WINNING THE POST-PANDEMIC HYBRID TALENT RACE

Winning the talent race will warrant organisations to consider the new work patterns that may be offered as part of the employee value proposition and evaluate how they manage a hybrid workforce to ensure future success

- Richard Smith, PhD

As vaccines roll out, business leaders are starting to emerge from their pandemic hideaways and prepare to go back to the office. This may require some people to re-learn how to wear a necktie or heels as we re-engage in corporate office life. As businesses across sectors start to ramp up initiatives and growth activities, new waves of hiring and quests for talent are already in full gear. In many countries, we see pent-up demand for career changes or job shifts that were put on hold during the pandemic. Thus, it appears that we are on the verge of a post-pandemic talent race!

How do we prepare for this talent race and what must we do to retain and attract the talent we need for our organization? First, we consider the new work patterns that may be offered as part of the employee value proposition. Second, we evaluate how we manage a hybrid workforce to ensure future success.

Identifying new work patterns

Rather than rushing back to the same work patterns and practices, many might suggest that firm leaders have an opportunity to rethink the assumptions for how, where, and when is done. There are several considerations when evaluating new work patterns.

• Not available to Everyone - While this may be true in some cases, many work environments such as manufacturing and consumer services require a physical presence. In other cases, the capital expense of the real estate, equipment, or access to resources would naturally limit the portability or flexibility of work.