Talent Attraction and Retention Archives | Page 6 of 6

‘Quiet quitting’ has been a buzzword in the corporate world recently – staff members are taking back their personal lives by setting boundaries on how much extra effort they put into their work. This has sparked many conversations as to why employees felt the need to quietly quit in the first place, and one such reason may be due to the rise of ‘quiet firing’.

The second phrase to be logged in the ‘quiet –’ saga, quiet firing shifts the focus to a managerial perspective, and refers to those leaders who are assigning some members of staff menial tasks, setting unrealistic expectations, and consistently denying them time off work. Essentially, instead of communicating with these employees to help them improve, they are quietly pushing them away until they finally decide to leave of their own accord.

While some leaders may be doing this consciously, this new phenomenon does bring into question whether managers who are being inattentive are at risk of unknowingly quietly firing their staff.

Being in a leadership role means you may not have a lot of time to spare, but a crucial part of being a manager is finding a balance between being attentive to those above and below you. Members of your team may feel they are being neglected due to a lack of direct engagement with them, and this can be perceived as quiet firing and can push people towards leaving. This is reinforced by Gallup’s report which found that 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager. In other words, a manager has the largest effect on how engaged their employees are at work.

This highlights the importance of finding that time to offer clear and consistent feedback. Leaders who are essentially giving up on those workers who they deem as underperforming, instead of taking the time to tell them how to improve, are failing their staff.

Underperformance is a sign to managers that they are not being as attentive as necessary. The relationship between leader and worker needs to be nourished, and this nourishment comes from communication – through the implementation of a regular feedback session – and from clarity, as only about half of workers actually know what is expected of them.

Communication and clarity are especially important with the rise of hybrid and remote working models. Research shows that employees working from home often receive less performance feedback for their good work than those in the office, and this can be simply due to the fact that remote working removes the chance of bumping into one another. Gone are the days of grabbing someone for a quick chat or catching up by the water cooler. All these little opportunities for micro-feedback sessions are much harder to achieve through Zoom or Teams, as now, a formal effort has to be made to speak to colleagues.

Implementing ways of giving regular feedback to employees who work remotely will help mitigate the risk of quietly firing staff. On top of this, it helps enhance your culture – in the office and digitally – to be open and approachable, which can ultimately better staff engagement and improve the quality and quantity of their output.

If you need guidance on how to avoid falling into the trap of quiet firing, you can get in touch with us here.

The war for talent has never been more intense. In many sectors, there are simply not enough workers to meet demand. Yet still there remains one group of individuals who continue to be underrepresented in the workforce – Generation Z. This is often because many companies fixate on recruiting staff with an established set of qualifications and skills, and this can alienate a large proportion of the younger generation who have opted not to follow the traditional higher-education path.

Interestingly, some companies are beginning to broaden their approach; PwC have recently removed their requirement for new employees to have a minimum of a 2:1 in their degree. However, does only considering the “graduate” population go far enough when there is still so much potential talent being overlooked? 

Tapping into Gen Z is a different prospect to recruiting the post graduate population. While companies are starting to broaden their recruitment criteria to take on traditional students (those that went into university/college), there are many non-traditional students (those who left college/high school but did not continue studying) who are not being considered. In the UK, 12.6% of ‘Gen Zers’ are unemployed according to Research Briefings , and this is without considering those potential non-traditional students who are working in the retail and hospitality sectors as an interim job.

Additionally, Pew Research discovered that 57% of 18–21-year-olds who graduated high school continued into college/university in the US. This leaves 43% of Gen Zers as potential non-traditional students – which in terms of US population equates to approximately 17 million people; so, while many companies will continue to compete over the traditional 57%, the smart money will be looking at ways of targeting the untapped 43%.

There are various socio-economic factors that influence this, but a consistent underlying theme is how the education system(s) encourage students to choose subjects they like. This helps improve the chances that they will excel and ultimately pass the final examinations with good grades. While this is of course good for the school/colleges ultimate ranking in the education tables, the unfortunate and (probably unintended consequence) of this key-performance-indicator-focused approach is that students often leave with a disjointed mix of qualifications that do not support any given career path. Subsequently, when employers remain focused on traditional qualification sets, they are missing out on this wealth of new talent. If companies want to tap into this pool, they should start relying less on specific qualifications and focus more on aptitude and attitude.

Yet, a change in thinking is now becoming evident. As companies strive to find innovative ways to engage with this non-traditional student population many are offering educational assistance or, in the UK, degree apprenticeships. This fosters a genuine win-win for both the organisation and the employee, as by allowing them to study and work in parallel the organisation immediately bridges its resource gap, the employee gains the qualifications suited to their career path and both prosper from the requisite hands-on experience gained from working.

