Many executives, business owners, and HR leaders I know are struggling with talent—how to get it and how to keep it.
Companies are finding recruiting new workers with the skills, attitudes, and aptitude required for a rapidly changing workplace more challenging than ever. And from a retention standpoint, these leaders know they won’t keep their best employees forever—those days are long gone. But they want to keep them happy, fulfilled, and productive longer.
Rightfully, some forward-thinking organizations are having regular conversations and check-ins with their teams. They are also improving their cultures to be more attractive in the marketplace for talent while boosting engagement and stemming turnover. And because employees want to work for a company with strong, positive reputations, these employers are doubling down on structures, processes, and tools to better serve their customers.
But for many organizations, years of apathy toward culture and employee needs, stagnant wages, and profit-at-all-cost mentalities are catching up to them. If culture is a metaphorical garden, these employers have left it untended, and the weeds are choking the life out of growth and employee well-being.
And the pandemic? It was like taking a match to a powder keg.
Common in these discussions is the idea that those looking for new jobs, as well as existing workers, have an advantage in the “power dynamic” between employees and employers.
In other words, those doing the labor, or want to do the labor, have the “upper hand.”
Those of us who’ve been around the sun a few spins know all about shifting dynamics in the labor market, so the current situation is nothing entirely new.
But it got me thinking. If this is indeed true, is it necessarily a bad thing for employers? Spoiler alert: not if they use it as a catalyst for lasting change.
And maybe we’re asking the wrong questions altogether. Instead of asking “Who has the upper hand?” perhaps we should be asking:
- Can the current power dynamic be reframed so both employees and employers come out as winners?
- Can this new reality be a springboard into a more transparent and sustainable social contract between labor and management?
- Can the Great Resignation, known now by many other names, be a runway for more authentic workplace environments?
Looking Inward and Leaning Out
I believe the answer to all of these questions can be a resounding “yes” if companies look inward and lean out by aligning what they stand for with their actions.
The process of alignment starts with taking a hard, unflinching look at:
- Our brand promises: Are we keeping our covenants with customers? Are we solving their problems? Are we delivering value and service? Are we listening to their needs and constantly improving our value proposition?
- Our values: What do we stand for? What do we really stand for outside of the flowery sayings in our marketing literature and mission statements pasted on conference room walls?
- Our actions: What are we doing to keep our employees sharper and more marketable? Are we providing them with opportunities to grow and stretch their skill sets? Are we supporting their well-being and mental health? Are we fostering an environment in which they have the confidence to bring their full selves to work every day in order to better serve and delight our customers?
The Bottom Line
Companies can no longer afford to ignore values and culture. Instead of trying to win short-term labor battles, companies need to take a longer view and focus on integrating values and actions into sustainable, respectful relationships with employees that ensure mutual success and growth.
Stop throwing buckets of water on a raging fire, and instead build a flameproof building. Ask the hard questions. When it comes to talent, stop asking “How do we win now?” and start asking “How are we leaning into our mission, culture, and values?”
Michael Bruno is the Strategy and Growth Leader with PerformancePoint, LLC, a national consulting and training firm specializing in culture-building, leadership, and people initiatives. Bruno is an accomplished sales and business development professional with over 20 years of experience in consulting, employee benefits, human capital management (HCM), and recruiting environments.