Looking Back and Moving Forwards. Reflections & Observations Since the Last Review

Talent now has more choice, and candidates are in a position to choose from several different options. Like many of us, people are now making their own choices about whether they want to return to a Monday – Friday, 9 to 5 in the office, which wasn’t necessarily an option before.

There is a trend for tech talent to want to have the option of remote working and office working without any restrictions and many companies are embracing this. For example, Spotify announced this year that US engineers could work from anywhere and retain their NYC or San Francisco salaries, and where the tech giants go, others are sure to follow.

[Yes] The most successful campaigns we have had this year are where the full ‘Hiring Cycle’ has been involved. Hiring Managers have been very active in reaching out to potential talent and have been using their skills alongside recruiters/sourcers to sell opportunities.

Talent is not waiting, more so than ever. We can see this clearly within tech, where candidates are not willing to wait for 2nd/3rd interview stages and decisions to be made. Successful companies are having to interview and offer within 24 hours. It will be interesting to see how this trend ripples across industries past tech.

With the lifting of restrictions in the UK on 19th July, it is clear that for many companies, there has been no sudden/drastic change to what has become our regular working patterns. While there are stories in the press about some companies insisting on their staff being back in the office full time on a permanent basis, there are just as many describing companies proceeding with great care and sensitivity. This is a positive thing, because the pandemic has affected everyone in different ways. While some people find the vaccination program gives them the confidence to ‘return to normal’, there are many others who are uncertain about the current situation and have no desire to commute again on a regular basis.

The situation remains fairly similar to the article’s predictions. Countries across the world are at varying stages; some feel the pandemic is as good as over, whilst Australia spent many more months of 2021 in lockdown. As predicted, back to the office guidelines are being set on a local basis.

Very relevant - what was initially termed ‘the new normal’ is still a topic of great debate: the effects of the pandemic are extremely far-reaching. Some people are living much as they did before; others find their mindset has changed fundamentally and they have little desire to revert back to ‘before’. The hybrid working model seems to be the preferred one going forward. The uncertainty that has accompanied the whole situation continues; no one truly knows what their country’s circumstances will be as winter hits the Northern hemisphere, in terms of a potential upsurge in cases or even further lockdowns.

It is essential that HR professionals continue to act with compassion and sensitivity to their workforce, all of whom will be experiencing conflicting feelings on returning to the office and on what basis. Overall, the hybrid working model certainly appears to be here to stay and insight from the market suggests that companies have either put a more official policy in place or are in the process of doing so.

As predicted, the pandemic has forced companies to take stock of their succession plans and either refine the existing plans or develop new ones more aligned with the type of leadership critical to success for that particular business’ future growth plans. The pandemic highlighted in some instances the need for different leadership with a level of crisis management now becoming integral to a company’s future proofing for success.

More clients than ever are addressing their succession plans, with both market mapping and talent pipelining for future leaders forming a significant part of the work we have conducted in 2021.

The pandemic turned a spotlight on the need for agile leadership, fast crisis response and an understanding and willingness to put front and centre the wellbeing and mental health of employees.

I do not see this trend slowing in the coming months, in fact I believe that it will increase as companies seek to thoroughly address risk by robust succession planning at both the senior leadership level and indeed the levels below this, even down to senior manager level.

[Yes] DE&I continues to remain at the forefront of organizational priority for all businesses regardless of sector or size.

After a year [2020] that saw considerable unrest, protest, and organizing surrounding social justice, many DE&I initiatives and movements have now taken hold within multiple sectors of the economy.

[Yes] Demand for diverse talent continues to increase. While some organizations who have lagged on implementing meaningful DE&I strategies struggle to attract diverse talent, organizations who have made considerable top-down investments in DE&I are thriving and diversifying their organizations effectively.

Organizations are challenged to continue to evolve their thinking and philosophy when it comes to DE&I – moving beyond the traditional definitions to include a more expansive DE&I framework that includes: ethnic/gender diversity, identity/orientation diversity, cognitive diversity, disability diversity, educational/geographic diversity, viewpoint diversity, and other forms of diversity that can’t always be readily observed by the naked eye.