《Raconteur：2022年人力資源展望報告（英文版）（13頁）.pdf》由會員分享，可在線閱讀，更多相關《Raconteur：2022年人力資源展望報告（英文版）（13頁）.pdf（13頁珍藏版）》請在三個皮匠報告上搜索。

1、15/03/2022INDEPENDEN T P U B L I C AT I O N BY#0790R AC O N T EU R.NE TFUTURE OF HRSHOULD FIRMS ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES SIDE HUSTLES?APPRECIATING THE VALUE IN VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS0805THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TOLL OF HOT-DESKING16THE TALENT SHORTAGE IS A MYTHREGISTER TO KNOW MOREDiscover how Globalization

2、Partners,the worlds leading global employment platform,lets you find and hire top global talent.R A C O N T E U R.N E T0315/03/2022INDEPENDEN T P U B L I C AT I O N BY#0790R AC O N T EU R.NE TAll Experts APersonalized Total Rewards is required to ensure you attract,retain&motivate your talent.All Da

3、ta.All Employees.All Rewards.All Countries.One Place.uFlexReward is the only system that will facilitate and manage your total reward personalization.“By making rewards supportive of and responsive to employee needs and preferences,organizations can engage talent and drive performance in an uncertai

4、n and rapidly evolving business environment.”“As we progress through life,what is important changes according to our lifestyle needs and expectations.This is also true for employees in the workplace what they need and want from their employer across their life and career stages,how and where they wa

5、nt to work,and the physical,emotional and fi nancial wellbeing support they seek.”“The changing expectations of a multigenerational workforcethat values transparency and a personalized,consumer-centric talent experience.”“Above all,the total rewards package will need to be bespoke.In this respect,HR

6、 will take a leaf out of marketings book.HR can create unique segments or personas by clustering attributes like age,income,life stage,family status,career level and certain preferences,and tailor reward experiences and content accordingly.Technology(from employee portals to digital career-pathing s

7、oftware)will enable individualized choice based on the needs each individual values,without adding undue administrative burden.”“For the last fi fteen years,organizations have been working towards a deeper understanding of the preference profi les of employee groups.The aim?Todeliver needs-based ben

8、efi ts and non-fi nancial rewards while optimizing program costs that refl ect culture.Amid current cost constraints,we see this trend rapidly accelerating.By identifying the rewards that employees value most,forward-thinking organizations will be able to sustain levels of engagement while limiting

9、if not reducing overall laborcosts.”/future-hr-2022he widespread adoption of flexible and hybrid work-ing in many industries is presenting novel challenges to line managers,who need more support from the HR function in handling these and their ever-expanding rem its.Effective backing will prove cruc

10、ial,because line managers are the“stewards of sustainable perfor-mance and employee experience”.So says Dr Caitlin Duffy,research director at Gartner,who notes that their people management skills or,rather,their deficiencies in this area have become“the number-two driver of employee attrition behind

11、 compensation.When there are so many options for candidates in todays talent market,managers are more critical than ever in get-ting the best performance out of their staff and retaining top talent.”Line managers are often under immense pressure.Even before the pandemic,a research report pub-lished

12、by the Institute for Employ-ment Studies,The Squeezed Middle:why HR should be hugging and not squeezing line managers,revealed that they were taking on tasks that were traditionally part of HRs remit,such as performance man-agement and the career develop-ment of their team members.Senior executives

13、were also counting on them to set targets and maintain quality standards,while also ensur-ing customer satisfaction,repre-senting brand values and keeping abreast of industry developments,among other responsibilities.As the uptake of hybrid working increases,the people management elements of line ma

14、nagers roles,which have been rendered more onerous by the Covid crisis,are expected to become trickier still.This situation,which is already reaching“tipping point”,according to Duffy,is leading many of them to feel overwhelmed.She says:“Line managers have been rising to the occasion,but at what cos

15、t?They are starting to burn out and their experience is in dan-ger of cau sing attrition.”One of the biggest new challenges facing them is how to communicate effectively with members of their teams who may not be in the same place at the same time.Julie Brophy,principal consultant for organi-sationa

16、l development consultancy OE Cam,points out that doing so“requires more intentional focus and perspective,which takes more effort”than it does in the case of centrally based teams.Important issues in this context include guarding against distance bias,she says.Failing to do so can not only lead to u

17、nconscious dis-crimination;it can also damage the sense of belonging and engagement of remote workers who feel left out of the loop.Line managers also need to find ways to empower their teams so that they can work out for themselves the most effective ways of achieving the results expected of them.“

18、Its an approach based not on how you deliver but on what you deliver,which means that how and when something is done is more under the control of the individual doing it,”Brophy says.“Enabling this kind of autonomy requires more of a coaching style of mana-gement which is more demanding for the mana

19、ger.”Another challenge for line man-agers is supporting the health and wellbeing of an increasingly dis-persed team and creating a psy-chologically safe environment that enables people to be themselves and speak out if necessary.The newworld of work is rendering the standardised,one-size-fits-all ap

20、p-roach to team management obso-lete.Managers must increasingly provide individualised support and offer flexibility for each member.Duffy notes that this imperative can cause problems for them from acapacity standpoint.What can the HR function do to lighten the load?Brophy suggests removing“organis

21、ational blockers”that make it more difficult for line managers to do their jobs.Such factors will vary from employer to employer,of course,but an example would be a reward structure that is unintentionally incentivising sub-optimal behaviour.It may also be necessary to rede-sign line managers roles.

22、Employ-ers that operate a project-based organisational structure could split managerial roles into leaders of work and leaders of people,for example.Assigning each employee a permanent people manager will provide consistency,even when the project teams they work in,and the project managers they work

23、 under,change regularly.Another way in which HR can help is by supporting soft skills develop-ment.This could come in the shape of providing formal management training,but other interventions include creating networking groups that enable line managers to share their insights and providing access to

24、 coaches and mentors.One employer that has taken such an approach is sustainable food pro-ducer Ecotone UK.The company has introduced a formal coaching scheme for all middle managers.Some of its managers have trained to be coaches so that they can sup-port their peers,but external help is also provi

25、ded.But this isnt simply about skills development,notes Ecotones HR director,Ann Chambers.Its also about ensuring that line managers feel supported,particularly when operating in testing circumstances.Just as important is giving them explicit permission to make space and time for their own wellbeing

26、.Chambers adds that HR profes-sionals should also aim to act as role models for line managers,always exhibiting the appropriate behav-iour,whatever the situation.Most of all,HR should be there for line managers in much the same sense that line managers should be there for their staff.“Our job as HR

27、professionals is to act as mirrors,”she says.“If we sup-port line managers in the right way,they will have the confidence and experience to support their teams in the right way too,which means that everyone benefits.”Elastic band:how to relieve the strain on line managersFUTURE OF HRraconteur/racont

28、eur_londonFeeling stretched even before the pandemic,many line managers are struggling to cope with the new set of problems presented by hybrid working.What more can HR do help?Distributed inCath EverettPublished in association withAlthough this publication is funded through advertising and sponsors

29、hip,all editorial is without bias and sponsored features are clearly labelled.For an upcoming schedule,partnership inquiries or feedback,please call+44(0)20 3877 3800 or email Raconteur is a leading publisher of special-interest content and research.Its publications and articles cover a wide range o

30、f topics,including business,finance,sustainability,healthcare,lifestyle and technology.Raconteur special reports are published exclusively in The Times and The Sunday Times as well as online at The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources the Proprietors believe to be

31、 correct.However,no legal liability can be accepted for any errors.No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior consent of the Publisher.Raconteur MHinterhaus Productions via GettyImages38%Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development,2021of managers are confident discussing su

32、ch issues with staff and pointing them towards expert help if required43%are training line managers to support staff with mental health problemsS T R E S S M A N A G E M E N TMartin BarrowA former news editor andbusiness news editor at The Times who writes about a range of private-sector issues.Cath

33、 EverettA journalist specialising in workplace,people and leadership issues,including what it means to be an ethical business.Sam ForsdickRaconteurs staff writer,with particular interests in tech and the future of work.He has previously written for i-CIO.com,Press Gazette and the NewStatesman.Lucy H

34、andleyA journalist covering business and lifestyle matters.Her work has been published in The Guardian,The Telegraph,Marketing Week,Red andCNBC.com,Andy JonesA journalist and broadcaster who has written for every major national newspaper in theUK and produced business content for the BBC World Servi

35、ce.Josh SimsA journalist and editor who contributes to a range of publications inthe UK and abroad.Hisspecialisms include business,design and social trends.Megan TatumAn award-winning journalist covering business,technology andhealth for avariety ofbusiness and consumerpublications.ContributorsLead

36、publisher Gemma HoreDesign/production assistant Louis NassDesignCelina LuceyColm McDermottSean Wyatt-LivesleyDesign directorTim WhitlockIllustrationSara GelfgrenKellie JerrardSamuele MottaDeputy editorFrancesca CassidyManaging editorSarah VizardSub-editorsNeil ColeGerrard CowanReports editorIan Deer

37、ingHead of productionJustyna OConnellT61%of UK employers say that they are training line managers tohandle stressR A C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R0504The pandemic has spawned a legion of side hustlers who are running businesses and pursuing other passion projects alongside theirday jobs.Cou

38、ld actively encouraging suchactivities boost employee engagement?work on finessing these will benefit the business.”What does an employers active support for side hustles look like in practice?Books That Matter sets aside what Masters calls an“emp-loyee inspiration”budget that team members can spend

39、 on attending events and courses.Whatever dev-elopmental activity they choose to invest in,it“will inspire them and nurture their creativity,side hus-tles or passion projects”,she says.At Subly,meanwhile,its all about honesty and clarity.The leadership team has striven to establish a cul-ture that m

40、akes it plain to everyone that it is OK to have professional aspirations outside their day jobs.But it has also set clear boundaries.For example,there is a requirement that no side hustle competes dir-ectly with the business.“There must be openness on both sides,”Stephens stresses.“Employ-ees have t

41、o be transparent about their career aspirations.It doesnt work if someone feels that they need to keep these a secret.”With the right guidelines in place,though,the benefits can be signi-ficant for employer and employee,including increased engagement and job satisfaction,reduced staff turnover and h

