Nowadays, investing in young people should not just be a slogan, but the best strategy companies should adopt to grow, innovate and gain competitive advantages over their competitors. Regarding Consea Head Hunting‘s experience in managing recruitment processes with the younger generation, a certain rigidity shown by candidates is emerging, expressed especially in terms of demands related to hybrid working opportunities, career plans and business ethics. As a result, there is often a significant lack of motivation and engagement when faced with an offer that fails to detail or satisfy these aspects.
WHAT CAN ORGANIZATIONS DO?
To make themselves more attractive to the younger generation, companies should first of all understand what is actually being sought, and in this regard, there is an increasing emergence of the importance for young people being able to identify with company values in terms of sustainability (environmental, valuing diversity, inclusive approach and equity), ethics, training (with an important focus on soft skills, skills that can become an asset to the individual and not just a direct benefit to the company as is the case with technical skills), policies for investing in resourcesand sharing the expected goals and their consequent development plans envisaged not only in terms of vertical growth, but also about involvement in initiatives, task forces and projects aimed at the well-being of the internal community. Equally important seems to be the attention paid to the work-life balance, flexibility and wellbeing policies within the organization.
In terms of attraction and retention, an important role is played by the organization’s external communication as the new generations put great importance to the company’s website and its presence on social networks as well as, in general, its web reputation.
COMPANY AS COMMUNITY
This focus is symptomatic of the fact that nowadays the company is no longer considered a mere workplace, on the contrary, it increasingly constitutes a real community for new generations, who can appreciate opportunities of involvement that can allow them to come closer and share experiences with other employees belonging not only to different areas or functions, but also to different generations; of this a significant example could be reverse mentoring.
BETRAYAL OR OPENNESS TO CHANGE?
In conclusion, we can highlight one more peculiarity: increasingly, new generations are experiencing change as a development opportunity to enrich their skills and, therefore, the decision to leave one company for another should not be experienced as a betrayal; on the contrary, it would be much more functional for the organization to maintain relations with the resource who has changed reality by opting for a new context. This attitude could generate future opportunities for a new encounter and possible opportunities to reintegrate the resource, enriched by the new experiences gained in the meantime.
Satisfaction in the workplace: How does work affect our happiness?
A good atmosphere in the workplace, satisfying salary and interesting challenges undoubtedly affect the attractiveness of our professional life. But is it only professional?
Work is an inseparable part of our life and has a huge impact on it. Our frequent profession defines us as a person. When asked "who are you?" we usually immediately mention our job title.
Duties, relationships with employees, successes, but also failures penetrate into our private lives. It's hard to completely cut yourself off from what's going on in the workplace. That is why it is so important that what we do professionally gives us a sense of fulfillment and provides financial security.
How to achieve "wellbeing" in the workplace?
"Wellbeing" is defined as a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment of an employee. It is related to providing them with opportunities for development and safe working conditions. Additional benefits are an added value, but they will not replace the appropriate organizational culture of the company.
How to provide employees with comfort of work?
First of all, monitor their satisfaction and create an environment in which every employee will feel free to say what bothers them. Surveys or individual conversations of employees with the HR Manager can help with this.
The next step is to implement appropriate action: these can be platforms providing consultations with a psychologist, organizing fitness classes (e.g. yoga) – activities, which can help the employee take their thoughts off the multitude of duties.
Every company and its needs are different. Especially after the pandemic, which made the hybrid model a permanent feature of many organizations. It is important to match the right tool and use it to create a workplace that will make the employee satisfied.
Generation Y and Z – can they enjoy their work?
Rocketjobs.pl conducted research in Poland to check the importance of work in the respondent's life and whether it is also their passion.
52% of people declared that working is an important part of their lives, while 30% say that there are other more important things they focus on.
The results are the same when it comes to perception of the profession as a passion – 52% treat their work in this way, and 30% of respondents do not include their job as a hobby.
6 out of 10 people say they are happy at work. While 1 out of 5 people feel – quite the opposite.
The survey has also shown which aspects of working life are important for Generation Y and Z.
The most important factors turned out to be: salary, flexible working time, development prospects, the possibility of remote work, work dynamics, prestige of work, and good relations with co-workers.
It turns out that 51% of respondents from generation Z and 3 out of 5 respondents from generation Y are very satisfied with their level of salary.
The younger the respondents, the more they valued flexible working hours and development prospects. Work dynamics, prestige of the profession and relationships with colleagues are equally important for the respondents – regardless of their age.
The employees were also asked about the reason for choosing a job and the most important thing for them is still the salary. Nowadays, this should not surprise us at all: inflation makes people want to feel financially secured. Additional benefits take a back seat – employees definitely prefer a larger payment than a gym membership. However, this does not mean, that other things – such as a good atmosphere and appropriate organizational culture – should be neglected. If they are at a low level, the employee without remorse will go to the competition.
What is "gainful employment"?
"Gainful employment" is a situation in which the employee is materially self-sufficient thanks to their earnings. They are able to cover all needs (paying for housing, food, healthcare, but also education, culture, etc.), and thus derive full satisfaction from life.
In order for an employee to strive for such a state, they should have access to:
Courses and education – having skills that are in demand in the labor market will allow one to develop professionally and, as a result, receive a promotion.
Professional experience – this includes apprenticeships, internships, volunteering, i.e. everything that will allow someone to learn new things.
Network of contacts – being active in social media and participating in fairs, conferences, interesting events.
CV – an up-to-date document that presents our current skills. Before the recruitment interview, it is also good to get to know employer's profile.
Job search "out of the box" – it is nice sometimes to get out of the comfort zone and in addition to the standard application on the Internet, make direct contact with recruiters using LinkedIn.
Summary
One’s profession does not have to be life’s greatest passion, but it is important to approach one’s duties with a motivation.
This is important, not only from the point of view of the employee themself, but also for the employer. A company that provides its people with appropriate development conditions and attractive salary has a better chance of keeping a good employee for a long time.
However, research has shown that not everyone feels happy in the workplace – this is important information for many organizations in the labor market. Employers can reliably check whether their employees feel good and implement the necessary solutions.
It turns out that it is the youngest, (generation Z), that forces employers to make the most changes. Representatives of this generation are confident and openly signal what they disagree. They suggest to employers what they would like to improve or achieve. If they don't get it, they change jobs without any regrets. Gen Z doesn't want to waste time on something that doesn't bring them satisfaction. They also emphasize the so-called „work-life balance” – a sense of peace and disconnection from professional matters after working hours is extremely important to Generation Z.
Every person strives to achieve happiness - for everyone it has a different meaning but work is an inseparable element of everyone’s lifes and it is important to take care of fulfillment there also.
Follow Consea Group on LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest news about well-being in the workplace.
Authors:
Iga Paszkiewicz - Recruitment Consultant Consea Executive Search, Poland
Read the article in Polish:
Jak praca wpływa na nasze poczucie szczęścia?
Dobra atmosfera w miejscu pracy, satysfakcjonujące wynagrodzenie oraz ciekawe wyzwania niewątpliwie wpływają na atrakcyjność naszego życia zawodowego. Ale czy tylko zawodowego?
Praca jest nieodłączną częścią naszego życia i ma na nie ogromny wpływ. Często wykonywany przez nas zawód definiuje nas jako osobę. Na pytanie „kim jesteś?” zazwyczaj od razu wspominamy o naszej profesji. Dopiero potem pojawiają się kolejne elementy i cechy, które nas opisują.
Obowiązki, relacje z pracownikami, sukcesy, ale i porażki przenikają do naszego prywatnego życia. Ciężko jest całkowicie odciąć się od tego, co dzieje się w miejscu pracy. Dlatego tak ważne jest, by to, co robimy sprawiało nam przyjemność, poczucie spełnienia oraz zapewniało bezpieczeństwo finansowe.
Jak osiągnąć „wellbeing” w miejscu pracy?
„Wellbeing” definiujemy jako poczucie zadowolenia i spełnienia pracownika. Jest ono związane z zapewnieniem mu możliwości rozwoju oraz bezpiecznych warunków pracy.
Dodatkowe benefity czy tzw. „owocowe czwartki” to wartość dodana, ale nie zastąpią pracownikowi odpowiedniej kultury organizacyjnej firmy.
Jak zapewnić pracownikom komfort pracy?
Przede wszystkim monitorować jego zadowolenie oraz kreować środowisko, w którym każdy zatrudniony będzie czuł się swobodnie, by powiedzieć, co mu nie odpowiada. Mogą w tym pomóc ankiety, badania lub indywidualne rozmowy pracowników z HR Managerem.
Następnym krokiem jest wdrożenie odpowiedniego działania: mogą to być platformy zapewniające konsultacje z psychologiem, zorganizowanie krótkich zajęć (np. joga), które pomogą pracownikowi oderwać swoje myśli od natłoku obowiązków.
Każda firma i jej potrzeby są inne. Zwłaszcza po pandemii, która sprawiła, że model hybrydowy zagościł na stałe w wielu organizacjach. Ważne, by dopasować odpowiednie narzędzie i za jego pomocą kreować miejsce pracy, które sprawi, że pracownik będzie czuł się w nim spełniony.
Pokolenie Y i Z – czy potrafią cieszyć się z pracy?
Rocketjobs.pl przeprowadziło badania, które miały na celu sprawdzić, jak ważna jest praca w życiu respondenta i czy jest ona również jego pasją.
52% osób zadeklarowało, że praca stanowi istotną część ich życia, 30% twierdzi, że są inne ważniejsze rzeczy, na których się skupiają.
Podobnie było w kwestii postrzegania zawodu jako pasji – 52% właśnie w taki sposób traktuje swoją pracę, a 30% ankietowanych nie zalicza swojej profesji do hobby.
6 z 10 osób twierdzi, że jest w pracy szczęśliwa. 1 z 5 osób – wręcz odwrotnie.
W badaniach zbadano również, jakie aspekty związane z życiem zawodowym są ważne dla przedstawicieli generacji Y i Z.
Najważniejsze okazały się: poziom wynagrodzenia, elastyczny czas pracy, perspektywy rozwoju, możliwość pracy zdalnej, odpowiadająca dynamika pracy, prestiż wykonywanej pracy, dobre relacje ze współpracownikami.
Okazuje się, że 51% ankietowych z pokolenia Z oraz 3 z 5 badanych z pokolenia Y jest bardzo zadowolonych z poziomu wynagrodzenia.
Im młodsi są ankietowani, tym bardziej cenią sobie elastyczny czas pracy oraz perspektywy rozwoju. Dynamika pracy, prestiż wykonywanego zawodu oraz relacje ze współpracownikami są ważne w podobnym stopniu dla badanych osób – niezależnie od ich wieku.
Badanych pytano również o powód wyboru pracy i najważniejsza dla nich jest nadal wysokość wynagrodzenia. W obecnych czasach absolutnie nie powinno nas to dziwić. Inflacja powoduje, że każdy z nas chciałby czuć się zabezpieczony finansowo. Dodatkowe benefity schodzą wtedy na drugi plan – pracownicy zdecydowanie bardziej wolą większą wypłatę niż karnet sportowy. Nie oznacza to jednak, że inne kwestie – takie, jak dobra atmosfera oraz odpowiednia kultura organizacyjna powinny być zaniedbane. Jeśli są one na niskim poziomie, pracownik bez wyrzutów sumienia przejdzie do konkurencji.
Czym jest „gainfull employment”?
„Gainfull employment” to sytuacja, w której pracownik dzięki swoim zarobkom jest samowystarczalny materialnie. Jest on w stanie pokryć wszystkie potrzeby (opłacenie mieszkania, żywności, opieki zdrowotnej, ale i edukacji, kultury), a co za tym idzie czerpać pełną satysfakcję z życia.
Aby pracownik dążył do takiego stanu, powinien mieć dostęp do:
Kursów i edukacji – posiadanie umiejętności, które są pożądane na rynku pracy pozwolą na rozwój zawodowy, a w rezultacie otrzymanie awansu.
Doświadczenie zawodowe – zaliczamy do tego praktyki, staż, wolontariat, czyli wszystko, co pozwoli nam na naukę nowych rzeczy.
Sieć kontaktów – bycie aktywnym w social mediach oraz uczestniczenie w targach, konferencjach, ciekawych eventach.
Odpowiednie CV – aktualny dokument, który przedstawia nasze dotychczasowe umiejętności. Przed rozmową rekrutacyjną warto również zapoznać się z profilem pracodawcy.
Poszukiwanie pracy „out of the box” – warto czasami wyjść ze strefy komfortu i oprócz standardowego aplikowania w Internecie, można zadbać o bezpośredni kontakt z rekruterami za pomocą LinkedIn.
Wnioski
Nasz zawód nie musi być naszą największą pasją, ale ważne, by z chęcią i dużą dawką motywacji podchodzić do swoich obowiązków.
Jest to ważne nie tylko z punktu widzenia samego pracownika, ale też pracodawcy. Firma, która zapewnia swoim ludziom odpowiednie warunki rozwoju, atrakcyjne wynagrodzenie oraz poczucie sprawczości na danym stanowisku, ma większą szansę na zatrzymanie u siebie dobrego pracownika.
Badania pokazały jednak, że nie wszyscy odczuwają szczęście w miejscu zatrudnienia. To ważna informacja dla wielu organizacji na rynku pracy. Mogą one w rzetelny sposób sprawdzić czy ich pracownicy czują się dobrze i wdrożyć niezbędne rozwiązania, gdyby badania okazały się być mało optymistyczne.
Okazuje się, że to najmłodsi, czyli generacja Z wymusza na pracodawcach najwięcej zmian. Przedstawiciele tej generacji są pewni siebie i otwarcie sygnalizują to, z czym się nie zgadzają. Sugerują pracodawcom to, co chcieliby usprawnić lub uzyskać. Jeśli tego nie otrzymują, bez mrugnięcia okiem zmieniają pracę. Nie chcą tracić czasu na coś, co nie przynosi im satysfakcji. Podkreślają również tzw. work-life balance – poczucie spokoju i odcięcia się od spraw zawodowych po godzinach pracy jest dla nich niezwykle ważne.
Podsumowując, każdy człowiek dąży do osiągnięcia szczęścia. Dla każdego z nas ma ono inną definicję, ale praca to nieodłączny element naszego życia i warto, by zadbać o nasze spełnienie również tam.
The current digital context that our global society is facing has a significant impact on the development of new business and management models for organizations. The changes are taking place so quickly that the survival of many companies and businesses is at stake if they do not join the digital age. The change is taking place both in social and personal relationships as well as in our consumers, in our public of interest and in the collaborators of the organizations.
Digital transformation is the combination of business strategy and operations with technological innovation, as well as the design of new services (or the redesign of existing ones) to rapidly increase productivity and growth in the value chain: business models , products, customer experience and operations. . .
Similarly, the attraction and retention of talent is a great challenge in this process for organizations. People are increasingly digital, therefore, digital skills are becoming the core of the needs of all organizations and sectors.
It is essential to understand and know how to analyze the situation in which we currently live. The skill lies in being close to our target audience to give them exactly what they need. Personalization, simplicity and immediacy are some of the keys to face this new stage.
Products and services have undergone a true revolution, and value-added services that take advantage of new technologies to generate a direct impact on the customer experience will continue to appear. The optimization of channels and processes as well as the change of the internal culture of companies is a priority in this dizzying digital age.
There are many opportunities and threats that this new scenario poses for companies, for this reason, most organizations are turning to new skills and leadership to successfully drive this transition.
It is due to this accelerated transition that at Consea Group we carefully study and analyze our opportunities for the implementation of new technologies, which have allowed us to facilitate and streamline the development of our processes, migrating a large percentage of face-to-face work to remote, innovating and positively adapting to this new organizational culture, which as a result has streamlined and strengthened contact and experience with colleagues, clients and candidates (local and global).
Authors:
Enríque Pedroza - Business Development Manager, Consultor Senior & Headhunter
Nowadays, investing in young people should not just be a slogan, but the best strategy companies should adopt to grow, innovate and gain competitive advantages over their competitors. Regarding Consea Head Hunting's experience in managing recruitment processes with the younger generation, a certain rigidity shown by candidates is emerging, expressed especially in terms of demands related to hybrid working opportunities, career plans and business ethics. As a result, there is often a significant lack of motivation and engagement when faced with an offer that fails to detail or satisfy these aspects.
WHAT CAN ORGANIZATIONS DO?
To make themselves more attractive to the younger generation, companies should first of all understand what is actually being sought, and in this regard, there is an increasing emergence of the importance for young people being able to identify with company values in terms of sustainability (environmental, valuing diversity, inclusive approach and equity), ethics, training (with an important focus on soft skills, skills that can become an asset to the individual and not just a direct benefit to the company as is the case with technical skills), policies for investing in resources and sharing the expected goals and their consequent development plans envisaged not only in terms of vertical growth, but also about involvement in initiatives, task forces and projects aimed at the well-being of the internal community. Equally important seems to be the attention paid to the work-life balance, flexibility and wellbeing policies within the organization.
In terms of attraction and retention, an important role is played by the organization's external communication as the new generations put great importance to the company's website and its presence on social networks as well as, in general, its web reputation.
COMPANY AS COMMUNITY
This focus is symptomatic of the fact that nowadays the company is no longer considered a mere workplace, on the contrary, it increasingly constitutes a real community for new generations, who can appreciate opportunities of involvement that can allow them to come closer and share experiences with other employees belonging not only to different areas or functions, but also to different generations; of this a significant example could be reverse mentoring.
BETRAYAL OR OPENNESS TO CHANGE?
In conclusion, we can highlight one more peculiarity: increasingly, new generations are experiencing change as a development opportunity to enrich their skills and, therefore, the decision to leave one company for another should not be experienced as a betrayal; on the contrary, it would be much more functional for the organization to maintain relations with the resource who has changed reality by opting for a new context. This attitude could generate future opportunities for a new encounter and possible opportunities to reintegrate the resource, enriched by the new experiences gained in the meantime.
Authors:
Sara Ruffinatti – Senior Consultant & Executive Coach
Marzia Pio – Junior Consultant at Consea Executive Search
Consea’s Resume Myths, Tips, and Tricks
Advice from our recruitment team that will help your resume stand out.
The first impression does not have to be the one that matters when selecting a Candidate but the resume is the business card through which Candidates make themselves known by the companies. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your resume.
MYTH: A graphic / creative CV captures more attention
The European format is not always the best choice when writing a resume, you can also use more creative templates but on the basis of your graphic skills. An essential and clear resume is better than one which is incomprehensible and difficult to read.
SUGGESTION: If you do not have graphic skills, create a typical resume in MS Word that contains all the essential information and describes your work experience better than a thousand graphics.
TIP: There are several websites that offer templates and ideas to create an original but at the same time effective resume. If you do not already know them we suggest you try Canva www.canva.com.
MYTH: You have to insert the photo on your resume
Certainly, being able to associate a face to a resume is a great help and makes the resume emerge but you need to remember that the photo must be professional and appropriate.
SUGGESTION: It is better not to insert personal photographs or taken from group photos. Take time to take a picture which shows your professionalism and represents only you.
