With skills shortages and low unemployment across Australia and New Zealand, attracting talent is more difficult than ever. In our discussions with CEOs and HR leaders, attracting the right digital skills in particular is looming as one of their major concerns in the next five years.

And it’s set to get more challenging, with researchers predicting a large and increasing shortfall in technology, media and telecommunication workers.

Insights from our New Reality Roundtable on People:

A highlight of were our breakout sessions where we asked business and technology leaders how they planned to innovate in relation to people, productivity and the planet.

Here are some of the takeaways from our presentations and discussions:

• Having reassessed their careers, work styles and personal lives during the pandemic, today’s workers have big expectations. They want flexible work hours, with a hybrid mix of working from home and in the office. Increasingly, they want to return to travelling for work.
• With some estimating that up to 50% of workers are in a mood to change employers, the ability for your business to attract skilled workers AND upskill existing workers on the latest technology tools will be a huge factor in your success.
• While money talks, so does skill development. Offering a path to learning and skill development can be a marketable way to attract talent and differentiate your organisation.
• Organisations will need to offer skill development programs like online learning platforms, leadership/mentor programs, short courses, internal academies, defined career paths, formal certifications and external qualifications to foster skills and retain ambitious staff.
• The nature of work is changing faster than people. Analyse your current job descriptions and employment criteria to see if they will still apply in five years.
• The skills shortage will require recruiting from a talent pool beyond traditional graduates. It’s time to start recruiting for skills, experience and potential rather than certifications. For example:
  • Transition and cross-skill internal staff to new divisions in your business.
  • Engage with new parents re-entering the workforce who want to apply professional skills from home with flexible terms that work around their family.
  • Tap into underutilised older workers who have significant experience and expertise to offer, and who may need upskilling on digital platforms.
  • Reach out to smart candidates from other industries like law, finance or commerce and then train them up on digital skills.
• Workplace planning in line with your expected business growth is crucial. If you plan to grow headcount over the next five years, you’ll need a defined execution strategy to develop the skills you’ll need. The group discussed four approaches to workplace planning:
  • Build: Proactively recruit graduates, apprenticeships, interns and work experience students and give them an opportunity to build their talent at your business.
  • Borrow: Work with clients, partners and complementary businesses to share and cross-fertilise skilled staff, offering them a reason to stay, and return over time.
  • Buy: Look at consultants, outsourcing, offshoring, contractors and freelancers to fill gaps and build internal capabilities. More and more people are comfortable being full-time guns for hire, moving from project to project. Embrace temporary staff and make them part of your team whether for short or longer term assignments.
  • Bots: Investigate software, artificial intelligence and machine learning innovations to help automate and/or streamline manual or repetitive processes to free staff for more valuable roles.

Beyond skill development, an important theme that was top of mind with business leaders was the importance of culture, purpose, fun and employee experience – especially with younger team members.

Once you’ve invested in attracting, upskilling and developing a great team of people, if you let them down in terms of culture then you fail to build a sustainable long-term talent plan.

to learn more about the event and watch a replay of the keynote by Nic Gill, High Performance Manager of the New Zealand All Blacks.

The post Insights from Effect 2022: How to attract and retain digital talent in the new world of work appeared first on Â鶹ԭ´´ Australia & New Zealand News Center.

In today’s competitive environment there is a lot of focus on attracting skilled staff, but if you can’t retain them once they arrive then your investment is wasted. A big part of this is setting staff up for success with the right tools and experiences – increasingly using technology.

Conditioned by the consumer apps they use at home – like banking, food delivery, shopping and entertainment – today’s workers expect everything to be fast, simple, seamless, instant and at their fingertips. The trouble is that often work systems are far behind in terms of usability.

Our job as leaders, and technologists, is to give people everything they need to do a great job however they prefer to work.

Insights from our New Reality Roundtable on Productivity:

A highlight of were our breakout sessions where we asked business and technology leaders how they planned to innovate in relation to people, productivity and the planet.

Here are some of the takeaways from our presentations and discussions:

