Shape the culture to attract and retain diverse talent
Explore how organisational culture can become a key differentiator to attracting and retaining diverse talent. Turn hybrid working into an opportunity instead of a threat.
A record number of workers are walking away from their jobs. Businesses are facing an uphill battle in attracting the next generation of talent, particularly in sectors that are perceived as less attractive and no longer the career path of choice, despite offering lucrative careers with substantial financial rewards.
Business leaders are increasingly concerned about their diversity challenges, their brand and reputation as an employer, and the growing disconnect between organisational values with individual values and interests, as well as personal commitment and loyalty to the organisation for the longer term.
People are placing a greater emphasis on work-life balance, personal fulfilment, and meaningful work. They often prioritise working for organisations that make a positive impact on society or the environment and contribute to the causes they care about. They seek an employer with a strong company culture that prioritises flexibility, autonomy, collaboration, well-being, personal development, and career mobility options.
The pandemic has shaken up these employee expectations, but some businesses still see hybrid working as a threat to productivity, collaboration, engagement and cohesion, company culture, and most importantly performance. Only the organisations that rethink and renew their cultures and turn hybrid working into an opportunity rather than a threat can win big in the new battle for talent.
From our experience, these are some ways that hybrid work can help with talent challenges and support a healthy organisation culture:
- With the rise of remote working and technological advancements, organisations are no longer limited to recruiting talent within their immediate geographical vicinity. Hybrid working enables you to be more creative about where you source talent from and reach deeper into society. Tap into a global talent pool by sourcing candidates from different regions, cities, or even countries. This opens up opportunities to access talent with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skill sets.
- Look for partnerships, networks, and platforms that connect you with talent from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented areas. Ensure your selection and evaluation processes are fair, inclusive, and focused on potential rather than solely relying on traditional measures of experience or education.
- Take the opportunity to refresh your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and ensure it reflects what your people really feel and value today. Align your EVP with different employee personas and provide flexible work options to meet the diverse needs of your workforce. Be willing to change your messaging to ensure it reflects reality and is authentic to what you stand for as an organisation. Get your people to talk about your culture and how it plays out in reality.
- The desire for more internal mobility is a key factor in driving talent retention. Considering hybrid and remote working as an opportunity for talent mobility and professional development allows you to harness the potential of a distributed workforce, nurture employee growth, and create a culture of continuous learning and career advancement. It enables your people to experience different roles and areas of the business and ensures they have the tools, resources, and opportunities to upskill or reskill and enhance their careers without having to look outside to do so.
To maximise these opportunities, organisations require robust support mechanisms, including effective systems and accurate data, as well as support from line managers in effectively managing hybrid teams and enabling flexible career development. Additionally, organisations should establish checks and mechanisms to identify and address any potential organisational biases that may emerge or become more pronounced in a hybrid environment. It is crucial to prioritise building a culture of trust, psychological safety, empowerment, and collaboration to fully harness the potential of hybrid work.
We are all about organisational health, which separates good organisations from the great. Whether our clients are at the top of their game (and want to remain there) or are in ‘turnaround’ mode, we all need to work on our organisational health.
Whatever the situation, be it a strategic conundrum, a market opportunity, or an operational gripe, we combine the art and science of organisational health to help our clients improve and excel.
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