42、igher productivity.For anyone whos yet to be con-vinced,Masters recommends books such as The Multi-Hyphen Method and Otegha Uwagbas Little Black Book:a toolkit for working women.“These both explore how making time for creativity,passions,hob-bies and side hustles will benefit both our mental wellbei

43、ng and our professional prospects and how employers can respect and encour-age this,”she explains.Kelly accepts that firms compet-ing for scarce skills in a tight rec-ruitment market might have the urge to exert more control,not less,over their workers extracurricular activities.But her argument is

44、that“the more you let go,the more con-trol you have.Give people the free-dom to develop their talents and blossom,and they will respond.”technique,which teaches people how to improve their posture.Enabling people to devote enough time to all their professional inter-ests is a win-win for employee an

45、d employer,she says.“This is about your whole self being in the work.For the organisation,it makes for happier employees.People who are really into what they are doing will be your brand ambassadors with-out even thinking about it.”Traditionally,employers havent always agreed with this view,pre-ferr

46、ing that staff focus fully on their salaried role.Some have even required employees to sign con-tracts to that effect,precluding their pursuit of any other paid work without first obtaining the HR dep-artments express permission.t the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations,side hustles are practical

47、ly the norm.The London-based not-for-profit research body has an admin-istrator who takes time off to work as a touring opera singer.One of her colleagues juggles her job at the institute with delivering TED talks and pursuing academic and charitable projects on disability.There are actors,physiothe

48、rapists and even a farmer on the payroll.Such activities have been encour-aged at the institute for as long as Rachel Kelly,who joined it more than 15 years ago,can recall.Kelly,who has a part-time job here as a senior consultant,researcher and engagement manager,also works as an instructor of the A

49、lexander Oscar Wong via GettyImagesMegan Tatumalongside a full-time job.She act-ively encourages her team of 13 at Subly to follow her example.“It was important for me to give my team members the opportunity to continue their side hustles,just as I was able to,”Stephens says.“In fact,the reason I wa

50、nted to work with some of them was that they had one.Their side hustles made it attractive for me as an employer to build a team of people who under-stand the problems Im trying to solve,as theyre dealing with simi-lar issues themselves.”If the companys graphic designer were to build a profile on Yo

51、uTube,for instance,she could give great feedback on Sublys own subtitle service for videos.Or if the market-ing manager were to start a podcast series,that process would contrib-ute to the companys audio-to-text know-how for podcasters Such activities would“benefit the company just as much as they w

52、ould serve their personal aspira-tions”,Stephens says.Molly Masters,founder-director of Books That Matter,a subscrip-tion service that promotes the work of female authors,has taken a simi-lar approach.Among her team are artists,potters,photographers and novelists,all of whom are able to balance thei

53、r professional pursuits with their work for the company.“Our subscription boxes require creative visions to be responsive to the latest consumer trends.While our office is a hub of ideas,inspira-tion often strikes when were not at our desks,”she says.“We therefore know the true value of encouraging

54、creativity in our staff and the posi-tive effects it has on our business.”The pandemic-era“work ethic is leaning much more towards an un-derstanding of the multi-hyphen mentality”,adds Masters,referring to Emma Gannons 2018 book,The Multi-Hyphen Method:work less,create more and design a career thatw

55、orks for you.“This is where emp loyers choose to respect and admire the range of skills their employees have.Allowing them to Dont blame it on the moonlightersBut is that approach starting to look outdated?After all,the Covid crisis has created a generation of side hustlers.A survey of UK work-ers w

56、ith a side hustle by the Fiverr job site in January found that more than half had started theirs during the pandemic.Many of the res-pondents cited economic reasons for doing so,such as the increasing cost of living and decreasing job security,alongside the extra time that many furloughed workers ha

57、d suddenly been granted to explore their entrepreneurial side.Thousands more people in the UK are running their own businesses while also holding down a full-or part-time job than there were prior to the pandemic.At the same time,record numbers are reportedly quitting their employers in search of mo

58、re meaningful work in the so-called great resignation.With these trends in mind,might HR teams that encourage staff to pursue other passions alongside their day jobs have found them-selves a simple method of boosting employee engagement?Holly Stephens is a firm believer in such an approach.The found

59、er and CEO of subtitle and translation service Subly has established three businesses as side hustles,two It was important for me to give my team members the opportunity to continue their side hustles,just as I was able toWHY START A SIDE HUSTLE?Percentage of Americans with side hustles who cited th

60、e following as their main motivations for pursuing them Zapier,the Harris Poll,2021E N G A G E M E N TACommercial featurehe pandemic has created a paradigm shift in the way we work,and numerous ana-lysts and commentators have noted its role in giving rise to the so-called great attrition.In a recent

61、 study by Manpower Group,seven in ten com-panies reported talent shortages and diffi culties in hiring.There is no doubt,organisations are facing a much tighter labour market in many countries,but contrary to con-ventional wisdom,positions arent vacant because there is a shortage of talented people

62、there is talent every-where.So whats really going on and whats the solution to these challenges?We ask Mark Hedley,vice-president of talent recruiting at Globalization Partners,the worlds leading global employment platform whose recently announced funding valued the com-pany at$4.2bn.Mark,weve heard

63、 a lot about the great attrition or great resignation.Is there really a talent shortage at the moment?Its a somewhat controversial viewpoint but,in our opinion,there is talent available,but companies just need to start thinking differently-globally.What were actually seeing are local talent shortage

64、s in location-spe-cifi c roles or certain industries like retail,hospitality and manufacturing.There is a clear demand and supply imbalance because those roles are location-dependent.But if you look at it from a global perspective and knowl-edge worker perspective,the talent is out there.What does t

65、his tell us about how companies should be changing their approach to work?Organisations that have returned to a pre-pandemic workforce model have run into a lot of hiring chal-lenges over the last 12 months.They almost draw a perimeter around their offi ce locations and when somebody leaves,they loo

66、k to replace the same chair with a different person.In these instances,the talent pool has certainly shrunk because employee behaviours and preferences have changed and a lot of people are not interested in offi ce-based roles anymore.For com-panies adopting a hybrid model,which is two or three days

67、 in the offi ce and two or three at home,were seeing that the talent pool has roughly remained the same.But companies that are thriving in the talent market and there are plenty out there are those that have completely embraced remote working.For them,the talent pool has signifi cantly expanded.That

68、 tells us that issues fi nding people are not because of supply,they are because the workforce model you are deploy-ing is restricting you from accessing the biggest and best talent pool.For companies that do want to unlock talent in new jurisdic-tions,what are the common obstacles they face?There a

69、re a few barriers to over-come.The biggest is a lack of understanding around their options.For over 10 years at Globalization Partners weve been educating people that you dont have to invest in entities,infrastructure,offi ces or even exper-tise in a particular region in order to hire people there.N

70、ow,the pandemic and the rise of remote working as a result,has proven that remote working can be very successful.Most people dont need convincing of that anymore,but they do need more awareness that through a company like Globalization Partners they can hire 10 people in 10 different countries seaml

71、essly.Once youre past that,its really about understanding where you want to hire and the costs.If youre looking for a specifi c skill set,where is the best place to look?What is the supply and competitor activity in that area,and whats the total cost of compensation and statutory benefi ts?If the nu

72、mbers work out,the next challenge is not having a brand in that location.Often a company is very well-known in its home region and has the back-ing to expand internationally,but its brand equity is much lower elsewhere.Finally,your recruitment team might be great domestically but not experienced wit

73、h international hiring and dont know local market nuances.How is Globalization Partners helping organisations overcome these challenges?Globalization Partners makes it fast and easy for employers to hire anyone,anywhere,without having to set up international branch offi ces or subsidiaries.By using

74、Globalization Partners proprietary,AI-enabled and compliant platform,companies can improve their access to global The talent shortage is a mythQ&ACompanies perceiving talent shortages in their local market must rethink their workforce models and talent acquisition strategies.Hiring global remote tea

75、ms is a vital evolution in business ideology explains Mark Hedley,vice-president of talent recruiting at Globalization PartnersThe companies that are thriving in the talent market and there are plenty out there are those that have completely embraced remote working.For them,the talent pool has signi

76、fi cantly expandedtalent while minimising risk.Users enjoy around-the-clock access to the industrys largest and most experi-enced team of global HR experts who can assist with questions about hiring talent in over 187 countries.Weve been doing this for over 10 years now,and recently we elevated our

77、offer-ing further through the launch of G-P Recruit,which leverages Globalization Partners extensive recruitment part-ner network to give customers access to an unprecedented selection of recruit-ing specialists in key markets around the world.With G-P Recruit,companies can fi nd the perfect fi t ba

78、sed on their unique combination of requirements including hiring location,industry sector,func-tional area,expertise or prior roles,all through Globalization Partners indus-try-leading global employment technol-ogy platform.What role will technology play in the future of talent?The future of talent

79、is remote and dispersed around the world,and technology is the enabler.Weve already seen that the move to global remote working has been driven by the democratisation of collabora-tion and communication tools.Now companies need to leverage technol-ogy to expand their talent pool.Thats where Globaliz

80、ation Partners comes in because our global employment platform provides end-to-end tech-nology enablement for all of the pro-cesses required to tap into global talent pools.However,we are also aware that recruitment can be a personal and sensitive activity which is where our people on the ground com

81、e in.We use technology to enable organisations,their candidates and recruiting agency partners to spend more time on their conversations and relationships rather than onerous background work.If a company decides to hire a business development manager in Singapore,within fi ve minutes they can go ont

82、o our platform,complete the information and its automatically sent across to our recruitment agency partners with expert local knowledge.A HR manager or business leader sitting in London,with teams in six different locations and time zones,has everything in the platform to be compliant.Its totally s

83、eamless and how companies will attract and retain thriving workforces in the future.For more information,visit globalization-T63%48%50%of companies would make remote work a permanent fi xture following the global pandemicof employees said working remotely had positively impacted their perception the

84、y felt happier about workof employees said a good work/life balance contributed to a positive experience with their employerGlobalization Partners,Global Employee Survey,2021Create a passive income46%Save up for a specific financial goal25%Diversify sources of income33%Test a specific commercial ide

