Part II
2022-08-10
In the days leading up to our Global Expansion Conference in May 2022, we met with our panellists to discuss the current talent market, the drivers of change, and expected outcomes. The impactful reflections of the panel that arose from these conversations were highlighted during the Global Expansion Conference, but the powerhouse team that represented four different sides of the Talent space could have led an engaging and meaningful discussion for much longer than the session.
This article intends to reflect on the key takeaways of the talent conversation from Jean Martin, Senior Partner and Global Head of Product for Mercer, whose extensive experience and knowledge of HR and Change Management, focused on the perspective of remote work and “skilling”.
This article is two of a four-part series, in which we highlight some of the key discussion takeaways that managers and HR teams can take on board to help tackle the talent crunch. Read the first article in the series here.
Remote Work
Throughout Jean’s diverse background she has seen and facilitated change within leading organisations and advises that change typically moves as a pendulum. The pandemic pushed the way of work largely and rapidly into the remote work camp.
As employers and employees alike adjusted to the new normal, a rise in demand for hybrid and fully-remote working options from the next generation of talent development followed. In July 2020, a Gartner survey found that 82% of leaders intended to allow employees to work remotely some of the time.
Today, just 2 years later, we’re already seeing some organisations shift back to “office first”. Jean warned that what is the right solution will vary per region, company and industry, but that “one of the aspects of remote work that organisations need to consider to ensure an equal experience between the organisation and the employee is the total rewards proposition and compensation”, but creating equitable aligned pay, particularly for International Remote Workers, will be challenging.
The next generation workforce
As we refer to the future of work, many companies look to the next generation workforce. Jean agreed that the momentum driving wider accountability change behind Gen Z and Gen Alpha is contributing to the overall workplace transformation.
However, when it comes to talent strategies, we shouldn’t overlook the current talent within the company. Two in five HR professionals responding to a Mercer Survey admitted that they do not know what skills they have in their own organizations.
Upskilling and reskilling “allows employers to focus on what skills they need — by either acquiring or developing them, meanwhile employees are able to focus on skill development and career alignment.
Stay tuned as we share more insights into the key discussion points of the talent crisis.