TIP: Once you have taken the photo, use it both for your resume and LinkedIn profile. It will allow you to give uniformity to the way you present yourself and will make you easily recognizable.
MYTH: Provide details about hobbies and personal characteristics.
Adding your hobbies and personal characteristics to your resume can be a plus but only if they provide real added value.
SUGGESTION: Each information that you decided to write in your resume is evaluated therefore it is better to insert only these elements that could have a value for the position you apply for.
TIP: Think about which competence (transversal or specific) can recall the information provided and select only the relevant ones (e.g. competitive activity – determination and achievement of results; reading – curiosity / information and education; cooking – creativity).
MYTH: Less is more!
A resume does not necessarily have to be one page, especially if you have several years of experience, but at the same time it should not be discursive or include too much details as it risks losing effectiveness.
SUGGESTION: An effective resume is between 2 and 3 pages. It reports professional experience in chronological order from the current position to the oldest. It contains relevant information and a brief description of each role, highlighting specific skills and knowledge (There are companies that associate different role content to the same job title. If a short description is therefore associated with the job title it will be easier to identify Candidate’s responsibilities.) It is useful to add some detailed information such as the number of people managed / business size / results achieved. Finally, it is worth specifying the knowledge of a foreign language through the competence levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and not through terms such as “good”, “fluent”.
TIP: The resume is your business card – Imagine that those who receive it do not know you and they want to have an overview of your skills and then explore them in an interview, but if some key information is missing (knowledge of a particular sector, program / channel …) they could exclude you from the selection process.
MYTH: Lying in resume makes it more appealing
It is well known that lies have short legs so it is better to expose your work path honestly and be able to motivate any discontinuities in your work experience.
SUGGESTION: A good recruiter does not judge the book by its cover but, wanting to build a relationship of mutual trust and reliability with the Candidate, will tend not to contact people who have talked about a different work path than the one actually lived or have boasted skills / responsibilities never acquired.
MYTH: Give a “personal” touch to the CV / Do not insert personal details
It is not necessary to enter detailed information about your personal life (e.g. names of children, spouse…) but do not forget to enter your contact information (phone number and e-mail address – verify if they are correct!) in order to be effectively contacted. It is often useful to put in your date of birth, which does not have to be seen as a discriminating factor but as a data that allows you to see the profile as a whole.
Inclusive Leadership: Towards Embracing Diversity and Collective Success
Inclusive leadership represents the core of a work environment that embraces and celebrates diversity as a driving force for collective success. Defined as the ability to manage and guide a group of people while respecting their diversities empathetically and without prejudice, Inclusive Leadership goes beyond mere team management, recognizing the intrinsic value of each individual and their uniqueness, encouraging active participation, and fostering a sense of belonging and community.
Here are some points for reflection gathered by Consea Human Capital Consulting, through dialogues with numerous CEOs and human resources managers.
What are the distinctive traits of an inclusive leader?
An inclusive leader must employ skills such as empathy, effective communication, listening, flexibility, openness to change, awareness of diversities, and responsibility. These traits and skills are fundamental in creating a work environment where every person feels valued and respected as an integral part of collective success. An inclusive leader embodies these traits and skills, acting as a guiding beacon for the team and transforming differences into a springboard for innovation and creativity, crucial for the long-term success of an organization.
What impact can this leadership model have on the organization's business areas?
The beneficial effect of inclusive leadership is not limited to the organizational climate alone. It also extends to key business areas such as research and development, marketing, and external communication. The inclusive approach allows for gaining a competitive advantage, enabling companies to better understand the needs of an increasingly diverse and global market. The diversity within the organization reflects positively in the ability to adapt quickly to changing customer needs and to create innovative and meaningful solutions.
Is the presence of inclusive leaders sufficient to truly make an entire company inclusive?
The answer to this question is no: to foster a truly inclusive corporate culture, the presence of inclusive leaders alone is not enough. It is also necessary to invest in training and the development of key skills at all levels of the organization. Promoting open communication and dialogue, awareness of implicit biases, and constructive conflict management are just some of the fundamental elements in building and maintaining an inclusive and stimulating work environment.