85、a16%Do something enjoyable38%Save up for a specific purchase23%Develop new skills28%R A C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R0706 At a time when people are quittingtheir jobs in unprecedented numbers,thank you has never beenso powerfulaced with an exodus of talent from their profes-sion,even the mo

86、st con-servative of corporate law firms are thinking about adopting innovative recruitment and retention tactics.Take Clifford Chance,for instance.Jonathan Kewley,co-head of the magic-circle members technology practice,recently submitted an emoji-sprinkled plan to the part-ners that recommended seve

87、ral novel measures.These included bringing in a four-day week,spon-soring staff to pursue“passion pro-jects and hobbies”and allowing people to take“micro-retreats every six weeks in cool pla ces we might not have thought of.”The policies that Kewley proposed would be overseen by a senior exec-utive

88、assuming the new position of chief happiness officer.The incum-bent would bring in a host of further retention measures,such as ensur-ing that employees receive the lat-est books by their favourite authors on publication.Another of his recommendations included removing the job title trainee.Given th

89、at starting sal-aries for Clifford Chance trainees are in the region of 50,000,this proposal alongside all the other recommended changes is a strong indication that pay is not all that matters to employees.And,while its likely that at least some col-leagues of the partner who told the London Evening

90、 Standard that Kewleys proposals were“utterly deluded”would agree with that verdict,its also a sign that there may be a revolution afoot in recruit-ment and retention practices even in the highest-paying sectors.Many firms have found that the flexible working regimes they have been obliged to adopt

91、since the first UK-wide Covid lockdown was imp-osed in 2020 havent reduced the quality of their output.So says Nic Marks,who worked as a statistician studying quality of life for 25 years,including as an adviser to both Labour and Tory governments,before co-founding workplace data company Friday Pul

92、se.“If you have a client thats paying you for your employees time,it wont want to buy the time when weeks,with core hours of 11am to 3pm and an annual leave allowance of 36 days.The London-based com-pany also allows employees to work wherever they like.Johnson-Jones herself recently spent six weeks

93、working in the West Country.HappyOrNot is a Finnish-based multinational that asks people exac tly that question on behalf of the companies to which it sells its distinctive terminals.These feature four coloured buttons that custom-ers can press to indicate whether theyre very happy,happy,unhappy or

94、very unhappy with the service they have received.It has also conducted a large-scale employee satisfaction survey,polling 2.8 mil-lion people in a range of industries last year.The results suggest that flexible work is happy work.Respondents in industries offer-ing more flexibility IT,for instance w

95、ere significantly more likely to declare themselves very happy than those in sectors such as healthcare,which tend to require employees to be on the premises while working.With 83.5%of tech workers saying that they were very happy overall,its notable that they maintained this level of satisfaction a

96、t all times of the day and week.Those who worked Sunday shifts in less flexible sectors became far less content.For instance,the proportion of health-care staff saying they were very happy working on that day was 51.9%,compared with their overall average of 63.5%.The Covid-enforced shift to rem-ote

97、working for many people has not only given them a taste for a different way of operating;its also detached them from the hive mind of the office.Thats the view of Eric Mosley,the co-founder and CEO of Workhuman,a provider of emp-loyee recognition schemes.“We have been observing a huge amount of disc

98、onnection between employees,their companies and their colleagues,”he reports.This indicates that many people are“looking for jobs with meaning and for employers that accommo-date different working preferences,all the while maintaining a sense of community.If thats not the case,they will walk.”Mosley

99、 continues:“Workhumans latest research rep ort,Two Years into Covid,reveals that the great resignation is still a massive dis-ruptor.Of the workers we surveyed across the UK,the US,Canada and Ireland,four in every 10 are plan-ning to look for a new job over the next 12 months.”The study also found t

100、hat people who had simply been thanked by their manager for their efforts in the previous month were half as likely to be seeking a new job as those who hadnt had such acknowledgement.“At a time when people are quit-ting their jobs in unprecedented numbers,thank you has never been so powerful,”Mosel

101、y says.Marks notes that most bosses are what the Chartered Management Institute calls“accidental manag-ers”,by which it means they have been promoted for their technical knowledge and/or length of service,rather than for their people skills.A lack of know-how in this area can be problematic when it

102、comes to moti-vating people and making them feel engaged with their organisation.He believes that all line managers should hold review meetings with their staff at the end of each week“where they ask:What went well for you?What didnt?Too often,we simply move on to the next thing.Businesses are conce

103、rned that they would be opening Pandoras box by doing that they worry about what would come out.But they dont see that so much good stuff can come out simply by asking.”One company that has opened the box is Fishbrain.Its popular app helps anglers to locate the best swims,exchange tips and find fish

104、-ing pals.But what it couldnt neces-sarily do was help the company lure more female talent to its 130-strong workforce a tricky task,given that both coding and angling are male-dominated pursuits.It signed up to Pink Programming,a not-for-profit organisation that runs coding events for women and cel

105、ebrates female successes in the tech industry,to see if it could help to attract and develop more female programmers.Another important move it made was to simply ask its employees for ideas to make the workplace more inclusive to women.Lisa Kennelly,Fishbrains chief marketing officer,explains:“If we

106、 cant make women feel welcome in the office,how can we make them feel welcome in our app?One thing that kept coming back from staff was that they would like the bathrooms in the building to offer free sanitary products.Making this small change has made a big impact here.Our female joiners always say

107、 how val-ued this makes them feel compared with previous workplaces.”Fishbrain also now supports flex-ible schedules for employees who need to work outside typical office hours.Such minor concessions can make all the difference in retaining the services of valued employees.Johnson-Jones is confident

108、 that apositive change is coming at even the biggest of corporations.“It is absolutely possible for office-based companies,even those with thou-sands of employees,to at least offer hybrid working.Any firm saying that it isnt is lying.”Not that her old employer has started offering such flexibility,s

109、he notes.Such firms may be able to offer the most generous financial rewards,but they have yet to realise that,for the latest generation of candidates especially,it simply isnt just about the money.Salary increases are becoming an increasingly blunt retention tool.Flexibility is now crucial to many

110、workers for whom a simple thank you from their employer wouldnt go amiss either Remunerate,liberate,celebrate:going beyond pay to retain talentAndy JonesChartered Institute of Personnel and Development,2022R E WA R D A N D R E C O G N I T I O NFEMPLOYERS KEY TACTICS IN THE WAR FOR TALENTPercentage o

111、f companies that say they have dealt with hard-to-fill vacancies in the following ways over the past six months Increase payImprove the quality of jobsMake a greater effort to recruit older workers48%24%13%Take on more apprenticesHire more school-leavers and/or FE college-leaversHire more EU nationa

112、lsHire more welfare claimants27%13%11%4%Train up more existing employeesAdvertise more jobs as permanentTarget under-utilised groupsNothing44%20%12%9%Advertise more jobs as flexibleHire more UK graduatesIntroduce or increase automation46%20%12%Use more freelance workers and/or outside consultantsHir

113、e more people returning from parental leaveHire more non-EU nationalsOther28%17%11%5%If youre looking at this advert,then your prospects are too.Advertise with Raconteur in The Times and reach more senior business decision makers than any other national title.Email to learn more about our calendar o

114、f over 80 reports in The Times.work from home when she needed to,the banks response was to offer her a settlement package and show her the door.Her resulting search for a more supportive employer led her to cre-ate a resource to help others in a similar position.“One user we helped now lives in the

115、mountains and has skydiving as a hobby,”says Johnson-Jones,who reports that 86%of Flexas users are searching for employers that oper-ate a work from anywhere regime.“They can make a primary search for accountancy jobs,say but they can also make a secondary search for features they want from an emplo

116、yer from a dog-friendly office to an enhanced parental-leave entitlement.That secondary search is becoming more demanding.”Flexa practises what it preaches.Its staff work four-and-a-half-day they are knackered.It wants to pay for their best work,”Marks stresses.To continue delivering work of a high

117、standard,employees want to retain the flexibility that they were granted during the early stages of the Covid crisis.Indeed,they are actively seeking employers that are offering staff the most freedom to do their work where and when it best suits them.Flexa Careers,a platform on which employers can

118、advertise only genu-inely flexible jobs,started operating in February 2020.It has since att-racted more than 400,000 users.For Molly Johnson-Jones,one of Flexas co-founders,the business was born of necessity.In 2016,aged 26,she was working at an invest-ment bank when her career was de-railed by an a

119、uto-immune illness that would at times render her una-ble to walk.Instead of letting her If you have a client thats paying for youremployees time,itwont want to buy the time when they are knackeredMaskot via GettyImagesR A C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R0908he fact is that people with vocatio

120、nal qualifications are at a disadvantage.”Thats the stark verdict of Helen Johnson,head of apprenticeships at the Science and Technology Facili-ties Council,a government agency that funds research in fields such as nuclear physics and astronomy.“Some employers have lost touch with the way in which v

121、ocational qualifications have changed,espe-cially older managers who still view them as they were in,say,the 1970s,”she argues.“They do not understand the changes.”Johnsons assessment is suppor-ted by the results of a 2021 Ofqual survey of employers,which found that only 43%felt they had at least a“

122、quite good”understanding of vocational qualifications.A fifth of respondents,comprising mostly smaller employers,admitted to having no understanding at all.Its little wonder that,while 70%of providers of vocational qualifica-tion in the survey agreed that these prepared learners well for work,a cons

123、iderably smaller proportion of employers(31%)agreed with them.“Moves to overhaul vocational qualifications in recent years have caused complexity,which can be challenging from an employers perspective,”observes Jude Owens,interim global people operations director at digital advertising plat-form Loo

124、pMe.“There are lots of vocational schemes of differing quality being offered by many providers.That can be a hindrance if you want to hire good-quality talent quickly.”She continues:“Theres also the problem that people still recruit in their own image.Those with a traditional academic background per

125、ceive someone with a vocational qualification as taking longer than a university graduate to get up to speed.The government and edu-cational institutions could also do better in promoting the value of vocational qualifications,so that employers dont automatically fav-our candidates with degrees.”Joh

126、nson agrees that“some busi-nesses still have an element of stuff-iness in their outlook on vocational qualifications”.As social commen-tator David Goodhart notes in his 2020 book Head,Hand,Heart:the struggle for dignity and status in the21st century,different cultures place differing values on vocat

127、ional training.In some nations includ-ing the UK its widely viewed as a poor relation to academic study.Research last year by the Social Market Foundation(SMF)think-tank found that higher education had received two times more men-tions than further education had in the British media over the preced-

128、ing decade.By contrast,a 2016 Eurostat study revealed that almost half of all secondary-school pupils in the EU were going on to take vocational qualifications.In the US,states have broadly cut funding to vocational training programmes over the past decade,partly because they are seen as expensive t

129、o run.Nicholas Wyman,president of the Institute of Work-place Skills Innovation America,believes that“job snobbery”applies widely in his country.This is the fallacy that vocational qualifica-tions exist to equip people for man-ual work,rather than being relevant to many highly skilled occupations.“I

130、ts born of the misconception that a university qualification is what you need to succeed in life,”he says.“I dont think employers set out to disadvantage any candidate with a vocational qualification,but many have systems in place that mean they recruit in a certain way thats hard to change.The task

131、 of reassessing the value of vocational qualifications typically requires a champion at director level.”William Clouston is the leader of the UK Social Democratic Party,which is planning to publish an edu cation policy this summer that will encourage the rebalancing of academic and vocational traini

132、ng.He agrees with Wyman that British emp loyers general“lack of respect for vocational qualifications is all about status in the end.Compared with say,German culture,we dont vilify people for being ignorant in maths,yet we do if they havent read the right novels.In the UK,there has been an over-expa

133、nsion of university education,while an easy labour supply has hitherto disincen tivised firms from offering apprenticeships.We need a rebal-ancing,so that not having a degree doesnt work against people.”Offering a Continental perspec-tive from his base in Oslo,Even Bolstad is president of the Euro-p

134、ean Association for People Man-agement,an umbrella organisation incorporating HR institutes from 35 countries.He believes that,in thriving industrialised nations with high employment in particu-lar,businesses generally look down on vocational qualifications.“That is problematic,because where theyll

135、probably lack labour in years to come is in jobs requiring the very skills that people learn when taking these qualifications,”Bolstad says.“Employers that dont open themselves up to vocational training are,in the longer term,really digging their own graves.”The government of Australia,for instance,

136、has calculated that its economy will need one million extra workers with vocational qual-ifications by as soon as next year.“Germany is always cited as the exception the go-to example of a country that has got it so right in finding a flexible approach to both vocational and academic educa-tion,”he

137、adds.“But it seems that strong business cultures are gener-ally the most challenged when it comes to changing attitudes.”Yet there are some positive signs that things may be changing in the UK,at least.While British firms appreciation of vocational qualifica-tions is limited,would-be students and th

138、eir parents are starting to think differently.Among this group,the status of further education has grown relative to that of higher education,according to the SMFs research.Just under half(48%)of UK parents said that they would prefer their child to gain a vocation-al qualification over an academic

139、one.Even those respondents who described themselves as middle class the traditional wellspring of university graduates ranked the two options equally on average.Does that leave employers behind the curve?Johnson believes that the economic uncertainties that lie ahead are prompting companies to see v

140、ocational training in a more favourable light.“Considering the future is forcing employers to catch up.They want core skills of adapt-ability,the ability to learn and so on,precisely because they dont know what work will look like in the coming years,”she says.Bolstad notes that arguments about the

141、respective merits of further and higher education may soon prove moot in any case,given how quickly the world of work is evolving.The advance of tech such as robotics,big-data analytics and artificial intelligence is likely to cause profound disruption,he says.“Learning will be democratised.Itwill b

142、e shorter,screen-based and ongoing,delivered on a just-in-time basis,”Bolstad predicts.“Such is the pace of change at work that the debate among employers pitting academic qualifications against vocational ones is set to become dramatically less relevant.”The creative industries may be one of the UK

143、s economic success stories,but they certainly arent known for their accessibility.For potential entrants,getting on the first rung here has long been a question of knowing the right people and having enoughfinancial backing to enable them to work as extremely low-paid interns.Might apprenticeship sc

144、hemes as well as the proposed T-levels,due to start from September 2023 enable these industries to access a whole new pool of talent and shed their elitist reputation?Such initiatives have had a troubled history participation in creative apprenticeships fell by one-third over the three years to 2018

145、,for instance.But there are grounds for optimism.For instance,a 2021 review by theInstitute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education(IATE)noted that,in a win for social mobility,the theatre sectors adoption of apprenticeships in recent years had encouraged many more people who might not have seen

146、 it as a potential employer to consider the opportunity.And the IATE a non-departmental executive body sponsored by the Department for Education is upping the ante.It has added five creative occupations to the list of jobs that are accessible through technical education and proposed that a further 1

147、0 from milliner to wig-maker be considered.It has also sought to address long-term factors militating against apprenticeship schemes in the creative industries.One of these is that 80%of employers in the sector tend to be very small businesses with workforces of no more than two people,which would f

148、ind it hard to take on a full-time apprentice.Consequently,a more flexible creative model,which would enable apprentices to move from project to project and employer to employer,is under consideration.There is 7m of government funding attached to the initiative.Industry-led skills body ScreenSkills

149、is piloting just such a model.But it has noted that the system remains“so complex”that itis still deterring companies in the creative industries from taking on apprentices.Hinterhaus Productions via GettyImagesLights,camera,traction!Apprenticeships in the artsMany UK employers still consider apprent

150、iceships and vocational learning generally as the poor relations of academic qualifications.What can be done to change this unhelpful attitude?FE lifting:how to stop companies from being snobbish about further educationJosh SimsThere are lots of vocational schemes of differing quality being offered

151、by many providers.That can be a hindranceA P P R E N T I C E S H I P S“Tjacoblund /iStockThey were a good preparation for workThey were a good preparation for further studiesThe standard of them was maintainedThey were trusted qualificationsThey were well understood WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT FURTHE

152、R EDUCATION?Percentage of learners,providers and employers who agreed with the following statements about vocational and technical qualifications in 2020 54%70%31%54%66%29%39%50%14%51%64%28%39%51%12%LearnersProvidersEmployersOfqual,YouGov,2021Commercial featurehe seismic shift in the work-place dyna

153、mic means an urgent need to address the post-pandemic talent drain.Hybrid working,the rise of digital and data,and a fundamental change in employee expectations are reshaping the world of work.With forecasts that as many as 40%of the global workforce could leave their jobs as part of the great resig

154、-nation,a people-driven strategic approach to attracting and retaining talent is essential.Workplace training delivered through robust,engaging and mean-ingful learning and development programmes is key to creating a careers-focused culture that gives organisations a distinctive edge.“The pandemic h

155、as created a unique set of challenges,ranging from employee burnout to issues with hybrid working and the expectations of the workforce changing significantly and rapidly,”explains James Kelly,chief executive of Corndel,a specialist train-ing provider working with large corpo-rate organisations.“The

156、 UK is facing the highest number of vacancies in recorded history,and 2022 looks no different.Businesses are losing top talent,but workplace training can help to re-engage and retain employees.”A desire to kickstart career growth and the chance to reflect on personal and professional goals are among

157、 rea-sons for the exodus,but workplace training,upskilling and a focus on some of the soft skills needed in the hybrid world can stem those issues.Research from Corndel,which works in partnership with organisations including BP,Asda,The Adecco Group and Zoopla,found 84%of clients reported L&D progra

158、mmes were effec-tive at reducing turnover and retaining good employees.However,with figures showing sharp increases in experienced employees leaving their jobs,there is a fresh challenge facing firms as acciden-tal managers struggle to cope with new demands.“The great resignation will have a direct

159、impact on employees as their roles expand to take on additional work,”points out Kelly.“Marketers will now have to be data professionals too;project managers Invest in L&D to reverse the post-pandemic talent drainAs organisations feel the effects of the Great Resignation,a robust workplace training

160、strategy can tackle employee burnout,improve retention and productivity,and create a culture of innovation to attract new talentwill need leadership skills to take on new challenges the impact will be felt across all departments and levels.“There is a real need for quality,bite-sized learning,as emp

161、loyees will need to learn at speed.”At the same time,concerns that hybrid working and a lack of in-per-son mentorship could lead to proximity bias and hamper development oppor-tunities must be addressed through empathetic leadership training.Part of a robust strategy that embeds L&D into organisatio

162、nal cul-ture are apprenticeships.The Open University found three-quarters of organisations reported increased retention as a result of apprenticeship programmes,while almost half of all apprentices are aged over 24.The productivity benefits of skills development are recognised by the government,whic

163、h has pledged to increase funding for apprenticeships by 170m to 2.7bn in 2024-25.Corndels own research highlights that 88%of employers also believe the skills crisis can be effectively mitigated through apprenticeships.Meanwhile,a new online service launched in September to make it easier for large

164、 employers that pay the Apprenticeship Levy to spend their funds,and for other employers to apply for funding.BP currently has more than 300 people undertaking career appren-ticeships and Robbie Watson,the firms future skills and learning manager for digital,said the strategy showed a“commitment to

165、development”.“When we look at attracting talent,its about offering so much more than a job,”explains Watson.“Someone that joins BP starts their job on day one,but they also start their learning journey on day one.“We are trying to change the culture within BP to a continual learning envi-ronment and

166、 career apprenticeships really feed into that.”As societal and economic changes created by the pandemic continue to impact employee burnout and issues with retention and attrac-tion,a high-quality workplace train-ing strategy can help build a culture of lifelong learning and a curious,innovative wor

167、kforce.“It cant be understated how signifi-cantly the world of work has changed in the last two years,”concludes Kelly.“All these issues require clear,strate-gic planning that recognises that shift rather than incremental changes to an organisations L&D strategy.”Find out how your organisation can m

168、ake the most of your Apprenticeship Levy funding and solve skills gaps within your business-TR A C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R1110Commercial featuregood cultural fit,the right skills and experience,and a sound grasp of the job role have always been essential to successful recruitment strate

