It’s a constant refrain of employers: Employees are becoming more demanding with those pesky Gen Zs expecting beanbags, upmarket coffee machines and free fruit, of all things! Yet take away the surface perks and what staff are asking for is not new. They’ve always wanted fun, purpose, autonomy, flexibility, and fair pay. The ‘new’ is that the pendulum of power has swung and many companies are still stuck in their past paradigms deploying archaic employer-centric systems to attract, hire and retain their people. And it’s simply not working. They’re failing to adapt from the old mind-set of ‘people should be grateful to have a job’ to the new, that is, ‘we are lucky to have this skilled person invest their time in our business’.
With this in mind, we need to revisit the way organisations partner with the people they employ. The media often talk about the ‘future of work’, but this creates a false perspective. As the current labour market shows, it’s impossible to achieve our business goals without skilled recruits so we need to start asking ‘how can organisations collaborate and restructure their operations, so their people flourish in life as well as work?’ In essence, go with the grain rather than against it. A radical idea, I know, but one with a considerable prize on offer – more engaged and productive people, less sick days, and an increased ability to attract and retain top-quality applicants.
So how can you get ahead in this attraction game? Here are a couple of simple innovative examples to demonstrate this concept:
ON-DEMAND PAY:
PayPal and Walmart have introduced a novel approach to pay that has been a roaring success. It’s called on-demand pay and uses software to enable people to access their earnt wages whenever they want, not just on the standard two or four week pay cycles. Hence a person can work a Sunday and draw wages that night or when needed for groceries three days later. For casual employees struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck it proven to be a massive game-changer, and with companies like Gusto and Cloudpay offering fully automated platforms and apps, its relatively easy to implement. Walmart’s 500,000 employees found it such a hit they rated it their third most-desired benefit after health insurance and superannuation.
SUPPORTING PARENTS AT WORK:
Nappy company, Kimberley-Clark changed their start time for workers to 10am, allowing mothers to avoid rush-hour traffic and solved its high staff turnover problem. The online marketplace, Etsy, launched its new, comprehensive parent support program, Strong Families, Strong Business to provide better parental leave plus access to coaching, counseling, and other outlets for support. They credit the strategy of reimagining commerce in ways that build a more fulfilling and lasting world, as a vital factor in their success.
Finally, don’t forget to include all of these initiatives in your hiring process. My niece recently interviewed for a job with a not-for-profit. It was only after she’d been offered and accepted the position that she found out that she could allocate $18K of her pre-tax income to living expenses such as rent, petrol and electricity. In effect it was a massive tax break that equated to an extra $100 per week in real savings, yet wasn’t mentioned either in the job ad or at interview!
So stop talking about the future of work and start thinking about ways to enhance your employee’s lives. Get rid of those cliché-ridden job ads, stop blaming lazy Millennials and do something to win your people over. If you’re stuck for ideas or you’d like to develop your skills in this area check out my upcoming People and Culture Accelerator Program starting on Wed 3 August (with an early bird discount of $1500 for those who book and pay by 31 May). Join people from other organisations in this immersive course where I share innovative research, tools and techniques on attracting, hiring and retaining great people and building remarkable workplaces where people and profits flourish. Find the details HERE.
Mandy Johnson is a best-selling author, researcher and advisor and has ‘in-the-trenches’ experience as a start-up founder and director of global travel retailer Flight Centre’s UK operation, opening a store a month. She has worked with a wide range of companies including Virgin Australia, Teys Beef, the Australian Stockbroker’s Association, Dairy Australia, Ray White Commercial, Qld State Library and Michael Hill Jewellery. One of only a handful of Australians to present at the Asia/Pacific Talent Conference in Taipei, Mandy has been interviewed for her innovative business ideas on Sky Business News, ABC Radio’s Conversation Hour, Qantas Radio and many others.