These sponsored leaners/employees also build a strong affinity with the organisation as they are given the opportunity to grow alongside the business, which ultimately fosters a sense of loyalty. This allows for a foundation to be created for leaders to build real relationships with their staff from the start, which in turn improves retention rates in the long-term.

This phenomenon is readily seen and proven with apprenticeships, as the National Apprenticeship Service’s recent guide found that 69% of employers said that employing apprentices improved staff retention. 

Attitude is not something you can train, so by offering recruitment opportunities to those who are eager to learn new skills, you will also be adding fresh, diverse and digitally savvy perspectives to your workplace culture. 

With September being the seasonal hotspot for taking on recent graduates, companies urgently need to re-evaluate their hiring criteria. Assessing whether a candidate has the right attitude to learn and develop to fulfil your businesses skill gaps will allow you to broaden your hiring prospects. By adopting an experiential learning approach, you will be able to take full advantage of this recruitment window and gain access to a largely untapped pool of talent.

If you need advice on how to approach this opportunity, please get in touch with me at gavin.jones@orgshakers.com 

It started with the Great Resignation, shifted into the Great Reshuffle and now it is shaping up to be the Great Regret.

One thing that is clear from this ever-changing picture is that the workforce is more restless than it has ever been. But is this employee upheaval a symptom of something bigger? And if so, how do organizations turn this into an opportunity for improvement?

The pandemic was a time of uncertainty for all. The harmony of the working world was disrupted, and companies had to adapt swiftly in order to stay afloat – and so did their people. Now, as we emerge on the other side of COVID-19, the switch from office to remote work was not the only change that lingered.

This strange and unsettling time also saw the birth of a ‘carpe diem’ complex. People lost so much time because of lockdown that, upon re-entering society, they did not want to feel they were wasting any more, and this created mayhem in many workplaces.

Put simply, an employee with a post-pandemic ‘seize the day’ mindset has no desire to stay in a job that they do not enjoy. This was clearly demonstrated by the Pew Research Centre who discovered that the top three reasons why Americans quit their jobs last year were low pay (63%), a lack of opportunities for advancement (63%) and feeling disrespected (57%).

This is where the ‘something bigger’ comes into play: the mindset of the workforce is changing.

People want more, they want better, and they are now motivated seek it out. The Great Resignation and the Great Reshuffle had been bubbling under the surface for a long time – the pandemic simply acted as the catalyst to bring this to the boil.

Recognizing why staff are resigning and reshuffling will allow organizations to take control of this issue and flip it into an opportunity. So, what can leaders do to respond to this change?

Research(1) has shown that employees will stay in their jobs if they can find meaning and reward in what they do, with six ‘stay factors’ reducing employee turnover:

Exciting, challenging, or meaningful work
Supportive management
Being recognized and valued
Opportunities for personal and career development
Flexible working environment
Fair pay

At a time of economic uncertainty and pressure, it is worth noting that five out of six of these factors can be enhanced for employees at no or low cost to the organization.

Rather, by supporting and encouraging front-line leaders to get to know their teams better and to understand how they can help to make their jobs more meaningful, stimulating, and rewarding, the organization will be able to create a work environment that will rekindle the energy and enthusiasm of its people. That will shift Regret to Rebirth.

The world is changing, and the needs of the workforce are changing too. In order to successfully retain talent, leaders need to be willing to shake things up, and this is where we can help. For advice and guidance on how to approach these topics, you can get in contact with me at amanda@orgshakers.com

(1) Ann, K., Hidi, S. (2019) Supporting the development of interest in the workplace. Workforce readiness and the future of work. Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, New York

“You will fit in perfectly here” is a phrase that many of us will be familiar with hearing after receiving a new job. And while this is positive, it can make you wonder what employers really mean when they say an employee is a ‘good fit’.

Is a ‘good fit’ someone the interviewer feels they would get along with on a personal level? Someone who looks and sounds like they do? Or could it be someone who they think will blend seamlessly into the current team?

If such a small phrase raises this many questions, there is probably a hidden meaning behind these words.

To begin with, what do we mean by a ‘good fit’? For me, it is all about culture. Each organization has its own culture which is made up of common practices driven by its values and the working practices of their leaders and supervisors. This culture will have formed over time, and typically, a company will hire candidates that reflect their way of thinking and behaving. In other words, they are a ‘good fit’.

For example, research by Totaljobs found that 67% of employers saw a candidate’s cultural fit as ‘very important’, with one in five going as far as saying they would not hire a candidate if they were not the right cultural fit. However, the idea of maintaining a company’s culture could be the very thing holding it back.