169、gies.In the new era of remote and hybrid working,with a challenging talent market,an effective onboarding process has also become pivotal to ensuring a successful hire,as Chris Jones,head of customer success at onboarding and engagement platform Enboarder,explains.“Poor onboarding is a major cause o

170、f employee turnover,which has huge cost implications for companies,”he says.“If they can engage people after theyve accepted an offer,but before they start,they will settle into their new role more quickly and will be less likely to leave.”Its surprising to learn,therefore,that over a third of emplo

171、yers(36%)do not have a structured onboarding process,according to a survey by CareerBuilder.With hybrid and remote working now the norm,and competition for talent fiercer than ever,companies need to work harder to engage with new hires.Many are turning to digital platforms that can customise and per

172、sonalise all aspects of the onboarding jour-ney,creating an exceptional employee experience that boosts productivity,engagement and retention.Why onboarding is key to talent acquisition Onboarding is often overlooked as a vital element of talent retention,but new technology could help streamline the

173、 process and make it more efficientMake it personalEnboarders platform,for example,delivers engaging personalised con-tent directly to a new hires mobile phone from the moment they sign their offer letter.It can find out about their interests and preferred learn-ing style,providing managers and the

174、support team with valuable informa-tion on how they would like to work with the team before theyve even joined.A built-in coaching system for managers allows them to better pre-pare to welcome a new starter and make them feel more engaged.Communications can also be per-sonalised to avoid overwhelmin

175、g new starters.In a global survey by Enboarder over half of employees(54%)reported feeling more over-whelmed in the last two years due to the number of notifications they receive from work-related software.For large companies with thousands of employees,the sheer volume of information that gets sent

176、 out can make engagement a challenge.Jones says:“The technology can prevent that information overload by breaking it down and delivering the most relevant content to individu-als based on the preferences theyve already expressed to their team,or their location,rather than bombarding them with inform

177、ation on everything.”Maintaining the human touch A personalised approach to onboard-ing and engagement makes employ-ees feel invested in,valued,and cared about by their employer.It also strengthens their connection to the company and their team,which is particularly important for those working remot

178、ely.The Enboarder study found that 84%of employ-ees found it easier to do their best work when they felt close to the team theyre working with.However,while technology clearly has a huge role to play in enhancing the onboarding process and the overall employee experience,it can never replace human i

179、nteraction.“True engagement between an employee,team members and manag-ers has to be on a face-to-face basis,whether thats in person,or via Zoom,”says Jones.“The technology sits in the background,seamlessly handling all the personalisation,and automating much of the labour-intensive admin.This gives

180、 managers more time to invest in their team,and maintain that enhanced employee experience,whether its when someone joins the business,takes parental leave or is promoted to a managerial role.”Shared social learningDigital onboarding also supports the concept of social learning.In any organisation t

181、here are people with different learning styles and differ-ent skills gaps.Instead of this falling to the manager to deal with,digi-tal onboarding platforms can match people to others with similar learn-ing styles and skills,enabling them to learn from one another,reinforcing a culture of social lear

182、ning.Jones says:“In recent years,the challenges of attracting the right candidate has made the recruit-ment experience the focus of the talent strategy.The process of onboarding,and engaging people with joining hasnt been on the radar.Talent is extremely hard to find and costly to lose,but with an e

183、ffective onboarding process companies will achieve higher levels of engagement and retention.”For more information,AREASONS FOR SKIPPING HR TASKSPercentage of 2,000 full-time employees surveyed in the US,UK and AustraliaTHINGS THAT WOULD MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES TO COMPLETE AN HR TASK47%47%41%46%32%39%The

184、 reminder to complete the task got buried amid other notificationsA timely reminder to perform a taskThe reminder to complete the task came at the wrong timeA discussion to perform the taskMy manager never mentioned the task,so I figured it wasnt importantBreaking the task down into bite-sized,diges

185、table stepsEnboarder,2021Employers in New York City will soon have to state salaries on job adverts by law.Is it time for all businesses to be more open about remuneration?Lets talk about cheques(maybe)hen youre applying for a new job,it can be difficult to know when to ask the all-important questio

186、n:what does the role pay?In some cases,the salary can remain a mystery right up to the point at which the job offer is made.In an effort to remove some of this uncertainty,New York City Council has legislated to oblige employers in the city to publish the expected salary range for any vacancy they a

187、dvertise.Its hoped that the regu-lation,which is due to take effect on 15 May,will help to reduce gender and ethnicity pay gaps,while also giving candidates more agency dur-ing salary negotiations.Some employer groups have been vociferous in their opposition to the law,arguing that it is“unfriendly

188、to business”.The Partnership for New York City,whose members include CEOs from some of the countrys largest businesses,claims that it will prove“burdensome and time-consuming”to implement,which would in turn create problems for their recruitment teams.Sally Bendtson,the founder of independent consul

189、tancy Limelight HR,offers a different perspective.Such attitudes are“old-fashioned”,she suggests,stressing that employ-ers need to be as open as they can be about the rewards theyre able to offer,especially when the recruit-ment market is overheating.“It is very much an applicants market at the mome

190、nt,”she notes.“People want clarity from employ-ers.If you want to be getting the best people to fill your vacancy,you need to be transparent with them from the very start.”One company that has pioneered extreme pay transparency is social media management platform Buffer.The multinational,based in Sa

191、n Francisco,publishes its employees salaries online,although people can opt out for reasons of personal safety for example.The companys director of busi-ness operations is Jenny Terry,who is based in Louisville,Kentucky.According to the corporate website,her basic annual salary is precisely$165,759(

192、125,300).She explains that the firms initial decision,taken back in 2013,was to make pay transparent internally to better align the company with its values and“to enable the rest of the team to see what other people made”.Finding that its employees response to that was“very positive”,Buffer decided

193、to go one step further and disclose their salaries publicly.The policy of openness has since developed to incorporate a salary calculator and career frameworks,which aim to help employees see how their earnings could grow if they were to achieve promotions.One obvious benefit of introducing transpar

194、ency has been that the number of people applying for jobs at Buffer has“skyrocketed”,Terry says.“Candidates were very encour-aged to see that level of transpar-ency at the business.It helped them to know what to expect,regarding pay,before applying.”Transparency can also improve levels of trust amon

195、g teams,remove the need to negotiate pay rises and help to eliminate gaps between cer-tain groups.According to the Organ-isation for Economic Co-operation and Development,nearly 80%of the gender pay gap,across a sample of 16 member states,can be attributed to wage inequity inside organisations.It de

196、scribes pay transparency as a“simple way to identify and address gender wage gaps”when they occur in the workplace.Terry notes that Buffers policy of openness has helped the company to address this matter effectively.“Whether youre male or female,if youre in the same role in the same position,youre

197、going to make the exact same amount,”she stresses.In the UK,the BBC is one of the highest-profile employers to have introduced pay transparency rules.Following an internal policy review in 2019,the salaries of the broad-casters highest earners(defined as those paid 150,000-plus)are pub-lished in 5,0

198、00 bands.All adverts for its lower-paid UK-based vacan-cies include references to the bands the roles will fit into,ranging from A(20,536 to 30,804)up to F(61,608 to 112,948).Alan Price,CEO of HR software provider BrightHR,observes that“a clear and open pay structure is more likely to both improve s

199、taff retention and attract new talent.It can inc-rease productivity and motivation ifemployees know that they will be rewarded on merit and there are clear objectives to work towards to achieve pay rises.”Despite the benefits,there is still reluctance among most employers to mention salaries in thei

200、r recruit-ment adverts.Daisy Wolfenden,MD of Leeds-based digital marketing agency Wolfenden,prefers to keep pay private,despite agreeing with many of the counter-arguments.“As a small agency,we hire people with specialist knowledge who often have varying levels of experience and skill,”she says.“Thi

201、s can make it difficult for us to advertise roles at specific set salaries,as no two mem-bers of the team will be performing the exact same role.”Its an approach that technology training firm Revolent Group also takes.The companys president,Nabila Salem,explains:“Employers might choose to not public

202、ise how much they pay for many reasons.Withholding salary information makes it harder for employees to get poached by rivals.In competitive markets such as tech,that is some-thing most employers want to avoid at all costs.At the same time,it pro-tects those employees who wouldnt be comfortable if th

203、is information were to be made public.”Other employers believe that being upfront about the earnings potential of a given role could limit the number of applicants.Their argument is that strong potential candidates might rule themselves out either because they consider themselves too inexperienced f

204、or the pay grade or because they think they could earn more elsewhere.Bendtson describes such concerns as“a bit of a fallacy.If you put up a range of salaries,then you can cover the minimum and maximum youre willing to pay.If you are willing to pay more than the maximum for the right person,I would

205、argue that you should have advertised that in the first place.”The tightness of the recruitment market is also influencing some employers decisions to keep pay secret,according to Bendtson.With the demand for skills outstripping the supply in many sectors,rewards for new recruits are being inflated

206、significantly.Many businesses will therefore be reluctant to advertise the figure theyre prepared to pay to fill a given vacancy if existing em-ployees in similar roles are being paid considerably less.But she stresses that being honest and open with employees remains the best course of action,addin

207、g:“If youve got to hide the salary,then perhaps you know it isnt good.”R E C R U I T M E N TWSam ForsdickIf you want to be getting the best people for the job,you need to be transparent from the very startTHE CASE FOR BEING CLEAR ABOUT THE REWARDS THAT RECRUITS COULD EARN76%80%78%of US workers say t

208、hat the knowledge that another company is offering a better package is an enticement to leave their existing employerexpect a pay rise in 2022are planning to seek a new job24 Seven,2022R A C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R1312 HOW THE COVID CRISIS HAS AFFECTED EMPLOYEE WELLBEING Percentage of s

209、enior HR professionals who say the pandemic has made the following better or worseHAVE WELLBEING PERKS SURVIVED THE COVID CRISIS?Percentage of UK workers who said their employers offered the followingWith burnout levels high among employees and the great resignation still causing problems for employ

210、ers,could the right wellbeing strategy make work better for everyone?And,more crucially,do employers and employees have the same ideas when it comes to wellbeing?THE WELLBEING AGENDAPhysical healthMental health Financial securitySocial connections at workWorseBetterNo change26%10%WELLBEING IS MOVING

211、 UP THE AGENDA Percentage of senior HR professionals in the UK who say the following is the case in their organisationsWe have a standalone wellbeing strategy in support of our wider organisational strategy2018201920202021We dont have a formal strategy.We act flexibly on anad hoc basis according to

212、the needs of employeesOur organisation is far more reactive(taking action when people are off sick)than proactive(promoting good wellbeing)We have not been doing anything to improve employees health and wellbeingEmployee wellbeing is on leaders agendasLine managers have accepted that importance of w

213、ellbeing Employees are keen to engage with health and wellbeing initiatives64%59%66%67%67%58%51%47%55%61%61%75%13%13%16%19%47%44%41%27%46%55%58%58%40%40%44%50%60%4%15%12%9%40%45%36%42%HRS TOP PRIORITIES Percentage of global HR leaders who say the following are their chief concerns for 2022.Wellbeing

214、 does not make the top five59%48%45%42%35%Building essential skillsSuccession managementThe future of work Organisational design and change managementDiversity,equity and inclusionTHE MOST WIDELY AVAILABLE WELLBEING BENEFITS IN THE UK Percentage of HR chiefs who say their firms offer the following74

215、%67%47%37%30%Access to counselling servicesFree eye testsAdvice on healthy lifestylesWellbeing daysARE EMPLOYERS SPENDING MORE ON WELLBEING?Responses from HR chiefs in the UK when asked if Covid has prompted alterations to their wellbeing budgetsAvailable before the pandemicAvailable since the start

216、 of the pandemicYes,we have increased our budgetYes,we have decreased our budgetNo,our budget remains the sameWe have altered our budget,but the pandemic is not a deciding factorOrganised social eventsWork-from-home daysFree office foodHealth/fitness facilitiesTransport allowancesOn-site gymOn-site

217、childcare facilitiesLiving within my meansMaintaining a healthy dietAchieving an acceptable work/life balanceGetting enough exerciseManaging my stressSaving enough for retirementDeveloping relationshipsBuilding an emergency fundGetting routine medical checks/managing a health conditionDevoting more

218、time to me and my interestsReducing my debtsSaving for a large purchaseDeveloping new skills and/or advancing my careerFinding better accommodation/buying a homeFunding my educationhave indicated very serious or extreme burnout symptoms35%of these workers are requesting accommodations from their man

219、agers27%of UK workers have reported experiencing burnout79%Ceridian,202281%81%79%76%75%74%73%72%71%71%70%60%60%49%40%WHAT EMPLOYEES SEE AS A PRIORITY Percentage of US employees who say the following are their top wellbeing priorities45%47%52%49%32%17%31%35%28%25%24%20%21%17%16%13%7%5%E M P L OY E E

220、SL E A D E R SRobin,2022Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development,2021Chartered Institute of Personnel adnd Development,2021Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development,2021Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development,2021Gartner,2022Alight Solutions,20218%In-house gym/subsidised gym

221、membershipR A C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R1514rates,according to Moussavian.The answers that recruits give in their first 90 days when asked if theyd recommend Zalando as an employer and whether they see themselves staying at the firm for at least two years are“highly correl-ated”to attrit

222、ion levels,he says.Moussavian adds that adopting“blended onboarding”should help to improve retention.This app roach might include arranging lunches for recruits with their colleagues and smaller touches such as celebrating a new starters arrival by buying them their favourite cake.Like Brner,Moussav

223、ian views development as another critical process.In his former role as senior vice-president of HR at Deutsche Telekom,he and his department redesigned the evaluation process.Managers and employees would together discuss an individuals performance,which would culmi-nate in the creation of a develop

224、-ment plan.This would then be read by an artificial intelligence system,which would suggest next steps for instance,recommending train-ing courses and relevant projects that the employee could work on.This use of technology means that employees dont even have to ask their managers about career pro-g

225、ression or learning opportunities.“There is a win-win,because the line manager saves time and the employee has immediate recom-mendations on career planning,”Moussavian says.Ikea is“just at the beginning”of the employee mapping process,but has already identified areas for im-provement,according to P

226、otenza.“Whereas wed thought that on-boarding was our main problem area,we found bigger ones.These included managers not having enough time for co-workers,train-ing that wasnt specific enough and a lack of appropriate IT,”she says.“Now that we know,we can make improvements in these areas.”Potenza add

227、s that Ikea is“hyper-curious”about whats working and what isnt.Other firms would be wise to be similarly inquisitive,as mapping pain points and interven-ing where necessary makes for hap-pier and more loyal employees.for people and culture at Ikeas par-ent company,Ingka Group.“Experience is the sum

228、of all the things that a co-worker experiences throughout their connection to us as a company the job itself,cul-ture and leadership,HR services,and the digital or physical work-place,”Potenza explains.“We use journey mapping to understand the perspective of the co-worker.”Ikea is testing several pl

229、atforms to determine which best suit its needs.he secret to achieving high levels of employee enga-gement is to understand what your people really want and also why they might be dissatisfied.To achieve both,employers are going far beyond the annual all-staff survey to gauge the quality of the emplo

230、yee experience they offer.Ikea is mapping out employees“journeys”,just as it does so with its customers,reports Neena Potenza,global strategic initiatives manager Bloom Productions via GettyImagesLucy Handleyon how to create a“productive andsolution-oriented atmosphere”,rather than receiving verbati

231、m critiques.One area pinpointed for improvement was the 360-degree review and development process,where employees at all levels give their colleagues performance feed-back.Emma now gathers this over about a month each year,as well as continually providing developmen-tal feedback on an informal basis

232、.One of the firms priorities is to create career opportunities for peo-ple in the business who have learnt a lot and are ready to be stretched.“We are looking at development opportunities through project rota-tion.Were asking how we can use peoples strengths in the best way for the company while als

233、o ena-bling them to develop,”Brner says.An employee might be moved from their usual job to a special pro-ject or spend time in an overseas office,for instance.Or perhaps two leaders could swap roles,she adds.In addition to its big biannual surveys,Emma uses regular,more iterative ways to map employe

234、es journeys and identify pain points.“If we feel that there may be an issue,we do a quick check-up with agroup of people,we go into talks and we try to identify the root cause of a problem,”Brner explains.This blend of data and human input is also key to the work of Reza Moussavian,a seasoned HR and

235、 transformation expert who joined fashion etailer Zalando last year as vice-president of people products.The company hired 7,000 people in 2021,so the induction process is a natural focus of its efforts to understand the employee experi-ence.There is a direct relationship between the quality of the

236、onboard-ing process and employee retention Pain points plotted:how to map out the employee experienceCompanies have long monitored customer interactions.Theyre now using similar technology to track theemployee experience and build betterrelationships in the processTHANKLESS TASKSPercentage of employ

237、ees worldwide who say they have or havent been thanked by their bosses in the past month and their corresponding engagement levelsThe furniture giant is using meas-ures such as the net promoter score(NPS).Originally designed to gauge the proportion of customers whod recommend a product or service,NP

238、S has been adapted to assess employees views on their work.The firm often seeks their thoughts about the processes they experi-ence throughout their employment.Ikea wants to better understand what is most effective in map-ping employees journeys.For example,in assessing peoples learning and developm

239、ent at work,it looks for detail on their skills assessment processes and whether they were able to apply what they learnt.“This all helps us to pinpoint where we can make improvements to help people learn,feel included and thrive,”Potenza says.A switch to new tech has helped mattress manufacturer Em

240、ma to track its employees journeys more efficiently and so identify pain points(recurring problems affect-ing many of them).The business,based in Frankfurt,has grown rapidly in recent years.It employs more than 850 people in locations ranging from Shanghai and Mexico City.It started using the Cultur

241、e Amp employee experi-ence platform in 2019 to gather feedback from them.It had previou-sly taken Hannah Brner,a senior lead in its organisational develop-ment team,about three weeks at a time to analyse the information provided by each of the regular staff surveys it used to conduct.The questionnai

242、res that Emma now circulates twice a year have been rendered easier to complete,meaning that more people bother to respond than they did before,while the resulting data is now accessible on a single page.Team leaders who may be the focus of the feedback are then offered tips Experience is the sum of

243、 all the things that a co-worker experiences throughout their connection to us as a companyE N G A G E M E N TTLikely to beseeking anew jobLikely to be highly engagedLikely to feel respected at workLikely to see a path to grow in the organisationWorkhuman,2022Thanked in the past monthNot thanked in

244、the past month59%19%82%34%48%21%24%48%Commercial featureR directors face increasing challenges in maintaining their brand and reputation in the global job market.But new tech-nologies and processes are helping innovative companies get the com-petitive edge they need,and dramatic savings too.Some cha

245、llenges are long-term but accelerated by the pandemic.These include the move to remote and hybrid working;the need for more efficient,data-led processes;and the rapidly changing expectations of employees and job candidates.Others,such as record numbers of people switching jobs known as the great res

246、ignation are purely a result of the pandemic.People are resigning in such great numbers because they have been able to reflect on what they want from their careers;and remote working enables them to access a wider job market.This means companies are recruiting in an expanded but more competitive mar

247、ket where top firms are all chasing the same talent pool.In this new world,your recruitment,onboarding and off-boarding pro-cesses need to stand out.If they are substandard,word gets out quickly,which will damage your brand.Talented candidates will get a feel for how well Solving disjointed onboardi

248、ngSimilarly,the onboarding process for new recruits has also often become fragmented and awkward.In a remote world,introducing joiners to team-mates and managers,sharing work responsibilities,and setting up IT and other administrative tasks can be challenging.Again,it can take more than a week to ac

249、hieve this,which delays the employ-ees ability to get on with the job.Meeting recruitment expectationsFragmentation can also disrupt the recruitment process.To make it more efficient and joined up,HR needs a single thread a digital pro-cess that connects everyone in their remote offices.Recruiting f

250、rom a much wider geo-graphical background does make it easier to find employees from diverse backgrounds and regions.But people from various backgrounds have dif-ferent expectations and feelings about the recruitment process.For example,I previously worked for a Swedish company but I was the first n

251、on-EU resident they ever recruited.This naturally made me a little unsure what to expect and required me to adapt to the Swedish hiring culture.My experience of the recruitment process was completely different from that of a local employee.How processes drive diversityThe Swedish company had discuss

252、ed the need for diversity but it had taken them many years to hire their first non-EU resident.Hiring a diverse work-force does not just happen through words and values.You need to include it in your recruitment processes too.Good workflow software will also pro-duce analytics so HR leaders can see

253、if their diversity policy is working or,if it is not,where the problems could lie.For example,it can track whether qual-ified applicants from minority groups are making it through the process.If you see from the workflow they are not,it will also show where problems exist so you can look into it.Par

254、t of the problem is that there is often a gap between what HR leaders aspire to and what you can do because the IT requirements are outside your role.If you had a workflow that was easier to set up and design yourself,you could reduce reliance on IT teams and have more control and flexibility to sol

255、ve issues like these through your systems design.Other benefits of workflows Workflows can also help you con-trol the onboarding process end-to-end by giving each person involved checklists and timelines.Analytics from the system show where any bottlenecks or mistakes happen,so you can correct them.

