From a fixed to a flexible workforce…are we there yet?

I remember when I joined Agfa in 2001, people told me that finally I had chosen a company that would offer me guaranteed employment until my retirement. Needless to say, that, at the age of 29, the prospect of spending 30 years in the same company freaked me out.

As I am settling in into my new co-working space, I cannot help but think how much employment has changed over the past 15 years.

And we seem to be taken it even further as one of the major trends for 2018 is the evolution towards a more flexible workforce. From the traditional organisation consisting largely of employees with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, we will evolve towards organisations with a diverse workforce of employees and independent individual contributors working in a project-oriented way.

From an economical point of view, this evolution makes perfect sense. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, companies that rely solely on full-time employees are finding they have neither the skills nor the agility to sustain success. Working with a blended workforce, will allow leaders to unleash fresh energy and thinking inside their organisations, and quickly meet staffing needs when new opportunities arise.

But when I look at every day’s reality, I cannot help but wonder…are we there yet?

Start-ups tend to feel 100% comfortable with this type of organisation. It allows them to be agile and to quickly respond to market needs. The majority of their workforce also consists of millennials who put a lot of emphasis on the flexibility an employer is offering, not only from a working hours or location point of view but also from a content point of view. But even there, research indicates that millennials seek flexibility within a full-time context.

When it comes to more established organisations, there is a larger gap between the creation of a flexible workforce and everyday reality.

The majority of my clients still prefer to select candidates who are willing to commit to an organisation long term. They tend to select candidates with a traditional career path, with growing responsibilities with a few employers rather than people who combine interim assignments with pay-roll based roles. Positions are closely linked to job descriptions, stating clearly defined roles and responsibilities rather than profile descriptions for project oriented roles based on key skills.

Evolving towards a flexible workforce will require different skills from both managers and employees but above all, it requires a different mindset.  Both parties will need a shift in mindset towards more open, less restrictive organisational structures emphasising partnering and collaboration.

Managers will need to learn to lead virtual networks of individual contributors they can no longer “manage by walking around.” Key management traits will be the capability to manage scope, launch teams and provide feedback and coaching to individuals they do not formally control. Employees will need to develop skills relating to quickly forming relationships and facilitating teamwork among project staff who have never worked together before.

Ultimately, the new world of work requires executives to completely revise their relationship with talent. HR will need to play a leading role in driving this shift. Organisations should focus more on defining capabilities and enabling access to the skills they need, and focus less on where internal people sit or finding the perfect person for an internal role.

Let’s face it … what a challenge this will be. I cannot wait to see what 2018 will bring. And you…do you think this trend will truly become reality or will it remain one of the many buzzwords?

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalised and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch

New ways of working: Is flexible working the key to attract top talent?

Today is one of the days I work in a co-working space in Antwerp. When I look around, there can be no other subject for my blog than the rising trend of flexible working. Surrounded by digital start-ups with millennials who believe that their app will change the world, business owners who have client meetings over a cup of coffee and even a father actively participating in a brainstorm session holding his newborn, I can only think how much working has changed in the last few years.

Or at least it has changed for some people. When we hear the traffic reports, most people still have a daily commute to their work place where they check in at 9 and leave at 5.

In an age when finding and retaining top talent is among the strongest predictors of a company’s success, is workplace flexibility a necessary tool to increase employee satisfaction and productivity or is it merely a gimmick to market your ‘hip’ factor?

Many employers have started to implement flexible working practices. Satellite offices have been opened, a commuter bus with Wi-Fi has been put in place and a home working policy has been written. However, the fixed working day remains the starting point and flex working initiatives are mainly exceptions, made to accommodate family needs. Nothing has changed about the actual working practices. Being ‘present’ rules, managers struggle with knowing what people are doing if they can’t see them and often assume they are not as committed as those who come in to the office. Consequently, embracing flex working opportunities is often seen as the fastest way to end your career.

The implementation of flexible working as a driver for attracting and retaining top talent goes beyond these initiatives and requires a significant cultural shift.

The new approach to work involves a shift of control from the employer to the employee.

To be a successful leader in such an environment, you might need to let go of a management style that you were trained in and that you used yourself to get ahead in your career: loyalty, hard work and putting your career above your personal life. In a twenty first century flexible working environment, it is key to embrace the buzzword ‘empowerment’ and measure achieved outcome instead of measuring the input, the hours worked. You will need to give employees autonomy and trust that they will not abuse the freedom.

It also involves strong engagement skills to ensure that people continue to work in the right direction without being physically present at all times. If you combine this with the capability to create and inspire teams, even in a remote setting, then you are all set to be a successful leader in a flexible working environment.

For the individual employee, the ability to work anywhere and at any time can be a blessing and a curse. You’ll need to learn how to manage the blurred border between work and private life. Self-management, project skills and effective communication will become increasingly important.

Implementing flexible working requires a significant shift in leadership and in required skillset. Some people may be attracted by that shift and embrace the opportunity, while others will prefer to continue to work in a more traditional way.

The true key to attracting and retaining top talent is the ability to mix those two requirements and to allow people to work in the way that best matches their personality with leaders who can adjust their leadership style to meet their needs.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch

New ways of working: is workplace wellness the trick to attract talent?

I had a prospect client last week who referred to a competitor who had installed an office gym to attract talent. I had flashbacks of my PricewaterhouseCoopers time in the late nineties where the new office featured not only a bar and a shopping service but also a fully equipped gym. Not that we ever used it…after all, you don’t want to sit in the office with a sweaty, red face after a lunch workout.

Nevertheless, it triggered my mind. After several years of relative silence, workplace wellness appears to be back in fashion and is considered as a way of wooing the scarce talent by several trending companies. But can meditation sessions during lunch time or an in-house personal trainer be a competitive advantage when it comes down to attracting top talent?

Today’s talent attraction goes beyond drafting a clear job description and assessing a person’s experience and achievements. It is about finding the candidate who matches the DNA of your company and who will be complementary to the other team members. At the same time, it is about convincing the candidate that you can respond to their aspirations and career goals.

To assess the benefits of corporate health programs on talent acquisition, a distinction should be made between people who are just entering the job market and more experienced professionals.

Millennials who are just entering the workplace, are expecting more from a job than just a paycheck. This implies that they want to get an insight into what it is like to work in your company.

Consequently, it pays off to invest in building a solid employer brand. Workplace wellness programs can help you in defining that brand and set you apart from the competition. Group workouts and lunch yoga sessions are excellent opportunities to show what’s behind the scenes of your workplace. Next to that, it is great PR.

More experienced professionals on the other hand, have different objectives. They are looking for the next step in their career or a company whose culture is in line with their values. They are likely to be far less attracted by state-of-the-art wellness programs unless it has become an integral part of the working culture. Participating in a Hercules challenge to increase team-building, a pro-active burn-out prevention program supported by top management or a company restaurant offering healthy meals will send a message that you care about the well-being of your employees.

This approach might give you the competitive advantage that you are looking for as it is a perfect example of the “show, don’t tell”-approach to marketing. You’re putting your money where your mouth is by illustrating exactly how your company invests in the wellbeing of its employees.

But let’s be realistic, without a solid vision for the future, strong leadership and sufficient opportunities for career growth, promoting a corporate health program is merely window dressing and will not convince top-talent to choose your company as their next employer.

Implementing a wellness approach is just one of the new ways of working that are trending now. In the coming weeks, I want to look some other trends and the way they impact the attraction of talent. So, should you have any innovative new ways of working, let me know!

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch