Now that we’re truly in the midst of the “War for Talent,” what should we do?

The “War for Talent” has never been more relevant than in the current climate, where employee value propositions are truly being weighed as people make their “big personal decisions” (quoted from Cristina Casadei and Mariano Corso, *Il Sole 24 Ore*).

The Employee Value Proposition is “… the sum total of everything people experience and receive as part of their employment relationship with a company: intrinsic satisfaction with the work, the work environment, leadership, colleagues, compensation, and more. It is what the company does to meet the needs, expectations, and even the dreams of its employees.” (Axelrod, 2001)

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Today, those who are self-reliant, responsible, and highly competent have a vast array of choices, and more and more people are exploring and realizing their potential to pursue a different kind of career and professional environment. This, therefore, presents a wonderful opportunity to enhance the role of Human Resources: the effects of the global pandemic are challenging organizations and conventional ideas about work, and those who want to “succeed” must align themselves with these new needs and aspirations.

If this new “war” is indeed underway, organizations should start asking themselves fresh, different, truly “people-centered” questions—because retaining or attracting talent is not a fixed, one-size-fits-all strategy, but rather a vision that is increasingly tailored to the individual in a constantly evolving landscape.  People are finally more aware of the decision-making process and have broader opportunities in a job market that is now hybrid—if not entirely remote for many professions.

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This is no trivial battle, given the growing organizational malaise, as reported by Marcus Buckingham in his recent article published in *Harvard Business Review Italia*,“Designing Work That People Love.” The author argues that we need to make people “fall in love” with their work so that it becomes a source of energy and resilience. “Do you always work with enthusiasm, using your strengths and doing what you’re passionate about?” This is a summary of some of the key questions posed by Buckingham.

Several positive organizational developments are emerging, including a greater focus on the employee experience and—finally—on retention. It is becoming essential to anticipate and address dissatisfaction or issues before employees leave, especially now that they can more easily choose where to work (since, for an increasing number of people, “where” is a subjective factor) and competition is intensifying for many.

That’s why, before worrying about the “Great Resignation,” it’s time to ask ourselves some big internal questions. Among them:   

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• Do we have a truly valuable Employee Value Proposition that enables people to truly experience the “best place to work” and feel proud to be part of it?
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• Do we guarantee people compensation that is in line with their quality of life? I know that this topic—out of “political correctness”—and a very Italian habit in the workplace—should be glossed over, or, as is fashionable, reduced to trite generalizations, but it remains the decisive factor: a person cannot survive or pay their bills on passion and enthusiasm alone. Following on from this point, are we considering salary adjustments in light of the rising cost of living? As daily expenses rise, the same salary has a different (and lower) value for our employees, and the likelihood of them leaving increases accordingly.
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• Do we offer a flexible work experience? This is now one of the first—if not the first and most important—questions a candidate asks during an interview.
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• Do we communicate with our people? It can really be a big problem to keep thinking that organizational (internal) communication is just a “nice-to-have.” How can people foster that sense of belonging without knowing or staying up to date on everything the organization is doing? To act without communicating is to have done only part of the job—if not to have failed entirely.
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• Do we offer streamlined and innovative processes and procedures? Outdated practices that are out of step with the times only serve to alienate people, especially now that we should be striving for more humane organizations.
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• Are we clear on what “the perk” of working in the office is? It’s also well known that many people feel frustrated by traffic and the various commutes involved—especially when, at the office, all you do is connect with people who are far away, and you might even struggle to find a place to do so under optimal conditions, without the risk of noise or interruptions.
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• Do we know who our “Key People” are and why they should continue to choose us? And by this, I don’t mean those lists that are sometimes far too generic in organizations—lists that are far removed from the true meaning of talent—but rather high-potential individuals whose contributions are indispensable, fundamental, and help achieve business results by facilitating and supporting the work of all team members.
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• Are we truly treating people as our number one “customer,” and therefore—just as we pursue customer retention to keep our customers and minimize churn—are we envisioning their experience through this lens?
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• Are we truly aware—without filters, flattery, or fear—of how the team’s atmosphere and relationships with managers are actually perceived? Let’s never forget that, in practice, the company is embodied by the manager, who represents the organization to the individual—very often, “people leave because of their managers.”
• Do we support people in understanding and coping with uncertainty and change, enabling them to continuously develop and carefully hone their skills in line with the evolving landscape?
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• Do we encourage people to continue learning and to share their ideas and passions? Here, in light of the growing importance of interdisciplinary exchange, we must also ask ourselves to what extent we are encouraging people to discover or develop talents that go beyond their ordinary work and that could prove useful in this evolving context. In connection with this issue, we should also consider the well-known trend related to micro-learning and nudging (gentle prompts aimed at developing new habits), as an effective learning response in fast-paced and evolving organizational contexts.
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• Do we also pay attention to the departure—or “offboarding” —of those who have invested their time in our company and may continue to support it in other ways?
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As reported by Jacob Morgan ( bestselling author, speaker, and futurist who explores leadership, the future of work, and the employee experience) in his article“The Evolution of Employee Experience,”companies have shifted in recent years from a primary focus on utility to a focus on productivity aimed at getting the most out of people. This was followed by the emergenceengagement, leading to a greater emphasis on having happier and more engaged employees. Now, we are shifting our focus specifically to the importance of the experience designed and offered to employees in their day-to-day work lives.

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What is certain—and Morgan makes this clear in his article—is that some companies are still stuck in the “utility” era and offer their employees basic experiences, focused solely on getting the work done. There are also still companies focused solely on the goal of improving productivity and output. In both of these cases, we are far removed from the revolution that has taken place over the past two or three decades within most organizations—a revolution that has recognized the importance of attention as the key lever for getting the most out of people, and in which organizations ask themselves what they can do to foster relationships and foster loyalty.

The gig economy (on-demand work, as opposed to permanent employment) is on the rise; careers are more open-ended, and their meaning and driving forces are changing. A wide variety of opportunities are knocking on the doors of more and more people—especially those who are riding the waves of change in innovative and courageous ways. A new organizational mindset is needed to redesign work and ensure employee retention. In short, the “war for talent” will be won by future-proof organizations, and the future has one key watchword: SUA—Augmented Human Choice—because it’s no longer just organizations that are making the choices.

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“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” Jon Kabat-Zinn

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