256、It also shows which staff are overburdened or under-used so you can balance work distribution in your team.Much of todays recruitment,onboarding and off-boarding pro-cesses such as updating applica-tions,booking meetings and notify-ing team members are manual and repetitive.But workflows can automat

257、e many of these processes by,for exam-ple,triggering an email or a Slack mes-sage after a particular event.At Qntrl,we have implemented such automated workflows at over 4,000 large and small organisations across the globe.These solutions have reduced such manual work by 60%on average.That is a huge

258、immediate value and enough to free up an extra day each week for team members.Some HR software takes weeks to program in a complex implementation project.But Qntrl is straightforward and intuitive to use and configure on your desktop or mobile application.This reduces IT intervention dramat-ically.W

259、ith Qntrl,HR managers can use a simple interface to execute pro-cesses quickly on one platform.Conventional business process software is prohibitively expensive,making it impossible to include all your teams on the same platform and orchestrate processes.Another huge benefit of Qntrl is that it cost

260、s$7 a month per employee around 10%of the cost of competing software.By pricing it this way and making it non-technical,we aim to democra-tise this sector.This helps HR lead-ers revolutionise their daily practices and drive a world-class brand in the global job market.Learn more about Qntrl:they wil

261、l be welcomed and treated,and choose employers accordingly.But its easy for these processes to slip up in the fragmented world of remote working.HR leaders need much more control over their recruitment,onboarding and off-boarding pro-cesses,so they can avoid these banana skins and drive quality,smoo

262、thness and efficiency.Meeting off-boarding challengesIn a remote working model,teams man-aging different parts of the off-board-ing process have become fragmented across various locations,or even time zones.Leavers may have to handle some of the processes themselves at home.This means the“last day”p

263、ro-cess can stretch into a“last week or fortnight”and it can be difficult for HR professionals to coordinate.However,employees will not tolerate this.They have the same expectations in the remote and hybrid working era that they had before the pandemic.Organisations need to respond with more efficie

264、nt digital off-boarding pro-cesses that involve all the necessary parts of the organisation,but which the HR manager owns.This allows them to connect all these people,and track and manage processes seamlessly.The three processes set to revolutionise the HR roleHR leaders face some stiff challenges p

265、ost pandemic.Prajnesh Karthic,demand generation manager,Qntrl,explains how they can respond with better recruitment,onboarding and offboardingHSolutions have reduced manual work by 60%on average-enough to free up an extra day each week for team membersof job seekers will likely reject a job offer be

266、cause of a bad candidate experience shared by a prior applicant63%G2,2020of organisations have no formal offboarding process,and 70%of organisations are only interested in dealing with resignations71%HROnboard,2015R A C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R1716he widespread switch to hybrid working s

267、ince the relaxation of Covid restric-tions has prompted the return of one of the most contentious office policies:hot-desking.There was a time when asking workers to compete for seats each morning and clear their workspace every evening would have aroused fierce opposition.In 2019,recruit-ment websi

268、te CV Library listed it as one of the most common office rules that employees“secretly hate”,while an older survey by Unison and Community Care magazine found that 90%of social workers whod been asked to hot-desk thought that the practice added to their stress and sapped morale.But,as more and more

269、employees split their working time between home and headquarters,businesses are becoming even less willing to provide a permanent assigned desk for every employee,given that the cost of commercial property in most big cities remains high.Workers may well understand the rea-sons,but this hasnt stoppe

270、d them from voicing their annoy-ance.Civil service unions have com-plained about a lack of office space in Whitehall following cuts to the government estate,for instance.What makes it such a bone of contention?Sonya Dineva,a lecturer in occupational and organisational psychology at the University of

271、 East London,says its all to do with our sense of belonging.“We humans have an inherent deep-rooted need for belonging Desk-booking applications offer a potential solution to some of the problems.Providers such as Appspace and Juggl Desks report that the use of their platforms has been on the rise s

272、ince the start of the year.Both anticipate that take-up will continue inc-reasing as more people become regular office visitors.“Workers want the reassurance of knowing that they will have a desk allocated to them when they attend the office,”observes Juggl Desks head of business develop-ment,Jeremy

273、 Steward.“Many org-anisations have reduced space in response to hybrid working,so workers cannot always turn up to the office on a whim and find a free desk.The ability to reserve a desk oftheir choosing,perhaps with cer-tain facilities nearby,can help to give them peace of mind.”Dineva believes tha

274、t such tech can bring a level of predictability to workplace arrangements that can be a boon for users,but adds that booking systems should not be viewed as a panacea.“It can be very beneficial to use a booking system,especially if it ena-bles people to reserve a workplace thats somehow tailored to

275、their needs,”she says.“But this can still lead to competition for the best spaces.No system will be perfect.”Another measure could be to allow employees to bring in personal items to display in common areas.“This can be a wonderful conver-sation starter,but at the same time it shows people that they

276、 belong,”Dineva explains.Ultimately,there is no one-size-fits-all solution.Many businesses believe that the cultural benefits of reuniting their teams back at base far outweigh any frust rations that hot-desking may bring.But,if they cant come up with adequate res-ponses to the desk-hopping conun-dr

277、um,the number of regular office visitors may well start to dwindle.most desirable locations each morn-ing,there are also ramifications for productivity.A 2019 study conduc-ted by app producer HotDeskPlus concluded that hot-deskers were spending an average of 18 minutes each day hunting for a workspa

278、ce.This was in addition to the time that people might spend downloading software or collecting any extra equipment they would require to complete their daily tasks.“Such activities reduce our pro-ductivity and also have an effect on our cognitive performance,”Dineva says.“People want to know that th

279、eir set-up is going to be the same each day,because it takes time to adjust their working environment to their own requirements.”ShareSpace,the creator of a digital real-estate leasing plat-form,has been experiencing issues with hot-desking.The firms co-founder and chief technology officer,Marcin Dy

280、szyski,says:“Were see-ing that it doesnt create the culture and sense of permanency that many people would like.Similarly,there can be a lack of privacy,which might be a problem for some businesses.”and this needs to be present in our pla ces of work,”Dineva says.“Hav-ing to clear your desk at the e

281、nd of each day means that you cannot identify with these spaces and your need for belonging is not satisfied.”Creating a“subconscious identifi-cation with your work environment”is important for generating this feel-ing of belonging,she adds.This can involve anything from putting a pot plant on your

282、desk to sticking photos up on the wall measures that hot-desking renders impractical at best.Wherever colleagues are having tocompete with each other for the It was an inflammatory practice in many offices before the pandemic.As hybrid workers return to HQ in greater numbers,thedaily scramble for li

283、mited space is arousing even more ire Grab a seat:can we learn to live with hot-desking?Sam ForsdickW O R K I N G C O N D I T I O N STWorkers want the reassurance of knowing that theyll have a desk allocated to them when they attend the office31%19%17%Average decrease in productivity caused by unstr

284、uctured hot-deskingbelieve that hot-desking alienates them from their colleaguesbelieve that hot-desking is the cause of disagreements in the workplace18minutes46%of UK workers believe that unstructured hot-desking is bad for productivityCommercial featurehe battle for talent is being waged by organ

285、isations of all sizes across the UK and beyond.Businesses need to stand out;to connect with their workforces and not only retain the talent they have,but to ensure prospective employees want to join their organisations.Those companies that commit to their ESG strategies and communi-cate that to empl

286、oyees will be the ones that succeed.Research by ManpowerGroup,parent company of Talent Solutions,found that two-thirds of employees want to help improve society through their work.Half would change jobs to work for an employer that benefits their wellbeing.Most importantly,people want to find an emp

287、loyer that is aligned to their values.The stronger the commitments an employer makes to improve the envi-ronment,society and its governance,otherwise known as ESG,the more likely it is to attract the best talent,according to the McKinsey Quarterly.ManpowerGroup has increased its commitment to ESG as

288、 well,a posi-tioning that will support its own employees,as well as its clients,can-didates and associates.Jonas Prising,ManpowerGroups chairman and CEO,says,“Our pur-pose is clear:we believe meaning-ful,sustainable employment has the power to change the world.”As part of this objective,ManpowerGrou

289、p has worked with over 8,000 young people in 26 European countries to provide mentoring and upskilling.Similarly,it has committed to seeing women make up at least 50%of lead-ership roles by 2025.Organisations like Talent Solutions helping clients to support women throughout their careers might just

290、be the change that is needed to ensure female talent isnt lost.Women are 51%less optimistic about their career prospects than before the pandemic,says Deloitte.And ManpowerGroup found that 57%of women plan to leave their current job within two years.That,combined with the data around hybrid working

291、namely that ManpowerGroup has found that 35%of employees want full flexibility about when and where they work points to a crucial business risk in the battle for talent.Women arent satisfied with their current roles,working arrangements and company fit.Losing experienced female talent will not only

292、be a blow to diversity and equality but will further exacerbate the ongoing scarcity of talent already wor-rying business leaders.A holistic talent strategy,though,goes beyond gender equality.Racial diversity is not only a proven bene-fit to businesses,but will help ease the talent crunch,too.Part o

