According to a LinkedIn report, digital marketers and social media managers are the most in-demand occupations because these have the most job postings. It's no surprise that we have seen brand new careers rise from the ashes of old ones over the last few years. Millennials have fundamentally revolutionized how technology is used to create new job opportunities for them.
This shift has been coming for a long time but accelerated by the pandemic as businesses scrambled to find ways to continue their work in the face of debilitating lockdowns. It's called The Great Reshuffle, and this has propelled employees worldwide to re-evaluate where they work and how and why they work.
Now is the time to rethink the strategies, create and maintain relationships, make new connections, ensure seamless experiences in the workplace, serve relevant content in this time of global talent migration, and start looking for ways to enhance the employee experience.
1. Flexibility
During the pandemic, flexibility has become nearly a non-negotiable aspect at work. LinkedIn reported that 87% of individuals would prefer to stay remote about half of the time, and 81% of leaders are planning to upgrade their workplace policies to ensure greater employee flexibility.
So what about flexibility in sectors where onsite jobs are necessary? There's no one-size-fits-all arrangement for the new workplace, but the Great Reshuffle demonstrated an opportunity to consider the differences and meet job seekers where they are.
For companies, flexibility means creating flexible environments, rethinking values, culture, and redesigning workspaces to align with the shifting needs of your employees.
2. Skills-Based Recruiting
While various companies still require a degree, the Great Reshuffle also changes things on that front. So when it comes to hiring talented resources, there has been an increase in companies sourcing and hiring talent depending on the candidates' skills.
Not all abilities come from a specific degree program or work experience. Businesses want access to broader talent pools, so they become more particular in job descriptions regarding what skills are required for a particular role.
There has been a 16% rise in job postings that list skills compared to experience or education requirements. In fact, emphasizing skills over educational degrees has a progressive effect on employee retention.
In the same way, a skills-focused, learning-centric culture empowers all employees to invest in their competencies, enhance their performance, and yield significant returns to the business.
Additionally, when talent leaders strategically inspire staff to acquire skills and competencies, their organizations are more likely to perform and succeed in an ever-evolving market.
3. Training Opportunities
Upskilling and reskilling your current workforce go hand in hand with skills-based recruiting and is the new focus for companies to enhance the employee experience and abilities. Organizations must rethink their workplace and workforce models, values, and cultures, to keep up with the changing workforce needs, especially in this Great Reshuffle.
For instance, invest in Microsoft Viva, a learning module that allows employees to retool and upskill, a great perk. The platform enables companies to provide ample learning opportunities to employees leveraging artificial intelligence to recommend "the best content at the appropriate time”.
In addition, managers can also access tools to track employee progress and course loads.
Viva Learning module also aggregates the content from LinkedIn Learning, your company's customized content, pieces of training from renowned content providers (Coursera, Skillsoft, edX, etc.), and Microsoft Learn. Moreover, the platform also works seamlessly with learning management systems.
4. Performance Related Insights
One of the most significant opportunities that the Great Reshuffle has to offer is the possibility to re-engage employees with empathy and trust. To accomplish this, more dialogue between employees and employers is essential. Trust will be at the heart of an organization's success in attracting and retaining talent.
Leveraging Viva Insights provides managers, leaders, and individuals, actionable and personalized insights that enable them to thrive. Moreover, leaders and managers can see trends at the organization and team level and suggestions to better balance well-being, productivity, engagement, and the employees' overall experience.
This, in turn, also enables leaders to connect with employees and identify where they might be struggling. Next, adjust work norms proactively and then measure the impact of those variations over time.
And, above all, leaders invest time listening to their teams, creating a culture of trust, and leveraging new opportunities in the midst of the Great Reshuffle.
In this Great Reshuffle, things may be uncertain, and employees and employers will have to navigate obstacles collectively for a seamless experience. However, the Great Reshuffle has also provided the most exciting opportunities.
To succeed, you need to reimagine the employee experience and offer employees a new level of transparency while projecting and allowing a clear path for professional growth.
Definity First can help you prioritize and improve the employee experience, helping you attract talent and increasing profitability and innovation