Tara Ryan, the Director of People Experience at Monzo, pointed out that if you are trying to preserve your workplace culture, you are not giving it the opportunity to evolve. In short, the potential for business progression is being lost due to this rigid mindset.

Sure, employing people who ‘fit’ may help create a cosy camaraderie, but it will not necessarily bring anything new and innovative to the table to help your business increase its productivity and maintain a competitive advantage. Tapping into a wider range of attitudes and perspectives will enable you to push the boundaries of what you are trying to achieve and remain the preferred business partner to your clients.

So, rather than assessing if a potential hire is a culture fit, start assessing how they will be a culture add. What can this individual add to our culture to ensure we become irreplaceable to our clients?

While this approach is good in theory, it can be tougher in practice. Laura Rivera conducted a study for her book Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs which highlighted that only half of managers had a clear understanding of what their organizational culture was. In light of this, a shift to culture add can only be achieved by investing time in helping leaders understand what your company’s culture is, how it impacts business outcomes, and how hiring and leveraging a greater diversity of talent can strengthen it.

At OrgShakers we want to help you seize this opportunity by developing your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) strategies. You can read more about the DE&I framework we use here or contact me directly at: Marty@OrgShakers.com.

A YouGov survey of 1,025 HR decision makers working across UK businesses has found that almost three quarters (72%) of businesses do not have a menopause policy.

This is despite it being widely accepted that the effects of the menopause can be debilitating for a woman’s physical and psychological wellbeing.

Symptoms such as joint pain, hot flushes, memory loss, fatigue, and anxiety can have a huge impact on a women’s confidence and workplace performance.

Indeed, a recent survey published by renowned GP and menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson found that 99% of respondents said their perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms had led to a negative impact on their careers, with more than a third calling the impact ‘significant’.

Almost 20% were off more than eight weeks and half of this group resigned or took early retirement.

Key findings from the YouGov survey include:

Almost three quarters (72%) of businesses do not have a menopause policy.
Over a quarter (27%) of large businesses (250 employees or more) say they have a menopause policy but only 10% of small firms (0-50 employees) do.
Even within organisations where the workforce is more than 50% women, the same low level of organisations (13%) have no menopause policy.
Only 16% of businesses train their line managers about the menopause. 94% of organisations in hospitality & leisure surveyed say they provide no training in this area.
Almost half (44%) of all the businesses that say they do not train their staff about the menopause admit to not having thought about it. 15% don’t consider it a priority whilst 7% claim that sensitivities and embarrassment about the issue hold them back.
Only half of organisations questioned (50%) say they are confident that women in their organisation are feel able to talk about the menopause. Almost 1/3 (31%) say they are not confident and 1 in 5 say they’re don’t know.
Within organisations where the proportion of women was the highest, the confidence levels amongst HR teams that employees are able to talk to their employer was the lowest (57%).
Only 18% of organisations say they provide information about the menopause to their employees with 13% offering internal support groups.
Almost 2/3 (64%) of businesses say they do not consider menopause during performance reviews for female staff. This is even higher in some sectors including manufacturing (76%), hospitality & leisure (75%), media, marketing & advertising (67%).

The YouGov survey was commissioned by employment law specialists at Irwin Mitchell. The total sample size was 1,025 HR decision makers and fieldwork was undertaken between 10th – 28th February 2022. The survey was carried out online.

Rise to the challenge of #TheGreatResignation by CHARM-ing your people.

More than 15-million people have quit their jobs since April 2021, and there’s no way of knowing if this the exodus is temporary – or a long term shift in how people manage their careers.

Organizations can take control, however, by understanding why employees are leaving and taking measures to not only retain talent, but also attract and develop new and future leaders.

Do you know why your employees are leaving? Do you know where they’re going?

Employees exiting companies are citing a smorgasbord of culture-related reasons from toxic leadership and stifled growth opportunities to poor communication and lack of vision.

So, either the culture organizations thought they had pre-pandemic wasn’t truly aligned with their people’s values, or the pandemic has created a situation in which their people’s values are shifting.

Are you CHARM-ing your employees?

However, understanding the “why” behind the exit is only part of the battle; employers must be able to swiftly enact CHARM-ing strategies to attract, retain, and develop their workforce.

Committing to your vision and ensuring your culture aligns with the company’s values as well as the type of person you seek to employ.

Helping your leaders navigate the changing scope of work and equipping them with the tools and resources needed to inspire, coach, and develop their teams. And helping your employees manage competing priorities, their growth, and outside factors that can cause stress.

