TalentCulture #WorkTrends

The world of work is changing. So is the world of hiring. And in 2021, that change is happening faster than ever, with a new push for digital hiring technology alongside an increasing demand to keep hiring personal.    That presents a dilemma for businesses.    On one hand, businesses need to be efficient in hiring. On the other hand, it’s difficult to making hiring personal—and streamlined—when there are so many potential candidates. Lack of efficiency leaves your business in the dust, but a lack of personal touch may drive away candidates. And either way, business competitiveness rests on striking a balance in this gray area. Today’s podcast offers tools to help businesses like yours find the happy medium. 

The coronavirus continues to impact almost every individual aspect of our lives, but some of the most profound changes can be seen in our health. In 2017, 3 in 4 Americans reported at least one symptom of stress. Americans are now suffering even higher stress levels than they reported at the start of the pandemic. And when people are stressed, they’re not focusing on their work—they're focused on pulling through.    That has a profound impact on the workplace—not just in productivity, but also in climate. And in a time when employees increasingly turn to their employers for health support, wellness is no longer just an employee perk. It’s a critical competitive benefit and a crucial investment in long-term success. Workplaces that go above and beyond to support employee wellness will be the ones that rise to the top in 2021 and beyond. 

Today I’m welcoming Tim Visconti, CEO and Tim David, COO, of PeopleLift to talk about recruiting and how the landscape and the approach has changed. What are the new tools, the new rules, and the new objectives? How can we optimize and humanize candidate experience during an often largely remote and digital hiring process? We’re going to talk about the best new practices that can put organizations in front as far as recruiting. 

The coronavirus pandemic has changed every individual aspect of our lives, and the most obvious site of long-term change is the workplace. Employees are returning to work, but they’re now concerned about their own safety. Talent is drawn based on a different set of competitive advantages, and the competitive edge that separates successful businesses and stragglers will rely on a completely new pattern of work.    HR departments lie at the heart of the transformation, driving not just policy change but the culture changes necessary to adapt to the new talent landscape. HR professionals will lead the charge to acquire new talent based on the new metrics of competitiveness, and their success in adapting to new talent demands translates directly into the success of their organization. 

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, one question has been on everyone’s minds: when can we go back to normal? When can we go back to work? Unfortunately, there’s a great deal of disagreement—even among workers who are concerned for their own safety.  An ESG survey found that 36% of knowledge workers who are “extremely concerned” about their personal health and safety due to Covid-19 say they would prefer to return to the office compared to 49% of respondents who are “not that concerned” or “not at all concerned” with their personal health risk. In the meantime, the face of work is changing alongside reintegration. Employers are adopting new strategies to mitigate risk, from digital solutions to in-person measures.  But these changes come with pressure. Employers are now viewed as humanitarian leaders responsible for keeping employees safe—and if they fail, the blowback can seriously harm the business’s future. Learning how to insulate your business and make the right decision for employees is essential as more employers return to work. 

Setting boundaries between work and home life is a big struggle for many people. The advent of the 2020 pandemic has amplified this problem exponentially and created a greater concern for both employees and their employers.    Organizations that are concerned about the mental and physical well being of its employees recognize the need for down time as well as time away from work. Many studies have shown that mental stress and high physical demands placed on employees is detrimental to the company’s staff as well as damaging to the productivity output for the organization.    Both employees and employers need to have a plan of action to create more structure and boundaries to delineate work from personal time and implement this plan in a meaningful way. Employers can start by asking employees more about their lifestyle and armed with this information, set forth to create workplace initiatives that help employees to recognize when down time and personal time are needed. Also, programs that allow employees access to resources (e.g., virtual yoga and exercise classes, meditation and counseling) are all sets to creating a healthier work environment. 

Today I’m welcoming Danny Kofke (“cough-key") from Mentoro Group to talk about the state of financial literacy in the U.S. today, its impact on the workplace, and what companies can do to solve this problem in the post-pandemic era. We’re going to talk about making finances accessible and understandable for your employees, how human resources and leadership can contribute, and how financial literacy can make your organization stronger.

Communication and innovation. Two very important words for any company looking to succeed. Without a good set of ears to the ground and a workplace that promotes creative thinking, it's difficult, if not impossible, to stay ahead of the competition and deliver successfully to customers. So why do so many companies lack these two essential aspects in their business model?    Practicing good communication and embracing the critical need for innovation are not always easy. They require throwing away archaic thinking and adopting new ways to view your business model, which means accepting change, and we all know change is not an easy ask for most people. So, what path does that lead many of us down? The path of least resistance, which means accepting what is versus working towards what can be. 

Disruption and chaos. When most people hear these two words, they automatically think of trouble. However, researchers and scientists are finding that disruption and chaos are found at the epicenter of innovation and change and for the better. This state of flux allows us to re-examine our points of view and consider adjusting what we know to what may be a better way of doing things. As it is with human nature, we tend to only accept change at those times when we are at our lowest points and will move away from "the way we've always done it" to "we need to change things, because this no longer works." During difficult times, such as economic downturns, people should re-evaluate making a change and using disruption and chaos as an opportunity to embrace and accept the value of what the potential outcomes can be.  

The words flexible work conditions can be defined in many ways, depending on who you ask. What appears to be a flexible work environment for one person may not be for another. So, in thinking about the word flexible in the context of the workplace, is it a case of what's being offered to employees in the way of perks or benefits or the employer's culture? We think it's both.    Without a culture that propagates collaboration, open-mindedness, and transparency, flexible work options are not likely to exist. When organizations attempt to bring programs into cultures that have not been primed with a solid foundation to support the programs, they most always fail. This holds true when incorporating benefits or perceived flexible options into a workplace unable to sustain in the long haul or can only weakly accommodate present and future employees.