KEY FINDINGS How is the talent \challenge evolving...

Where do Vanguards have an edge over their \competitors in delivering the life-work shift?

^{INTRODUCTION | KEY FINDINGS | VANGUARDS | PART ONE | PART TWO | SOLUTIONS}

Re:work – creating the new playbook

Our global research reveals a life-work shift is underway driven by employees’ changing expectations around work and how some leading organisations are adapting to this new reality to attract and retain talent."

Tammy Browning
President, KellyOCG

^{INTRODUCTION | KEY FINDINGS | VANGUARDS | PART ONE | PART TWO | SOLUTIONS}

Attracting and retaining talent

Employers face fierce competition for talent, a challenge made harder by businesses not being able to hire contingent talent. This, alongside a lack of skills in the market, are executives' top challenges when it comes to being able to grow their business.

They're also struggling to adapt to fast-changing employee expectations. Executives recognise poor life-work balance as a top cause of employee churn, alongside poor progression opportunities and uncompetitive pay and benefits. Leading businesses increasingly recognise the need to redesign the employee experience: 37% agree that employee expectations have changed since the pandemic.

Mental health and the life-work shift

Leaders need to address widespread concerns about mental health and life-work balance. Just 26% of executives believe that their employer cares about their mental health (40% in Vanguards). Despite hybrid environments making it more complex for business leaders to manage the wellbeing of their workforce, organisations have a duty to look after all employees. This means putting in new measures to spot signs of burnout or overworking in individuals who work remotely, and ensuring that the unique stress points of contingent talent are addressed. For example, streamlining processes to ensure invoices are paid on time, setting expectations around project deadlines upfront and improving onboarding for those who choose to work in the office.

^{INTRODUCTION | KEY FINDINGS | VANGUARDS | PART ONE | PART TWO | SOLUTIONS}

Is hybrid working?

Delivering the life-work shift means having a clear vision for hybrid working. Executives' views on hybrid are mixed: only 21% of firms overall believe that hybrid work styles are positively impacting organisational culture. And 28% of all firms believe that the complexity of managing hybrid will eventually drive a requirement to return to the office for the majority of employees. In the meantime, there is concern that hybrid could affect some employees unfairly: more than a quarter of leaders (27%) say that in-office workers are seen as more productive than their remote/hybrid worker counterparts, and are more likely to be promoted. That could undermine critical work on DEI.

Executives on the move

The "Great Resignation" continues to impact businesses globally, across all roles. Our research reveals its ongoing impact on leadership roles: 13% of executives admitted they are currently looking for a new role in a different organisation. Just 42% are happy in their current role and 72% plan to leave their current employer within the next two years. Vanguard businesses have a significant advantage: among executives in Vanguards, 61% say they are happy, 37% plan to stay at least two years, and only 5% are job hunting.

It’s not just where employees work that has changed since the pandemic began, but how they work as well. More individuals are entering the contingent talent pool in search of more flexible, fulfilling and engaging work."

Jacqui Whyatt
Group Lead – Sales and Architecture, KellyOCG