Attracting the best talent by partnering with your HR teams to maximize results in recruiting. Focus on the type of person you want to employ and what they want in an employer. When you identify those qualities, use them as the foundation for your recruiting strategy.

Re-recruiting your good people! Retaining key talent needs to be done with the same energy that you invested in recruiting that talent in the first place.

Motivating your people by taking the time to know what’s going on in their work and personal lives and offer support. Take care of work-life balance and recognize your people’s achievements. People become most motivated when their leader shows interest in their whole lives and not just work output.

The OrgShakers team have extensive experience in analyzing why employees are leaving, where they are going, and what will attract and retain your ideal employee. So, if you would like insight into how #TheGreatResignation is impacting your team and guidance in developing your strategy to combat the mass exit please get in touch: hello@orgshakers.com.

OrgShakers crack data analyst, Imogen Parsley, conducted a review of LinkedIn Updates and the results should cause significant concern in the board room.

A staggering rate of increase has occurred for C-suite executives updating their LinkedIn profiles.

Well, it is no secret that executive search firms leverage LinkedIn as one of their primary sources. Some may have done it because they’ve changed roles or employer.

But, why the sudden surge in updates? Is this a sign of the first wave of post-pandemic executive fatigue?

If this doesn’t set off significant alarm bells in the boardroom, someone is not paying attention.

Boards should take note and check to ensure the effectiveness of their total rewards and other recognition for their leadership team.

Does the team feel recognized and appreciated by the board?
How has the C-suite been treated throughout the pandemic?
Does the current compensation structure provide enough reward when merited by performance?
Are metrics reasonable or too aggressive?
Is there enough retention value in your Long-Term Incentives?

Board’s need to take stock of their rewards and the possible risk of key C-suite departures. As importantly, they need to pay close attention to the strength of their succession plan.

The first in line may be at the highest risk of departure. This follows a trend where recent study by Monster.com showed that more than 95% of employees in the US are considering a job change post pandemic.

The C-suite is apparently not immune from that sentiment – Boards ignore at your own risk!

Similar alert for CEOs!

When was the last time you gave unsolicited feedback?

When was the last time you told one your direct reports they did a great job on something?

How realistic is your succession plan? How strong is the retention component of your executive compensation program?

Should you engage your board with some recommendations for updates/modifications to your compensation structures?

Now is the time to act, by year end your best leaders may have already taken the call.

If they take the call, they are gone.

Phil Mickelson stunned the golf world on Sunday when he finished off his win in the PGA Championship to become, at 50, the oldest golfer ever to win a major championship.

He finished the event shooting six under par. After his win, praise flooded in from across not just the golf community, but from other star athletes and celebrities across the world. His performance was truly inspiring.

What came after, was not so much an explanation of how Mickelson reached the finest achievement of his career, but insistence of how he never believed his time on golf’s frontline was over.

Mickelson admitted ”it is very possible that this is the last tournament I ever win. It’s also very possible that I may have had a little bit of a breakthrough in some of my focus and maybe I’ll go on a little bit of a run. But the point is, there’s no reason why I or anybody else can’t do it at a later age … it just takes a little bit more work.”

This immediately made me think of my father Michael.

At 83 years young, his passion for golf is a strong today as it was at the age of 7 when the Christian Brother monks would give him time off school from so he could caddy for American visitors at the course near his home in Lehinch, Co. Clare in Ireland. He received golf balls as payment and split the proceeds with the monks.

Last year, he won the senior singles competition at his club against a 55-year-old opponent.
He’d previously won the same title in 1996 – but he wasn’t going to let 24 years, two hip replacements, a knee replacement, and COPD get in his way!

Like Phil Mickelson, he believes that there’s no reason why you can’t keep going – and that one day, when the wind is on your back and the sun on your face … you might just get a win!

My dad really inspires me never to give up and to keep on learning. It’s a lesson I’ve taken from him and one I’ve passed to my two daughters and the countless leaders I’ve had the privilege to coach.

My colleague Pamela Kingsland at Orgshakers also talks and writes about how we can keep developing and learning all through our lives and age should never be a barrier.

As a woman who is now mid-life, I’m so encouraged by that.
And both Phil and my Dad are testament to the fact that for all the mid-lifers (and even those who’ve entered later-life) … now is our time!

As I was writing this, a poem I had read some time ago came into my head: ‘Don’t Let Anyone Mess With Your Swing’.

It wasn’t written for golf, but it could have been. It was written about a Boston baseball player called Ted Williams, and this verse is my favourite:

Enjoy your talents. Have your fling.
The seasons change. The years advance.
Watch the ball and do your thing.
And don’t let anybody mess with your swing.