Lenke Taylor
Chief People Officer, Personio
Max Specht
HR Content Expert, Personio
Changing employee expectations mean that organisations are having to reassess the way they recruit and motivate their staff, say two experts from HR software company, Personio.
How real is the skills shortages challenge — and how are organisations responding?
Lenke Taylor (LT): It’s very real. It’s why many organisations are changing their approach to recruiting. They’re thinking more about the positions they’re hiring for and the types of skills they need — and the benefits they should offer in the war for talent.
Talent shortages have forced employers to define who they are and ask themselves: ‘What are our values? How do we work best together in order to serve our customers? What do we look like to potential candidates — and how do we help them become excited by who we are as an organisation?’ That’s important because younger employees, in particular, have different expectations about what work should be like.
Max Specht (MS): Our latest data shows that 71% of organisations are changing the way they hire, and many are solving shortages through skills-based recruitment. In other words, they’re reprioritising skills over credentials and using hiring processes that help them get to know candidates’ skills, behaviours and attitudes, rather than simply looking at their CV qualifications.
LT: Bringing in a person who has the right excitement, motivation and transferable skills can be as — or more — successful than hiring a cookie-cutter person with the right experience.
What’s the current state of engagement in organisations, and how can employees be more motivated?
LT: Engagement and motivation is lower than it has been. External factors have contributed to this, including the pandemic, economic changes and new ways of working. However, organisations can’t simply blame external factors. They must look internally and understand how to better engage and motivate their staff. That starts with talking to their employees to find out what their experience is like working in the organisation.
Good communication, honesty and transparency
can go a long way in establishing trust.
What are ‘squiggly careers’ and ‘job hopping’ — and why are these important?
MS: A big reason why employees leave a company is frustration over lack of career progression. However, organisations should recontextualise what they mean by ‘progression.’ It isn’t purely about being promoted to the next level. The idea of ‘squiggly careers’ is that people constantly learn new skills and maybe switch from department to department or role to role. Employees want to feel as though they are moving — not stagnating. Offering this type of progression helps with recruitment and retention.
How much do employees trust senior leadership and their colleagues?
MS: Right now, trust is at a low point. Trust is hard to gain and very easy to lose. The good news is that it can be won back. We’ve surveyed employees to see how trust can be bolstered and, in some cases, it’s as simple as a company telling its workforce about its strategic plans for the future.
Good communication, honesty and transparency can go a long way in establishing trust. Another way to increase trust is with career progression. Again, that doesn’t necessarily mean ‘promotion.’ Oftentimes, with the newer generation, it means ‘purpose’ and regular salary reviews.
How can teams nurture their highest performers to be their most productive selves?
LT: It starts by understanding what ‘high performance’ means and sharing that definition with your employees. Typically, it means delivering outcomes in a way that’s consistent with your organisation’s culture and values.
You should also review the mechanisms you have in place to reward people who do well. Are these monetary or some other kind of performance-related benefit? Also, what can you offer that will excite and challenge employees in the future? Let’s be real. They’re probably not going to stay with you for 25 years, but while they’re with you, you need to ask how you can create a great experience for them.
