If organisations don’t put people at the heart of their plans, they’re not only risking missing the true potential of their existing talent pool but losing them altogether, says Charles Butterworth
The competition for attracting talent is tougher than ever, with the number of available vacancies reaching a new record of more than 1.2 million in April 2022. There are a wide range of potential causes for the applicant deficit, with Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic to name but a few. In addition to the talent acquisition crisis, a wide range of emerging technologies are now becoming a necessary part of day-to-day work, impacting the nature of the skills required of the workforce.
Organisations that don’t differentiate from the crowd when it comes to employee experience and people development programmes will find it hardest to hire and retain talent. It’s a job seekers market at present, so organisations must ensure their offer is competitive to avoid losing top talent.
Moving the hiring goalposts
The hiring balance has well and truly shifted, with good candidates holding more cards than ever before. When applying for a new role, candidates’ standards are much higher than they used to be, with considerations such as career development opportunities, internal progression, and hybrid working now at the forefront of their minds. The competition for attracting talent is tough, and companies must have a clearly defined employee value proposition.
Not only have we seen an overall rise in unoccupied vacancies in recent years, but the age profile of the UK workforce has also changed during the pandemic, with notably fewer workers aged 16-24 now in employment. These younger workers, especially those working part-time whilst studying, were often supporting employers across industries like hospitality, which have fixed and variable needs. Organisations must find a sustainable approach to attract these workers back to the workforce, so that they can fulfil seasonal and short shift demands.
From ‘nice to have’ to ‘need to have’ skills
In tandem with issues around talent management is the rise of digital skills gaps across the workforce. Organisations are increasingly relying upon machines to perform a range of tasks once carried out by humans, and by 2025, humans and machines are expected to spend an equal amount of time on work tasks. Yet if employees are not provided with appropriate learning and development opportunities to improve their digital skills, they will not be able to keep up with the demands of using modern technologies in their roles.
Beyond digital skills, there are also key soft skills requirements that will need to be honed to futureproof the workforce. The World Economic Forum identified ‘analytical thinking and innovation’ as one of the most in-demand skills in UK organisations, second only to ‘active learning and learning strategies’. A blended approach to reskilling is therefore necessary, which responds to the workforce’s specific hard and soft skill needs in equal measure.
Nurturing today’s operational skills
The first step in building an effective skills strategy is ensuring that development opportunities respond to the most urgent needs of both employees and the business as a whole. Planning for the future is a step too far if an organisation isn’t set up for success today – achieving long-term business goals is only possible when teams have the necessary knowledge and experience to help the business get to the next step on its journey.
Performance management processes should uncover any skills gaps that individuals may have, which can then be filled through tailored support. Blanket learning programmes are no longer going to cut it – today’s employees demand personalised, interactive programmes that respond to their unique needs. Smaller, bite-size microlearning is key here, as well as offering mobile-first, social, and collaborative learning blends. Bringing more social elements into learning and development programmes in this way helps to expose everyone to a much broader range of colleagues than they are likely to encounter on a day-to-day basis. Enabling employees to share expertise can help empower them in taking more control of their own learning, development, and career paths.
Humanising the employee experience
Alongside the need for new skills is an increase in career mobility, with people of all ages looking to explore new opportunities when it comes to job roles and responsibilities. To remain competitive, organisations must deliver an employee experience that supports staff as they grow and advance their own personal and professional development.
Investing in people is crucial, and businesses should focus on helping employees become the best version of themselves. This doesn’t mean dictating what employees should be learning, but rather unlocking their true and full potential by providing opportunities to explore their own interests and make their work more meaningful to them. People are far more likely to stay with an organisation if they feel that their career plans and skills are valued and invested in by the business.
To drive these types of conversations around what learning and development opportunities could best benefit an individual, managers can consider using employee success plans. This involves mapping out what success looks like to an individual and plotting the key steps that can help them achieve that success. Only by putting your peoples’ individual aspirations and ambitions first, and at the heart of your business, will you provide an employee experience that inspires, engages, and motivates them to deliver their best performance.
Planning for the skills needs of the future
As with any shake-up within an organisation, skills strategies need to be continually revised in line with the needs of the business and its employees. This is especially important in the context of the current hiring difficulties brought about by increased career mobility; if employees feel that professional development opportunities in their current role are inadequate, they are likely to move to an organisation with greater support.
When thinking about talent and skills investment, it often comes down to a little bit of future gazing. Leaders should consider what kinds of skills their business will require in the years to come to succeed. By implementing this process, leaders can consider whether these skills already exist within the organisation, or whether hiring processes need to be amended to keep up with demand.
Once talent has been attracted, they need to be supported by a strong onboarding programme, which is the most critical investment when it comes to L&D. It’s vital that their first impression is a good one and sets a positive tone for what to expect in the future – both when it comes to training, investment in their development, and their employee experience.
Conclusion
Investing in people is probably one of, if not the largest expense a business will have each year. Ensuring that people development plans are aligned to business success and keep people front of mind can be a tricky balance, but really is critical to long-term business success.
If organisations don’t put people – and their development – at the heart of it all, they’re not only risking missing the true potential of their existing talent pool but losing them altogether. This puts a business back at square one with recruitment, which is never a place anyone wants to be. And as businesses look to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s a risk that no one can afford to take right now.
Charles Butterworth is Managing Director of Access People.
