Employees are seeking out companies that provide flexibility and choice, a “working MY WAY” is the new attitude and seems to be the way the world is moving. So how can we continue to move forward with the world?

Transformation in the world of work was sped up because of the pandemic and we are seeing so many companies re-thinking their talent attraction and retention strategies and reinventing their workforce models to stay ahead of the curve.

Companies are consistently looking for opportunities to improve their talent offering, to attract the best talent and boost productivity and levels of engagement.

As the “Great Resignation“ slowly fades, we are now faced with “The Great Attrition”, which is most definitely likely to gain momentum unless we take a deep dive into why employees are leaving and take meaningful steps to retain them.

Trending in the world of work right now

• Multipotenialite’s are on the rise;
• Work-life Balance Is A Priority;
• People Are Packing Up And Going On Sabbatical (those fortunate ones…)
• Reset Days Are A New Leave Entitlement boosting employee well-being;
• 4- Day Work Week And More Flexibility.  South African Companies Pioneer Pilot Kicks Off In early 2023;
• Employers are embracing the new approach of a blended Workforce.

Talent acquisition and Recruitment

Terms that are used interchangeably, however, they are very different approaches to sourcing talent for your company, and hence the reason we are clarifying these for you.

The term “Talent acquisition” is similar to recruitment as they both involve finding people to work for your organization. The key differences are around the methodology applied to source the Talent. Talent acquisition is a proactive, strategic approach to finding your people, whereas recruitment is a reactive approach, we refer to it as the process of getting “bums in seats” or simply filling a vacancy. Often more value is placed on quantity over the quality of the candidates.

It’s a linear process of filling vacancies whereas Talent acquisition is geared towards building relationships, anticipating future hiring needs, and building a Talent pool.  Talent acquisition is a curated process where we partner with our clients to find the missing piece of the puzzle, the needle in the haystack, your very own UNICORN.

This is what lights us up!

6 STEPS in the talent acquisition process:

1. Sourcing new talent from various sources (these remain Top secret of course).
2. Attracting Candidates involves market research of compensation packages that are attractive enough to draw in the GEMS.
3. Interviewing and Assessing candidates by holding interviews to dig deep into the competencies required and assess if they meet the performance requirements and ascertain if they are a good match.
4. Background checks and or pre-employment assessments to ensure you employ the right fit and to help you avoid any risk to the company.
5. Selection of the most suitable candidate.
6. Onboarding and presenting them with an offer and orientating them with your company culture.

3 TIPS to effective Talent acquisition:

1. Talent map – this is a proactive approach used to forecast long-term hiring needs and subsequently cultivate organizational support for new roles over time.  It bridges the gap between a company’s goals and the workforce they require to achieve them.
2. Appoint Talent Specialists to partner with you to identify and track potential candidates
3. Take it slow – do not rush the process – in this instance, being meticulous is warranted. This will secure you get the right fit for your role.

Learn more about our Leadership Mentoring 

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we had access to an HR manual defining exactly how to navigate the unknown with proven tried and tested workforce strategies to implement in your organisation that work in the new world of work? Shifting your mindset to adopting new workforce strategies within your organisation this year has proved challenging to most organisations to say the least.

COVID-19 has proved that people and businesses are capable of tremendous growth under the pressure of a world crisis. The challenge for many of us will be to sustain this momentum to discover new ways to thrive long-term amidst the constant disruptions that keep resetting our paths forward.

Deloitte called on organizations to look at work and the workforce through three lenses, PURPOSE, POTENTIAL AND PERSPECTIVE, —to transcend a perceived conflict between humans and technology.  Reports were completed by more than 3,600 Executives in 96 countries, which included responses from more than 1,200 C-suite executives and board members, in addition to other management functions.

For the first time in the report’s 11-year history, business respondents (59%), including 233 CEOs, outnumbered HR executives (41%) in the survey—underscoring the growing importance of human capital- HR in organizational decision-making.

This year – 2021 has shown that putting people at the heart of an organization’s decisions about work and the workforce enables leaders to better stay-ahead of disruption. Now more than ever, purpose, potential, and perspective are essential to build an organization that can THRIVE in an unpredictable environment with an unknown future.

We agree that it is time for organizations to shift their focus from a survival mindset to a thrive mindset. For leaders to shift their strategies from preparing for the known to  preparing for the unknown.

How can you transform your thinking and position your business to thrive when all you are focused on is making the changes necessary to survive?

Deloitte believes that making the shift from “survive to thrive” depends on an Organisation’s becoming and remaining distinctly human at its core” a different way of being that approaches every question, issue and decision from a human perspective first.”

 

What are your thoughts on these workforce strategies?

How can we support you during this transformation? Get in touch.

Can you feel it? Spring is just around the corner. On Saturday I grabbed the opportunity as many Capetonians did, to get down to the beach to lap up some Winter, nearly Spring Sun, and dived into my book (I just can’t seem to finish) baking those extra winter calories… hoping they might magically melt away somehow…ha, ha, wishful thinking I know, but hey, how boring would life be without a smidgen of hope….right? Now that the season of new beginnings and fresh starts is on its way, why not schedule some time with your “Think Tank Team” to prioritize the HR functions you are not getting to because you are simply too consumed with the day-to-day HR and payroll challenges, monthly reporting, and running from meeting to meeting.

