Agile leadership is key to navigating the challenges. Leaders have to change how they think, learn, and speak with teams. It’s empathy first and foremost and having conversations that we were afraid to have in the past.
- It will never be an OSFA model; we can aim to put up “guardrails” that encompass what is defined as the best way to get work done using a flexible mindset.
- Organizations will lose talent if they don’t address flexibility. It is one of the first questions asked in the recruiting process and a top concern for the next working generation.
- The pandemic was an unprecedented challenge but simultaneously a catalyst to work change. And in some organizations, the response was a “top-down, yet grassroots” effort to create the change that works for everyone.
Episode 3: The Great Resignation
With Manny Vidal (EVP, Strategy, SSi People) and Christopher Dwyer (SVP Research at Ardent Partners and Managing Director of the Future of Work Exchange)
What did we learn:
The Great Resignation – is it real?
- We agree it is real, but it’s not finite.
- Talent management has become part of the greater macro conversation, which is great for exposure for the industry. Still, the reporting doesn’t necessarily convey the nuances of how it really works in the real world of staffing. Many individuals’ view of their own future of work is that it will be in line with their “purpose,” and it must satisfy them not only as workers but also as people. It’s a Talent Revolution. The Great Resignation, as it has been deemed, is semi-permanent – it will stall out, but it will continue in some capacity because the power has shifted to the working people.
- We often try to give reasons and name new phenomena to mark it in 10 years as something that happened. But it’s been happening, as each working generation is changing – from decades ago when a job was stable with great benefits, to the next level, when benefits suffered. Workers couldn’t easily retire as they did in the past. Now we see that the companies that are doing it right are looking beyond just compensation and doing more – because they want to invest in people. So, the Great Resignation will be a continual cycle. And for those who win out, it will be about engagement and doing it right.
Who’s doing it right?
- Companies who are reimagining the appeal to talent and engaging are doing it right. Also, those relying on brand strength and HR leaders who are “mixing it up” – reprioritizing the whole experience.
- The companies who talk to culture, from their clear job descriptions to the remote/hybrid option, have opened the talent doors because of flexibility and the ability to grab talent beyond geography.
- Companies who are embracing a shift in the 3 P’s – profit, pay, and people – are doing it right. For the past 30 years, the goal has been on profit – be efficient and smarter to make the profit bigger. The companies that are doing it right now focus on people. With that, the profit will come.
What market (location or industry) is up or down?
- IT is the hottest market – because of the digital transformation that is front and center in almost every industry. Light industrial, logistics, and transportation are struggling – tremendous need, not enough people.
- Light industrial has been so hard to fill roles – the most significant jump over the next 2-3 years in using contingent labor will be within that industry, which historically did not utilize that labor solution.
- Healthcare industry – contingent labor use is growing by a double-digit percentage over the last few years.
Growth of Contingent Workforce Solutions:
- The Great Resignation is creating a second perfect storm for the contingent workforce. Even though businesses are having trouble finding the people they need, they still have to get work done, so the extended workforce solution and providers are going to shine to fill those roles and also be able to provide the technology that clients can take advantage of to build a sustainable workforce strategy.
- With the Great Resignation as the sequel, the Great Recession was the first perfect storm to start relying on the contingent workforce as a precursor to what we are seeing. New generational groups entering the workforce drove that, and companies realized they had to weather that storm differently.
What direction are businesses taking:
- Businesses have so many solutions to consume. We have Talent Marketplaces, Digital Staffing, Direct Sourcing, and so on. Hiring companies need to zero in on their best course of action by reimagining how they work with their staffing provider and changing the conversation.
- Taking the human approach – candidate experience and hiring manager experience is at the forefront – making your business a more attractive workplace means making it less transactional and more empathetic.
What are companies doing to attract talent?
- Engaging early and often with the staffing provider and defining the needs, and building the plan based on figuring out the human factor.
- For example, a client had an order to fill of 100 positions. The intake was phenomenal regarding their needs, what they were offering, and who they were looking for. This was conveyed to the candidates who eventually comprised the talent pipeline presented to the client. The company forewent interviews and hired the group because the connection was there, and they trusted that the right talent was found.
- We need to avoid being overwhelmed with the abundance of what’s out there and focus on engagement and the conversation.
