5 Ways Recruiters Can Adapt to a World of Work with No Boundaries
The world of work has evolved rapidly in recent years, driven by factors such as advances in technology, the rise of remote work, globalization, and changing attitudes towards work-life balance. Part of being a recruiter in 2023 and beyond is evolving along with the workplace and knowing what’s important to employers and candidates.
Deloitte’s 2023 Global Human Capital Trends survey offers some insight on what we can all expect from the world of work in 2023 and beyond. This survey “polled 10,000 business and HR leaders across every industry, with 105 countries participating. The survey data is complemented by interviews with executives from some of today’s leading organizations.”
After analyzing the survey and diving deeper into how these trends may impact recruiters, here’s 5 ways that recruiters can adapt to a world of work with no boundaries:
1. Take a skills-based approach to hiring
Deloitte’s survey found that employers are beginning to look outside the job and make workforce decisions based on skills a candidate has, rather than job titles and formal education. These traditional signs of a qualified candidate don’t seem to be serving organizations in the same way they did when business change was slower. Some things that are forcing the shift to skills-based hiring are the talent shortages being seen in key markets around the world, and the need for agility in uncertain economic times.
As a recruiter, taking a skills-based approach to hiring can diversify your talent pool and potentially put you in front of candidates who have all the skills that align with a role, but have been overlooked by other recruiters.
2. Leverage technology to improve team capabilities
Deloitte’s survey states, “New workplace technologies are emerging that don’t just augment human workers but actually help them improve their own personal and teaming capabilities—helping humans become better humans and teams become better teams.” Participants in the survey don’t predict technology will replace humans, but instead make it easier for teams to focus on their high-value skills and improve collaboration internally.
How can recruiters utilize new technologies in the workplace? Some areas that tech can help your recruitment process are by collecting data to better understand human behavior, automate back-office processes, improve communication internally and with candidates, and so much more.
3. Integrate all worker types into business strategy and structure
Participants in the survey acknowledged that companies are increasingly relying on nontraditional labor, such as temp workers or contractors, for specific skills and strategy needs. This is great, but companies may be missing out on even more value from these types of workers because they aren’t showing the same support and consistency to them as they may be to full-time workers at their organization. Deloitte describes the ideal workplace as an “all-inclusive, boundaryless ecosystem, where different types of workers have different needs and make valuable contributions in different ways.”
What’s the takeaway for recruiters? Contractors and temp workers are integral to organizations and sharing company strategies and culture with them will help build a better workplace ecosystem for your clients. And, if you’re a recruiter who’s not already tapping into the contingent workforce, then it may be time to do so, especially in the US!
4. Measure DEI success according to outcomes, not activities
Survey participants concluded that DEI progress should be measured by outcomes instead of activities. Effort, money allotted, or promises made by leaders of organizations, do not directly correlate to equitable outcomes in the workforce. Some ways that Deloitte suggests improving DEI and properly measuring results are by making DEI actions intrinsic to an organization, focusing on systems instead of individuals, and re-orienting to outcomes.
For recruiters, the topic of DEI isn’t new and it’s not going anywhere. Deloitte found that “86% of the business leaders we surveyed say embedding DEI into everyday ways of working and teaming while measuring outcomes is important or very important to their organizations’ success.”
5. Utilize worker data to create mutual value
Data in the workplace can be tricky to navigate. Deloitte suggests, “The key to success is finding ways to use worker data, which benefits organizations and workers alike, even as regulations continue to evolve.” In organizations, it’s important for workers to fully understand how their data is being used because this builds trust, and even better if they can benefit from this data as well.
Proper utilization of data can positively impact recruitment processes, as it can give some insight on human behavior and patterns, as well as improve overall performance.
Disclaimer: This post is provided for informational purposes and should not be considered legal advice, the final word on this topic or a political opinion.