You seem to be doing everything right – You have a great team, you pay competitively, you have the best coffee in your breakroom, YOU’RE an awesome leader, but no one is applying to your job postings and employees are still leaving your team. Does this sound like you and your situation? You aren’t alone! In today’s post-pandemic job market, leaders in many industries are required to assess their leadership skills, styles, and approaches to retain and recruit well. The question remains, what does this mean for you?

Today’s Job Market

Job seekers view their work – and for whom they work – much differently today than in the past. CNBC reports that job openings outnumbered the unemployed by more than 5 million in March 2022 as companies struggled to fill a record number of vacancies (The Department of Labor). 

Despite these statistics being particularly felt in the Manufacturing sector, Maxwell, an Operations Director, was able to attract talent in hard to fill positions in record time through flexible leadership. Maxwell started by challenging his own views on how work gets done and engaged his team in brainstorming creative ideas to attract talent. He took their feedback and started to offer “hybrid” work options as well as more flexible working hours where possible. 

The new approach challenged his traditional views as a leader by taking him out of his comfort zone, but also retained his current team while attracting new talent to fill his vacancies in a challenging labor market. This is true of all employers who are retaining talent and successfully attracting candidates in today’s competitive market. They are not only reviewing flexibility options, but are also evaluating pay and benefits, their overall employee value proposition, and opportunities for growth and development within their teams. 

Tips To Retain And Recruit Well Post-Pandemic

If you are looking to grow your team – or retain the incredible team you have now, it’s time to assess your leadership style and master the art of leadership flexibility. The ways you’ve always done things just might not work in today’s market. Here are a few ways you can begin practicing leadership flexibility to retain and recruit well.  

Find out what makes employees tick.

The world is full of economic concerns, political unrest, and personal health concerns (to name a few) that naturally spill over into the workplace. Many employees have re-prioritized and want to make sure their time spent at work contributes to their well-being and growth journeys and does not conflict with personal needs at home.  A recent Gallup poll indicated only 32% of employees working for organizations were engaged in early 2022, while 17% were actively disengaged (Five Tips For Listening To Employee Needs Better During A War For Talent (forbes.com)). It is imperative for leaders to spend quality time with employees and listen to their needs now more than ever. Candidates in today’s competitive environment are seeking to work for leaders who will listen to their unique needs, goals, and concerns.

Continually Learn, Grow, and Adapt

Today’s successful leaders continually commit themselves to learning, growing, and adapting to change. They listen to their current employees and keep up with trends in the market. Commit to being a student of your own business and of your employees. Keep your eyes and ears open to anything new. Being intentional in this practice will likely surprise you with all that you can learn! 

Question Your Current Methods

Continually question how you can simplify work and if you’re allowing your team to choose how their work gets done. Being strict regarding in-office work time may demotivate your employees. Engage your team to understand what flexibilities they need and challenge yourself to accommodate reasonable requests. Employees need to feel their work life will support their home life as well as their own mental well-being. In fact, 96% of professionals in the United States say they need flexible work arrangements, but only 47% have it (Harvard Business Review). Doing work differently now can be a key differentiator in attracting talent for the future and retaining current talent.

Support your Employees’ Development

Employers with development opportunities to grow personally and professionally will stand out to job seekers. 46% of employees said they are not as skilled as they need or want to be; however, 29% don't feel optimistic about the opportunities they have for training, upskilling or learning new skills (SHRM). As a leader, listening to understand what motivates your employees as well as thinking outside the box regarding opportunities to develop within your organization will attract new talent and retain current talent.

Remember Maxwell? He also learned his current team was craving more challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. He challenged himself to think about how to do this as a leader and was able to give potential candidates a sense of confidence they would develop on his team. His focus on listening to his team’s goals and continuously learning himself were key factors that let him successfully retain talent on. His current employees became his loudest “recruiters”  and tapped into their networks to recommend candidates for vacancies on the team - helping Maxwell’s fill his candidate pool.

Take time for yourself. 

Leaders who can genuinely listen to the needs of their team, take the time to digest feedback, thoughtfully implement change, and keep up with current trends in the market must also take time for themselves. It is important to give yourself time to think through longer-term implications of feedback you’re receiving as well as to reflect on what type of team you want to build – and what kind of leader you want to be.

Job seekers want different things than they did 6 months ago and will want different things 6 months from now. Leaders need to be agile. Continue to ask questions, follow trends, listen to your team, and take time to reflect. Defaulting to what has always worked in the past will not help you retain and recruit well in this post-pandemic world

Need A Leadership And Career Development Partner?

Assessing your own professional development needs as well as continuously learning in today’s competitive market can be daunting. Engaging the support of our experienced and certified career coaches for one-to-one coaching will allow you to achieve career success through regular action and goals. The team at The Wilbanks Consulting Group is happy to help by offering Professional Career Coaching Services. Reach out to us today for a free 30-minute consultation.