If there’s one lesson to take away from 2020, it’s that no plan goes unchanged. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, organizations worldwide had to rethink their strategies for everything from daily operations to staffing and recruitment. As such, many are approaching 2021 with caution, unsure what’s in store. At the same time, employees feel frustrated, weighed down by the uncertainty of present conditions and their career advancements on hold. The silver lining (if there is one) is that moments of discomfort often lead to tremendous innovation.
No surprise, there is a revolution underway, one that started when the future of work became the now. Traditional work models are out as employers look for the chance to re-engage, realign and reset their relationship with employees. In doing so, organizations need to focus on the talent they have, specifically ways to reinvent that talent and drive success over the next several months and years. Here’s how:
- Adopt a new mindset. Rigid thinking need not apply in today’s workplace. It didn’t before the pandemic either, but organizations can be slow to adapt. Still, there’s no time like the present to consider what the business has – and what it needs. From strategies to solutions, disruption is already happening – the question is how to leverage it.
- Invest in skills. Skilling and reskilling were hot topics in recent years, and the value of both continues to persist. The challenge is that there’s no robust way to categorize and catalog the current skills inventory. Take the time to assess the organization’s existing assets and identify what’s needed to move forward, particularly with recruiting and hiring.
- Embrace fractional working. Skills in mind, this type of employment fosters long-term, part-time relationships with talent. Rather than disconnect when an assignment ends, workers remain engaged but free to move around the organization. In turn, the organization develops a robust talent marketplace while workers benefit from other experiences – a win-win scenario.
