Who doesn't want to work for an innovative and progressive company? The answer of course is nobody. HR leadership teams and professionals are increasingly being tasked with proving that a company is forward thinking and innovative, both to potential new employees in the war for talent and to existing employees in the war for retention.
Innovation matters, especially to a younger generation of candidates who are entering this new working culture of remote and hybrid working. They have more options than previous generations and can be selective when it comes to their choice of global employer. Innovation, progression, and diversity can be hot topics of interest to specific groups of potential employees.
Human resources need to tailor communications to this new audience and strike a chord with them, it's all hands-on deck in the war for talent, and communications made via video or social media can resonate and be a factor. In this article we're going to look at some ways in which companies can prove that they are innovative and what HR professionals need to be saying to convince a potentially skeptical audience.
Flexible working options
This might seem like an obvious one in today's world, but it shouldn't be understated either. The reality is that there are some traditional industries and organizations that haven't quite moved at the same pace as other companies when it comes to hybrid and remote working options.
HR departments need to be loud and obvious if flexible working options do in fact exist. There is a lot of competition out there in this post pandemic world and the simple reality is that there is a subset of global employees who simply will not consider working for a company if it means traveling to an office five days a week. They know there are more flexible options out there and they are more than happy to search for them or wait for them. For some qualified candidates, this is simply non-negotiable, and it is very difficult for a company to appear innovative if they have not moved with the times in terms of changing workplace culture and the office environment.
Providing flexible working options for employees can help a company seem much more appealing to job seekers today. By understanding the desires of the employees and helping them to have a better work-life balance can greatly help the employee experience and even employee engagement at a company. If the employees know that their priorities are valued and that the business is willing to adapt to meet their needs, then it can create a more positive work environment which can help increase a company’s employee retention rates. This kind of company culture could also help increase motivation and productivity if the employees feel genuinely happy to work for this company and they feel like they are in an environment that is supportive.
Digital capabilities
It's a digital world and a digital economy, digital platforms and tools are widespread at multinational companies, but any slowness to adopt the latest and best digital tools is noticed and commented upon. Global employees and professional candidates have numerous networking opportunities, they can talk to each other on online forums and via social media, they can upload pictures and make comments.
If your digital capabilities are less than impressive or seem to be well behind the curve, then this can create a negative public impression and we all know how quickly negative news can spread. A younger generation of talented employees will always want to feel like they are working with the latest and best digital tools available. This is about convenience, speed, and the ability to collaborate. A new market has emerged for effective video conferencing and collaboration tools in a post covid world, and a lack of similar tools can be a deterrent for a qualified candidate looking for their next job.
Some people view digital capabilities through the lens of their personal life, this is a life where they have on demand access to entertainment and banking facilities, and they expect similar in their work environment. An example might be an employee self-service portal which would enable them with quick and easy access to their pay slips and employee information from any location in the world via the device of their choosing. This is one of those digital tools that can be conspicuous by its absence in a similar way that a very dated form of video conferencing technology is immediately noticeable.
HR leaders and professionals could be talking in very enthusiastic terms about the range of digital tools operated within their company and how they are there to facilitate employees and candidates so that they can deliver the very best at their jobs. No candidate wants to feel like they're stepping back in time to a previous decade, so HR teams need to be communicating with them on their terms and in their language.
Employee wellness facilities
Another niche industry is cropping up in the area and space of employee wellness, from digital applications to online tools that improve not only productivity but areas of personal interest to a global workforce.
HR communications need to go above and beyond things that a few years ago were just considered as interesting perks, such as healthcare and gym memberships. This is no longer going to catch the eye of specific candidates nor is it going to wow existing employees. The world has moved on and has been gripped by a life changing pandemic, mental health, stress, and burnout are major issues in today's global workforce and a general feeling is that a lot more needs to happen in the personal wellness space inside the corporate culture.
Having access to mental health and personal well-being digital apps is a step in the right direction. Earned wage access can be viewed as financial wellness and there also needs to be innovation in the social and communication environment for colleagues who work remotely in this post covid environment.
This is an evolving space and there are things that companies can do to set them apart in the war for talent. HR and internal communications teams need to be aligned with a strategy to promote whatever wellness facilities a company chooses to deploy. It is important that HR managers and leaders do their research when it comes to these wellness facilities as any misstep here could be viewed as the opposite of innovation.
In the ongoing war for talent and war for employee retention, HR professionals need to ensure that their company is innovative to stand out from the crowd. Prioritizing the employee and offering them flexible working options for a better work-life balance, as well as providing innovative digital tools are all ways for HR teams to create innovation to help attract and keep employees.
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