Hey there you legendary #TWIT readers!
Greeting from the Queen of Talent!
As I focussed on Creativity last week, I thought I’d bring you a bumper issue this week, with a lot of news snippets I’ve enjoyed reading over the past couple of weeks.
There is no theme to what I’ve pulled together, however that is most interesting. Although its mid-Feb, we are still seeking out employment trends to help develop our talent strategy and roadmap for 2023.
And geez (sorry I may go on a rant here) why are we still no getting our approach to workplace flexibility right? I am seeing a lot of activity on this topic in the Rubberband group lately, people who are struggling with their company’s approach to hybrid/ at home/ office work. Many looking for other opportunities and “voting with their feet.” I find the whole thing puzzling. We have had remote workers in our teams for long before the pandemic. Yes, there generally had to be a case approved, but it meant that we could give equal opportunity to those that perhaps, for many reasons, would find office work challenging. So that’s a good thing, right?
I read it all the time on socials- how people value “in real life (IRL)” over remote work. How “in real life” is better than online for social connection. Others talk about how remote is better, saving on commute time, being more productive, saving on childcare expenses.
We are never going to agree on an ideal approach that suits everyone. We are all unique- our lives are complex, diverse, and different. We must stop arguing the point and really focus on choice. And the respect around that choice is critical. Your Talent strategy will not be effective if you don’t focus on a choice-based approach to flexibility, because you will alienate a proportion of Talent if you choose to go hard one way or the other. Celebrate what works for the individual, just like those hyper-personalised EVP’s you have developed.
And think about it logically. Is flexibility with “hard rules” at odds with flexibility anyway? Does it stop being flexible if you have 3-4 set days that must be adhered to?
Get it on your radar readers…. the current approach, for many organisations, is going to fail. You will lose talent, you are going to have low engagement, and worst of all, you will lose your ability to attract talent in this challenging market.
Rant over!
And as a final note, the ATC 2023 State of Talent Acquisition Survey launched this week. Each year, ATC turn the results into a downloadable report that’s super handy to help you benchmark where your talent function sits against your peers and the rest of the TA community. Head on over to complete the survey (and go into the draw to win a sweet $500. Cha ching!).
Enjoy your week ahead!
Ten workplace trends in 2023
Can you guess them? I must admit the first one got me very excited – 2022 was meeting overload! Very happy to see a continued focus on sustainability, mental health, and DE&I.
Employee burnout reaches new high
Speaking of mental health, the statistics around employee burnout are getting out of control. If we can’t use data to back up what our employees are seeing, then I don’t know how much worse things need to get before we take real action. Some very interesting stats around flexibility and hybrid work here too.
These uni students are working ‘extreme hours’ to make ends meet, but a crackdown is looming
The answer to our prayers, hey! The borders open and we have the return of international student workers! I guess we didn’t think about the high cost of living in Australia, and we are now pushing these workers to the brink. This is incredibly sad to read, and quite simply we may not have this valuable population of workers in the future if we don’t address it. I don’t know the answer, but this is very alarming indeed.
5 Rapidly-Growing Jobs And Sectors To Know About For 2023
We were all guilty of saying it. And there was truth to it. The tech lay-off’s being driven by the US market.
Here we have some very interesting data from the US (Bureau of Labor Statistics) that highlights that there still is a lot of opportunity in Technology, CyberSec for example. Awesome to see HR and D&I make the top 5 too!
Australia’s top consulting employers for graduates
Well, this is interesting! Could we be seeing a rebellion from the Big 4 from graduates? Only Deloitte features and is down at number 51. Arguably the others may not have chosen to participate, but deliberately not participating also speaks volumes, in my opinion.
Those who have done exceptionally well this year, particularly Capgemini and Thoughtworks, have very strong DE&I initiatives in place. So, are the Big 4 truly listening to graduates? It sounds like they are potentially missing the mark. Not to mention a lot of bad press last year surrounding workplace culture, exhaustion and burn-out. One to watch!
Still Working From Home? Why You Might Be Forced Back Into the Office
Data Data Data. Here we go….
Robert Half recently asked 300 Aussie business leaders if their staff were required to spend more days in the office in 2023. There is a slight variation in most states, however it is over 50% consistently. You might be surprised at how high it is! But as my rant above suggests, is this really what we want? Is this going to enhance our workplace culture, or alienate many of our employees?
Is commuting good for you? I miss the break between work and home
On the flip side, here is someone who really values their commute to work. I’m a big fan or Dr. Adam Frazer and “The Third Space”. Back in my office working days, I used to use my cycling commute to switch off from work life, and switch into home life. It is effective, and for some, WFH presents a struggle to separate the two.
How to Design Meaningful Moments at Work
*Sponsored*
Another point to consider when talking about workplace flexibility – just because we’re all in the office doesn’t mean we’re actually connecting. Check out this webinar that’s all about creating meaningful moments no matter where the employees sit.
Frank Spencer and the Job Interview
Ending this week’s #TWIT will a funny clip. I adore Frank Spencer! And I just love how hard the interviewer tries to keep his cool…..for a while, anyway!
“I don’t think we should bother with the bad-tempered ones”
Enjoy!
