This year, the Deloitte Human Capital Trends survey for 2018 included insights from over 11,000 HR and business leaders. With insights delivered from 124 countries, the research provided comprehensive guidance into how businesses are entering a new paradigm for management – one focused on the concept of a company as a crucial component of a broader community.
In a world where tech companies are always looking for new ways to attract and retain dedicated staff members, the Deloitte study for 2018 suggests that we see a shift in the way organisations operate. Focusing on the theme of the “social enterprise”, the research suggests that businesses are now evaluated by more than just their financial performance, or the quality of the products they provide.
Today, organisations are judged by their “social” performance – the way that they treat their employees and engage with their customers in the context of a wider surrounding community. According to the study, 77% of respondents felt that social impact and citizenship was important to the growth of their organisation, while another 65% said that “inclusive growth” was one of their top 3 goals for the future.
The rise of the social enterprise is changing the recruitment experience from the inside out.
What Does the “Social Enterprise” Mean to Employers?
According to Deloitte, the “social enterprise” has emerged because customers are less trusting of the world around them. We are all more cynical, and more likely to focus our attention on companies who share our values and expectations. For instance, 76% of the respondents from the Deloitte Millennial survey said that they believe today’s businesses are a “force for social impact”.
It is not just customers that are more drawn to the socially-conscious business either. As more millennials enter the workforce, these candidates are also changing the way that employers appeal to top-tier talent. Three-quarters of the generation say that they would take a pay cut if it meant working for a socially responsible company.
Ddespite the evidence that a social focus pays off, 53% of respondents in the Deloitte study had poorly-developed CSR programmes in place.
As the marketplace demands something new from the business world, hiring managers will benefit from adjusting their recruitment strategy to suit the emerging trends. Let’s look at just 3 of the critical patterns addressed by the Human Capital Study for 2018.
1. The Transformation from “Career” to Experience
Ever since millennials began to enter the workplace, the recruitment journey has started to change. In simple terms, candidates are not just looking for ways to pay the bills anymore; they want a career that’s going to deliver regarding exciting experiences, opportunities for growth, and frequent modes of development.
This move away from the definition of a career as a source of income and a job as an opportunity for experience is the most prevalent trend facing tech companies in the UK. It means that the organisations willing to implement strategies for personal and professional growth are often the ones that will attract and retain the right talent.
To adapt to this trend, work with your specialist recruitment agency to determine how you can make work more of an experience for your employees. Think about:
- Training strategies: Provide your Salesforce or online security team with training every time there’s a significant software upgrade or change in the marketplace.
- Customised development: Discuss your employee’s career plan with them in-depth and come up with a plan to help them achieve their goals. For instance, would they benefit from networking with other experts, or attending conferences?
- Keeping up-to-date: The technology industry is growing at a rate faster than ever, with AI, IoT, and agile methodologies leading the way – how are you making sure that your staff is up-to-date?
2. The Importance of Workplace Wellbeing
Thanks to things like smartphones, and collaboration apps that permit people to work from anywhere, at any time, the lines between the personal and professional worlds are blurring. To avoid overwhelm, today’s technology employers need to think carefully about how they can support their hires not just in their professional development, but in their wellness too.
In the Deloitte Survey, 86% of organisations suggested that well-being is a critical driver of productivity. After all, when the people in your team feel happy and healthy, they are more capable of achieving incredible things. Your workplace wellbeing strategy might involve:
- Asking your employees what they need: Rather than just offering gym passes or healthy meals to your tech hires, consider asking them what they need to be more productive. Some may only need a few hours away from the desk each week.
- Making wellness part of the company culture: The easiest way to ensure adoption of wellness strategies in any business is to make them an inherent part of everything employees do. Rewarding people who achieve their wellness goals and celebrating business-wide accomplishments is a great way to make wellbeing feel more natural at work.
- Ensuring constant communication: Making sure that your staff feel comfortable discussing their needs can help to promote a stronger feeling of wellness. Remember that wellbeing is not just about physical health, but mental grit too.
3. The Rise of the Hyper-Connected Workforce
Speaking of communication, the third most critical trend for UK companies in the Deloitte study, was the rise of the hyper-connected workforce. Communication tools are everywhere in the modern business space, helping managers delegate work, and team members collaborate on projects. While these resources can play a valuable role in the digital transformation of a company, they can also be problematic if they are not introduced with the right strategy.
Deloitte suggests that the hyper-connected workforce needs to be led by the employee, rather than the employer. This means that leaders need to listen to their teams and find out which connectivity tools they need, before bringing new tools into the mix.
As social media makes its way into the business environment, and terms like “Unified Communications and Collaboration” come to the forefront of company decisions, let your staff guide you towards the products that are right for them. Listening to the needs of tech employees with regular meetings, surveys, and even company suggestion boxes can mean that you end up with an organisation that’s not just hyper-connected, but hyper-productive too.
About Resource On Demand
Resource on Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company, now also focusing on growth Cloud markets.
We assist innovative and disruptive organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill Cloud roles that span across Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, Human Capital Management and the growing Salesforce.com suite of skills.
The team at Resource on Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 Cloud professionals each year.
To find out how we can support you call us on +44 20 8123 7769