293、f the ManpowerGroup that supports cli-ents with end-to-end workforce strategies,Talent Solutions,focuses on inclusivity within the workplace,a strategy that informs its objectives for clients as well.The results are visible in practice.In the UK,Talent Solutions is working with defence company Qinet

294、iQ on building a talent pipeline for systems engineers and other critical lines.Talent Solutions reviewed Qinetiqs long-term objectives to create a bespoke classroom and on-the-job train-to-fit programme in partner-ship with the client.Designed around the candidates specific needs and QinetiQs busin

295、ess objectives,they took a less conventional hiring approach,building a diverse talent pool of individuals with transferable skills and upskilling them.At the end of the training period all candidates were offered roles by QinetiQ.This model can help companies tackle skills shortages in a way that a

296、lso does good for society.“We stand up for the greater good and collective benefit,to do all we can to be anti-racist,as well as pro-diversity,pro-equity and pro-inclusion,so that com-panies can continue to grow and succeed by accessing the skilled talent they need and so that every-one can be part

297、of future growth and prosperity,”says Jonas Prising,chairman&CEO of ManpowerGroup in the recent Working to Change the World report.Building a stronger employer proposition relies on taking a more comprehensive approach to ESG.ManpowerGroup is the only com-pany in its industry that has set ambi-tious

298、 goals to tackle climate change,including reducing carbon emissions across the board.The company has already cut global emissions by 37%over its 2018 baseline and is well on its way to reaching net zero.But its not just about the supply chain or emissions,HR strategy makes an impact on the environme

299、nt too.Sustainable working practices can align with employee desires for hybrid or flexible working patterns.Similarly,reskilling or retraining staff can also build stronger talent pools in low-car-bon and sustainable job roles.Gartner noted that 58%of all employees will need new skills to get their

300、 jobs done in future.While com-panies have thus far relied on benefits and salary bumps to attract and retain talent,skills development may become the new frontier in talent management.Skills development can also allow for a broader range of educational backgrounds,neurodiverse individ-uals and non-

301、traditional talent pools to emerge,all contributing to a com-panys ability to compete in a tal-ent-scarce landscape.And in a world in which 60%of com-panies are linking their ESG goals to their corporate purpose,HR cant afford to lose ground.Prising says,“Our Working to Change the World plan is abou

302、t collectively caring for people and planet with new awareness and urgency.Advancing towards net zero by measuring and reducing our climate impact(and offsetting only when we must)while accelerating social justice to address inequities will drive job cre-ation and demand for new skills and will prog

303、ress opportunities for all.”For employers to make a positive impact for their communities and the environment into the future,they must be run ethically and have a strong sense of their governance strategies and accountabilities.Seventy percent of employees say having leaders they can trust and foll

304、ow is important for them.Not only does this require com-panies to set out honest governance strategies,but employees also want to see organisations taking a stand for positive change.They want to see their employers advocating for racial equity or voting rights or action on climate change.Doing so w

305、ill only help busi-nesses build stronger connections with their purpose-driven workforces.ManpowerGroup has led by example with regards to governance.Not only was it named the Worlds Most Ethical Company by Ethisphere for the 11th year,but it has a global human rights policy in place that reinforces

306、 its ethi-cal recruitment and HR practices.Being an attractive company takes more than a strong bottom line.Employees want an employer that sees beyond the numbers.Talent Solutions has led the HR industry on the issues that matter.But it takes a broader com-mitment from companies across the UK to cr

307、eate a positive social impact and deliver sustainable employment with the power to change the world.Find out more about how Talent Solutions can support your organisation,at talentsolutions.manpowergroup.co.ukTOur purpose is clear:we believe meaningful,sustainable employment has the power to change

308、the worldTackling talent scarcity through ESG commitmentsTo succeed in a difficult talent market,companies need to rethink their commitments to the environment,society and their own people in order to resonate more strongly with prospective and current employeesof women are less optimistic about the

309、ir career prospects than before the pandemic51%Manpower,2021of employees want to help improve society through their work64%of employees want full flexibility about when and where they work35%Manpower,2021Deloitte,2021Time wasted each day by the average hot-desker on finding a deskHotDeskPlus,2019R A

310、 C O N T E U R.N E TF U T U R E O F H R1918Firms that offer employees the opportunity to take an extended leave of absence as a loyalty rewardcould be giving themselves acrucial competitive edge in anoverheating market for talentfter years of hopping on a plane to Copenhagen every week as an executi

311、ve direc-tor at Danish company Leo Pharma,Mike Hinchy decided to hit pause on his career and take a sabbatical.“You dont often get a chance to take more than a two-week holiday,so this seemed like a great opportu-nity to reflect and focus on my own wellbeing and family,”he says.“It sounds obvious,bu

312、t the pandemic has prompted me to reconsider my priorities and where I invest my time and emotional energy.”Hinchy is far from alone.The Covid crisis has prompted many of us to reprioritise our commitments,with employees increasingly rank-ing work/life balance over career progression.A third of UK w

313、orkers interviewed for Totaljobs Hiring Trends Index valued work/life balance highly when seeking a new employer.They ranked it second only to the desire for a higher salary.Julie Gaskell is head of partner-ships for events company Wild in Art.She has also opted to take an extended break from work.A

314、ccord-ing to Gaskell,the pandemic has been an isolating experience,espe-cially for single people.With travel restrictions lifting,she feels that its the right time for a six-month trip taking in America and Europe.“Ive had a good career,but a lot of the drive has disappeared over the past few years,

315、”Gaskell says.“It felt like the right time to try something different and shake my life up a bit.Luckily,I have an employer that sees the benefits I can bring back to the business by exploring more of the world while on sabbatical.”In an overheating jobs market,many firms are redoubling their effort

316、s to improve retention.With employees increasingly demanding greater flexibility at work,sabbati-cals are growing in popularity.“Following the working situation during the pandemic,people are thinking quite differently about their careers and the importance of work/life balance,”reports Claire McCar

317、tney,senior resourcing and inclusion policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.“It therefore makes sense that employers are introducing sabbaticals as a way of supporting people in this.”In February,online bank Monzo announced that it would be offering all employees a th

318、ree-month paid sabbatical after four years service.According to its people experience director,Tara Ryan,the aim is to allow staff to take time out to travel,spend time with families and focus on themselves,without having to leave the company or sacrifice pay.“We are always looking to intro-duce bes

319、t-in-class policies for our employees,”she says.“Our aim is not only to reinvent banking for customers,but also to vastly imp-rove the experience for employees working within the industry.”Global identity-verification com-pany Veriff has recently introduced its own sabbatical policy.The firm will be

320、 offering staff in its European and US offices six weeks of fully paid time off for every three years of service completed.“We believe that,in order to live fulfilling and impactful lives,our employees could benefit from tak-ing longer breaks every once in a while,”explains Piret Saag,head of learni

321、ng and employee experience at the Tallinn-based firm.“The past couple of years have been full of challenges for our glo bal team,both professionally and personally.This is why we hope that the sabbaticals will encourage people to switch off fully,recharge and come back well rested and with new persp

322、ectives.”There are many reasons that people could have for choosing to go on a sabbatical,several of which may stem from the Covid crisis.For some,experiences of stress and burnout may influence their deci-sion to take a break,while those with relations living abroad might have been unable to spend

323、signi-ficant time with them while Covid travel restrictions were in place.The mundane experience of work-ing remotely during the lockdowns played a part in Hinchys decision.“Being on calls all day at a desk and not moving has definitely had a negative impact on me.I feel Ive really aged over the pas

324、t couple of years,”he says.“In my mind,there has to be a better way to balance out my life and work,rather than being stuck at a desk for 10 hours a day on a variety of meetings and calls.”Breaking good:the sabbatical finds itself asan effective retention toolSam ForsdickThe change in policy comes o

325、ff the back of a successful year for the privately owned startup,which achieved unicorn status in January,meaning that it is valued at more than$1bn(760bn).The additional time off is seen as a token of appre-ciation for those who have been with the firm during this period of strong growth and an ent

326、icing ben-efit as the business engages in a new round of recruitment.“With our sabbatical programme,we want to give our employees an opportunity to step back from their roles at Veriff,focus on their per-sonal enrichment and consider new angles for profess ional devel-opment,”Saag says.“We hope that

327、 this will serve as a great benefit for people looking to join Veriff,as well as for staff seeking new oppor-tunities within the company.”The pandemic has prompted me to reconsider my priorities and where I invest my time and emotional energyB E N E F I T SCompanies that ignore employ-ees requests f

328、or greater flexibility risk an exodus of talent.After what Hinchy describes as six happy years at Leo Pharma,hes had to leave the company to take his break,as it doesnt offer the perk.“I have had a 22-year career in thepharmaceutical industry,so not knowing what that next job will be or where the ne

329、xt pay cheque will be coming from is a new experience for me,”he says.Leo Pharma UK and Ireland says that the company reviews its em-ployee benefits package every year,“with the aim to benchmark above the industry standard”.The busi-ness is“lean and agile,making it a challenge to offer a standard sa

330、b-batical offering while maintaining business continuity”.The company adds that it is open to considering all requests for flex-ibility from employees on a case-by-case basis and frequently adapts working arrangements“to meet individual needs”.Hinchy would like to see more employers follow the lead

331、of busi-nesses such as Monzo and Veriff in offering loyal employees additional time off.“If you are looking for people to invest a significant portion of their career in a single company,the opportunity to have a sabbatical and time to reflect every few years could be a clever thing for the emp-loye

332、r to offer,”he says.“If it doesnt offer it,people may just take one anyway,which would mean it ends up losing talent from the business.”While introducing a sabbatical policy might sound a straightfor-ward measure,there are important considerations for HR teams.“It is really important to have a clear

333、 policy in place and to think through all of the potential impli-cations,”McCartney says.The first of these will be the eligi-bility criterion:will it depend on length of service or seniority?With people taking extra time off,the level of disruption for the business will also need to be explored,but perhaps the most important con-sideration is whether sabbaticals are to be paid or unpaid.This choi