• Today’s workers want to log into one application and do everything they need to get their job done throughout their day. This increases productivity for the business and provides a better experience for staff.
• Recent research reveals that even if we have the very best machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions, the optimal performance and business benefits come when people and machines work together behind a clear strategy.
• To get the technology right, it is crucial to move from system thinking to people thinking. To design for people, start by experiencing a ‘day in the life’ of your team in the field or office to observe the mission-critical activities and frustrations. What do they need to start the day, manage their schedule, process an order, communicate with customers, run reports and close up the day?
• Based on this real-life information, you can storyboard, wireframe, design, prototype and test the solution that will provide the tools they need to be successful in their day to day lives. At Â鶹ԭ´´ our goal is to create digital journeys for people that surface the critical data and tasks aligned to their daily tasks where and when they need it – on or offline.
• A huge proportion of people, particularly the younger generations, run their personal and working lives on their phones. This means providing an employee experience on mobile is a huge opportunity. People are losing patience with clunky processes.
• For example the older generation often want phones put away at work and in meetings, but for the next generation this is where they take notes, do research, schedule meetings and contact clients. Being on phones doesn’t mean they’re not engaged, just working differently.
• There is a disconnect between the investment we make on the employee versus customer experience. Too often we put all our effort into the customer at the expense of staff, even though disgruntled staff will damage customer service.
• IT professionals can be very good at telling teams how to use a system which has been pushed down to them, but less great at asking and observing users to see how technology can give them what they need to do their job faster and with fewer frustrations.
• Outside technology, employee experience will win or lose on the human elements of a shared vision, sense of purpose, feeling of inclusion, team morale and a commitment to diversity. While these are broad topics, intelligent and centralised HR platforms and staff collaboration tools can demonstrate how individuals are contributing to business goals, build connections and emphasise employee benefits to build loyalty.

The ultimate goal is to create personalised digital experiences that help users have a great day at work. Ideally they won’t even be aware that they are using technology or switching between systems. While this requires investment and integration, the payoff is worth it.

to learn more about the event and watch a replay of the keynote by Nic Gill, High Performance Coach for the New Zealand All Blacks.

The post Insights from Effect 2022: How digital tools streamline productivity and employee experience appeared first on Â鶹ԭ´´ Australia & New Zealand News Center.

While it was already a priority, sustainability has been pushed up the list for business leaders, driven by natural disasters, global energy, supply chain uncertainty, and the emergence of the younger, more sustainability-savvy generation.

Sustainability has evolved from a tick-the-box compliance requirement to a strategic opportunity to attract a new generation of staff and customers that are demanding action. What’s more, without being cynical, innovative businesses have identified climate change as a multi trillion-dollar opportunity.

As the market and environmental objectives align, doing good for the world’s people, animals, oceans and forests is not just good for the planet, but it can also benefit the bottom line. Sustainability is a global economic challenge requiring swift and market ready solutions.

Insights from our Sustainability Pillar:

A highlight of were our breakout sessions where we asked business and technology leaders how they planned to innovate in relation to people, productivity and the planet.

Here are some of the takeaways from our presentations and discussions:

• While many of the older generations would not have investigated green credentials when assessing a potential employer, today’s graduates are more aware, knowledgeable and passionate about this topic than their predecessors.
• People are demanding the businesses they work for or buy from are operating responsibly and sustainably in terms of energy, waste, emissions and efficiency across their supply chain. They want to work for a brand that is respected, sustainable and is contributing to society.
• True sustainability requires engagement across all levels, from the CEO driving strategy and the product team designing packaging through to the procurement manager sourcing supplies and the efficiency of front-line workers. The commitment starts in the boardroom.
• Institutional investors, superannuation fund managers and shareholders are increasingly applying non-financial environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors as part of their analysis and demanding detailed reporting to manage reputational risks, identify growth opportunities and maximise returns.
• As a result, we’re seeing the rise of the Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) to take accountability for strategy, performance and reporting.
• From raw materials and manufacturing processes to packaging and product usage, end-to-end supply chain transparency is becoming increasingly important. This can incorporate a range of attributes including responsible sourcing, fair work practices, renewable energy, carbon emission, geopolitical environment, transport miles, adverse media, human rights and financial stability.
• Â鶹ԭ´´ is working with third party data aggregators to enhance businesses’ own internal data to develop sustainability dashboards that pull together a range of these ESG factors to score and rate suppliers across the supply chain and make better decisions accordingly. This also becomes valuable for communicating internally and with the market to demonstrate credibility and action.
• Under increasing pressure from customers, staff, regulators, competitors, investors and the media, there is a greater desire and motivation in the corporate world to move fast on this issue – often faster than governments.
• In our discussions with CEOs we know that sustainability is rising fast in terms of strategic objectives, however a large proportion have not taken serious action. We expect to see meaningful action in the coming years.

There is no doubt that digital and climate disruption are major challenges for every industry. However, for businesses willing to embrace digital transformation, they also represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do things better. Better for the planet, better for customers, better for staff, and better for your business.

to learn more about the event and watch a replay of the keynote by Nic Gill, High Performance Manager of the New Zealand All Blacks.

The post Insights from Effect 2022: How technology drives more sustainable organisations appeared first on Â鶹ԭ´´ Australia & New Zealand News Center.