Combatting the War on Talent

We have a war for talent on our hands. The skills shortage in Australia is impacting all industries and finding and keeping people in our businesses is becoming harder.

One shift the pandemic has left us with is the blended workplace. We got a sneak peek into the private lives of our colleagues like never before and saw them in a more natural and ‘human’ environment. 

Our teams also proved that working remotely doesn’t have to mean a drop in productivity, and our teams reaped the benefits of being able to better juggle both their work and home responsibilities.

Given all we’ve been through, it’s no surprise that many employees will no longer consider a workplace that doesn’t offer a hybrid working model, and with the skills shortage making the pool of potential new talent smaller, business owners have no choice but to adapt. 

So, with all that in mind, the way we recruit also must change. Consider exactly what you are offering and who you’re trying to attract. If the offer isn’t competitive and doesn’t include some flexibility, you’ll struggle to find the right people for your business. 

Implementing a hybrid model does require rethinking some of your existing processes and workflows to ensure productivity doesn’t suffer – but those changes don’t have to be hard. There is no ‘one size fits all’ hybrid model, so ask your team how they prefer to work, ensure their requests align with the business needs and find a win-win for both the employee and the business.

One unmistakable benefit of remote work is that it can instantly increase your potential talent pool. Rather than limiting employees to only those within a commutable distance from your office, you can tap into talent from just about any corner of the country. 

The reality is the horse has bolted on this new way of working and there is no going back. I know many people who have said to me that if their workplace flexibility is taken away, then they’ll leave their current jobs. Employers who feel that they can hold onto the “old” ways of recruiting and retaining talent will be most under threat.

To dive deeper into this topic, I recently spoke to Michelle Loader, Managing Director of Future Leadership. 

You can catch the podcast here.