What Attracts Talent?

These days the talent aren’t just attracted to money or titles anymore. They want a sense of purpose, an organization with values, their ability to contribute and build to the culture. They want to learn (and teach) and most importantly, be their genuine self at work. Here are 6 things that you can work to build on to attract the best talents.

1. Work/Life Integration

Forget work/life balance. That stuff is ancient. We’re now on work/life integration. Work/Life integration involves blending both professional and personal responsibilities. This means the organization is aware enough and has made decisions to allow their employees to manage their schedule in a way that still allows them to still deliver quality work without sacrificing the important things in their personal life.

Much of this is really being aware and setting expectations to follow through, and making it a norm. Child comes into the view in the middle of a video call? Nothing to be stressed about, other participants should treat it as normal and the child’s parent shouldn’t feel the need to explain.

Simpler things such as No-Meeting-Fridays, not putting a call during lunch hours, not sending emails post work hours and even checking on your colleague regularly are easy yet impactful things to do for to introduce work/life integration into your organization.

2. Job Satisfaction

Let’s get a bit technical here, Hoppock defines job satisfaction as any combination of psychological, physiological, and environmental circumstances cause a person to truthfully say that they are satisfied with their job. Now this was way back in 1935. In 2006, job satisfaction has now been called a set of favourable or unfavourable feelings and emotions in which employees view their work. In the course of 70 years, the notion of measurement has changed from simple quantifiable checklist to an intrinsic evaluation that takes into account both positive and negative outcomes in their day to day work.

In short, job satisfaction pretty much equates to how well an organization determines its Employee Experience. It’s not so much of what you have, be it a great performance management system, fantastic succession planning or an involved learning & development program. The impact lies on how well you bring your employee through this journey and how their work/deliverables/goals can be the catalyst for how enjoyable it is for them.

3. Career Growth

No one want's a dead-end job. An organization must build a pool of career-conscious initiatives in order to pull in the right talent. A career-conscious employee are simply less of a risk than those who are just showing up for paycheck.

Growth can be segmented into 3 major pillars. Growth in levels; attaining the one level up job title via promotions. Growth is deepening their skill set, becoming THAT subject matter expert in your organization. Growth in widening your abilities across the spectrum; knowing more in all elements of an organization.

Creating a culture of learning and providing growth opportunities for all 3 types of growth pillars is critical for an organization in attracting and retaining talent. Demonstrating clear cut career paths, having open conversations in self-development and a performance management program that is owned by the employee as much as the employer are steps toward this type of culture.

4. Development

I’ve been asked numerous times; What if we invest in training our people, they get better and they leave for other jobs? My reply was; What if you don’t, and they stay here and don’t get better? Development has always been key in retaining the talent within the organization. It has always been a clear and definitive way for the organization to show their employees that they are worth their value. .

Conversations and opportunities on development with employees shows progressive recognition on their work and achievements. A learning program can be used as a competitive advantage when attracting, engaging, and retaining talent. In short, you’re growing the talent internally as well as putting across elements in retaining them too. Having a visible development program really creates the additional value for an Employee Experience.

5. Purpose, Culture & Leaders

Some say it’s three different things and shouldn’t be grouped together. I beg to differ. With societal and corporate fragmentation, it’s more critical to rally around your 3 most important factors. Having a Purpose that allows your employees to re-connect, elements that unite through their work; this creates a shared sense of identity and belonging. That is essentially be backbone of building a Culture.

Leaders (management) have their role to play in re-connecting through effective team or 1-on-1 discussions. These develop personal awareness and understanding as well as allowing them to be seen, heard, and valued. Elements that again, builds a successful culture.

6. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Last bit, the tough conversation on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Well, it’s simple. It’s all about Belonging. Everyone is looking for a sense of belonging and fitting in. They want to know their opinions will be heard and respected. They want a safe space to thrive and succeed.

The organization’s role in this is equally simple. Their role is to create and have an authentic voice in representing these talents. DE&I initiatives should not only inform underrepresented employees about the company culture, inclusion, purpose, and values, but give them actionable insight into how they can be successful at your organization.

Granted, it’s a long and arduous process, peppered with uncertainties; but the best thing leaders of an organization can do is to simply ask themselves. How can I make this organizational culture accessible to everyone? How can I reward my team for doing great work and doing it their way? How can I make them feel values for who they are and not what society has labelled them on?

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