10 items to put on your HR Spring cleaning to-do list:

1.      Review Policies and Procedures

Are the company policies in your employee handbook up-to-date and compliant with the labour law amendments? Review your standard operating procedures to ensure they are up to date with HOW you are actually doing things.

2.      Job Descriptions and Specifications

Interview employees to determine if their Job Descriptions require updating and re-write them if needed. The same goes for your Job Specs, making your life so much easier when the recruitment requisition arrives in your inbox and you need to advertise ASAP.

3.      Rewards and Recognition

Plan your “Coffee with the CEO” program, schedule “Star employee” awards, incentive scheme reviews, and any other initiatives to celebrate your wins.

4.       Review your employment contract types

Are your contracts in line with the latest labour law updates? Do the various types of employment contract templates include accurate terms and conditions, preventing any future potential liabilities?

5.       Workforce Planning

NOW is a good time to forecast future talent requirements and create talent action plans.

6.     Benefit Audit

Assess your benefits offered, January will be here before you know it and Medical Aids will need your plan selections. If you haven’t done so already, the new amendment to the Pension Funds Act was put in force earlier this year.  Are there specific benefits you could consider offering your employees to improve engagement and retention?

7.      Employee file audit

Usually, once your new starter has signed on, documents are completed, captured on your HRIS, and filed, never to be looked at again. You may still be waiting on documentation, check, and follow-ups. You don’t want findings from your auditors or inspectors for non-compliance or be faced with benefit claims which are held back due to missing signatures on beneficiary forms in the event of an employee’s death.

8.     HR Audit

You may be unsure of your HR obligations, we provide HR auditing services and can put you on the right track to ensure you have checked all HR boxes.

9.     Give your employees a voice

Employee surveys are so under-utilized, they are a great tool to identify what you are doing WELL and which areas require improvement. Surveys are an excellent first step to changing the culture in an organization.

10.  File and Purge

It’s time to file those forms on the “filing” pile. Purge those zillions of marketing pamphlets, the poor trees…! Get organized with your labelling of files, and make sure that your filing is in order so that anyone can find a document should you be away for any reason

What is on your HR Spring cleaning list?

Explore our consulting services.

What role does workspace design play in culture creation and employee engagement you may ask? A Global study found that a strong correlation exists between high workplace satisfaction and high employee engagement, with employees who have greater control over their physical workplace – including access to private spaces – also reporting the highest engagement levels. The findings prove that employers could be missing a trick when it comes to planning their employee engagement strategies.

This is because, consistently, the most engaged workers were those who had more control over their work experience, including the ability to concentrate easily and work in teams without disruption.  Workers who can choose where they want to work in the office, based on the task at hand are much more engaged in the work they do.

Employee well-being and engagement feature on the top of our list of priorities at Hands-on Human Resources alongside compliance. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic organizations were considering workspace restructuring and re-designing for various reasons such as business acquisitions,  updating furnishings, and ensuring their workplaces are compliant with statutory labour laws.

 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic most organizations, even those with traditional workplace cultures have directed employees to work remotely in an effort to keep employees healthy and slow the spread of the virus and some have implemented permanent WFH (working from home) policies and shaping productive and engaging workplace cultures.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these might have been some scenarios you were faced with to consider a change or improvement to your workspace layout and or office design:

• Re-structuring your organization after a merger or acquisition leaves you to get your head around HOW and WHERE your new employees are going to be allocated working space and at the same time ensure they are highly engaged;
• The current layout of workspaces is impractical and not proving the most productive space;
• Your boardroom is looking a little drab;
• Your reception is stuck in the ’80s;
• Strategizing what you can do to create space for mindfulness;
• Need to accommodate people with disabilities in your workplace;
• Need to address the ergonomic risks that may impair overall system performance and well-being in your workplace, and ensure your practices are aligned with the Ergonomics Regulations, 2019 published in the Occupational Health and Safety Act;
• You don’t have a private space where breastfeeding Moms can take their breastfeeding breaks to express breast milk, in compliance with the Code of Good Practice on the Protection of Employees during Pregnancy and after the Birth of a Child (which forms part of the Codes of the BCEA).

Practical, and aesthetically pleasing workspaces do have a positive impact on productivity levels, and employee engagement, and if you incorporate the health and safety compliance aspects surrounding workplace ergonomics you can’t go wrong.

It is impossible to predict the long-term implications that COVID has brought to the world of work, one outcome is that leaders will appreciate the value of allowing freedom of choice as to where employees operate from and adopt WFH on a permanent basis combined with some face-to-face interaction at a collaborative space to touch base with the team and fulfill our human need for socializing.

We think it’s a win-win scenario.

6 Tips for creating a WFH space adapted by Real Simple:

1. Pick the right spot in the home
2. Set up good lighting
3. Make it as ergonomically friendly as possible – Desk stands are great to help lead a healthy work lifestyle.
4. Working from the bed or couch is a non-negotiable!
5. Connect with a virtual background if your physical one is too distracting during virtual meetings
6. Decorate your space with things that light you up and calm you, we have added an aromatherapy diffuser, and plants to our desk space. In between Zoom calls, Spotify plays soft calming vibes keeping us focused.

What are your thoughts?

We would love to learn more about your employee engagement strategies, send us a mail.