Christina Brun Petersen co-founded Worksome in 2016. Today she leads the flexible revolution as Worksome’s Chief People Officer.
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In recent years, finding and attracting talent has been a growing challenge for companies across the globe. This is a result of several factors, including the Great Resignation, the accessibility offered by advances in technology and Gen-Zers entering the workforce. It’s clear this trend is here to stay as the new generation in particular is bringing a fresh set of expectations around values like flexibility, work-life balance and purpose.
With more and more people choosing flexible careers and alternative ways of working, the full-time talent pool is shrinking. For many companies, this has meant facing a highly competitive hiring market; some call it the war for talent. But is this really a battle for talent—or simply a lack of innovation in the way we approach talent?
The companies that are innovating the ways they find and attract talent have been able to thrive in this new flexible world, achieving a competitive edge in their respective industries. Having an effective workforce strategy is a vital factor.
3 Essential Components For Attracting Talent
The key to successfully creating a strong network of talent is facilitating an experience that improves your employer brand and ensures you can engage top talent again and again. To achieve this, there are three factors to consider: trust-based leadership; a consistent, equitable experience for all employees; and the right technology.
Leadership That Prioritizes Trust
Leadership paradigms are shifting, and the new standard is one rooted in trust. Pushed to the forefront, thanks in part to the pandemic, an increased desire for trustworthiness in leadership proved to be overall a positive for businesses. It helped improve company culture by creating more space for innovation, work-life balance and increased productivity.
To establish this culture across a company, it’s important that HR professionals support the leadership layer with strategies for managing from a place of trust. This involves a focus on the individual employee's needs and an understanding of the different ways different people prefer to work and are motivated.
A Consistent Experience
The workforces of today look different. Not every worker or role fits the full-time, 9-to-5 mold of the past. This means we need to rethink the way we approach our total workforce.
To maintain a productive environment and strong employer brand, it’s paramount to create a consistent culture for both full-time employees and external workers. By considering and balancing the needs of both groups, companies can create a culture that ensures inclusivity for all employees and an environment where they can thrive.
For example, one thing we have learned from the growing external workforce is the value of flexibility. In this new world of work, it’s important to create a culture that reflects this and considers all aspects of flexibility, like how we work, not just when and where.
Technology That Supports Employees
Technology plays a large part in employee experience today, so it’s important to invest in the right tools to create an environment where everyone can thrive. For example, onboarding is a new hire's first experience with your company, so the right tools should help the process run quickly, smoothly and compliantly. This will set the bar for the employee's experience moving forward because delivering a great experience at an early stage can help with retention or successfully reengaging that person down the line.
To ensure all workers are given a best-in-class first impression and get started on the right foot, HR professionals must evaluate the tools they rely on for hiring and onboarding. For example, external workers often get overlooked and left with a slow hiring process, clunky onboarding experience and a struggle to get paid on time. These factors in turn impact the ability to retain or reengage great talent. With the right tools, both the workers and the company can benefit.
A strong workforce strategy is paramount to staying relevant.
HR departments are crucial for companies that want to modernize, improve retention and advocate for a culture of trust and consistency. By identifying and capitalizing on the right components for the workforce strategy, companies can create a flexible employee experience that supports everyone's success.
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