I frequently meet with HR and talent acquisition leaders across a spectrum of company sizes and industries. What I am observing in the job market is the realization of a multi-generational workforce. It is a fascinating study in sociology that validates much of the science of generational studies and the differences between generations.
With the different generations in the workforce, organizations need to adapt to accommodate the variety of expectations. Communication styles, technology adoption and career aspirations carry different values for each group. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution but there are some commonalities to build upon.
When it comes to sourcing talent, one area that seems to cross all generational lines is workplace: remote, onsite or hybrid. Of course, there are some variations across generations, but most people today desire a hybrid role with the flexibility to work from anywhere a couple of days per week.
When we’re sourcing talent for remote versus hybrid versus onsite roles, the candidate pools change in size. Remote has the largest pool of candidates, hybrid is in the middle and onsite is the smallest.
With regard to workplace, your talent strategy depends on your employment value proposition. For example, if your organization is focused on attraction and productivity, then remote should be the strategy. If your organization is focused on culture and collaboration, then onsite should be the strategy. If your organization wants a happy medium, then a hybrid work environment seems to be the “Goldilocks” scenario to consider.
But that is only part of your organization’s employment value proposition. The other thing that cuts across all organizations and generations is purpose. If your company is clear on their vision, mission and values – and you can clearly articulate how each role and each employee plays a part impacting stakeholder value – your company will attract great talent, even in a tough market.
Purpose is derived from your employment value proposition through the employment journey. From a recruiting perspective, your employment value proposition is what will attract people – of any age or demographic – who are more likely to thrive in your organization. Your employment value proposition is what drives your employee experience, which in turn supports employee engagement which further supports your employment value proposition.
As you can see from the graphic, these three elements form a virtuous cycle that fuels organization and employee purpose:
When it comes to recruiting, are you being clear enough about your organization’s purpose?
Here are some thoughts to consider:
Does your brand truly reflect your culture? If not, the virtuous cycle will stall.
Can you articulate your employment value proposition clearly in 30 seconds or less?
How do you help your employees grow?
How do you recognize your employees?
How do you connect your employees to the mission? And do you do it regularly?
Are your managers trained on how to utilize employee strengths?
Are your managers trained on their own strengths?
These questions are all relevant to establishing an attractive employment value proposition that supports the entire employee experience lifecycle – from recruiting to hiring to onboarding to engagement to growth.
When this is done well, the generational differences diminish and people begin to feel included, because they’re all living the company mission and finding their purpose within it.
No strategy is better for attracting the best candidates for your organization than demonstrating a strong connection to your employment value proposition.
Author: Brenan German