In conclusion, Inclusive Leadership represents an essential pillar for guiding future business strategies. Through the promotion of diversity and inclusion, ambitious goals such as improving productivity, retaining talents, promoting innovation, and building a strong reputation can be achieved. Investing in the training and development of inclusive skills is a fundamental step towards creating a fair, inclusive, and prosperous work environment for all.
Authors
Gabriella Carello – General Manager Consea Human Capital Consulting
Sara Ruffinatti – Senior Consultant Consea Human Capital Consulting
The emerging world highlights different needs than in the past: within work contexts there is a strong need to be able to rely on alternative skills, intelligences, and ways than those used until now.
Companies must find ways to represent ideas, ways and purposes that characterize their essence and express values and motivations by pursuing something they believe in, to inspire confidence both internally and externally. It therefore becomes increasingly important to be able to establish a strong emotional bond with employees and customers.
Our goal, therefore, is to pass on our knowledge and experience on soft topics, first among them, by way of example, Emotional Intelligence.
What's new at Consea Group: Human Capital Consulting.
Consea Human Capital Consulting was born with the aim of guiding companies through this process of change, developing strategic partnerships with our clients, supporting them in transforming today's challenges into tomorrow's successes.
Leading Consea Human Capital Consulting, in the role of general manager, will be Gabriella Carello. Gabriella's professional background has been built at the head of the Human Resources function, in various geographies and within important international industrial realities.
Expert and passionate about leadership, culture and organizational development, she brings to CHCC a solid and proven knowledge of so-called "soft" skills, first among which is emotional intelligence, which she has also gained through her studies at KEY Step Media, the school founded by Daniel Goleman, globally recognized as the top expert on the subject.
Joining Gabriella in the new challenge will be Sara Ruffinatti, an organizational psychologist and ICF-certified coach, trainer and expert in talent management solutions as well as a lover of innovative technologies and the experimentation of new tools for skills development.
The group will further be able to count on the experience of Paola Vasario, a historical figure at Consea Group who has a natural ability to seize and understand the needs of her clients.
Finally, Sara Brino, a psychologist and coach, a passionate scholar of organizational development issues, will be part of the team representing valuable support in the conception and execution of the various projects.
We have many initiatives in the pipeline, follow us on LinkedIn so you don't miss all the updates and projects we are developing!
Authors:
Chiara Altomonte – General Manager and Head of the Fashion & Retail division
Leverage the Role of Talent Development for Overcoming Acceleration
The pandemic brought up a global acceleration in technology adoption as well as the needs of flexible but consistent integration schemes (integration between long- and short-term strategies, integration of business channels and acumens, global and local approaches).
The New Normal is about adjusting the future right now. It’s a temporary trend that pulls future outcomes on current needs. From now on, there will always be a new kind of “new normal,” with a different level of complexity, that both employees and companies will have to deal with.
How should companies support people’s future helping them gain the skills for the next scenario?
In order to embrace transformation and business evolution, people management should be about strategic skills-mapping and a careful workforce plan. The workforce assessment opens the opportunity to quantify long-term talent requirements by assessing successions needs and roles competencies. Particularly, development plans and talent management are part of the circular strategy ensuring company vitality.
How are companies facing transformation?
Replacing people or firing them is definitely not a long-term solution. Excellent companies are setting up dedicated Talent Development programs towards upskilling and reskilling projects. Running upskilling programs means to strive for people in the adoption of new skills for covering their current positions. Competitive companies that are focusing on re-building the organization frames are running reskilling programs for enabling people to pick up new skills for a completely different job. Reskilling and upskilling culture is successful if leadership promotes a learning culture and if HR processes, such as talent management and performance assessment, are aligned with the business company strategy. Competitive companies encourage employees to adopt a continuous-growth mindset.
Companies that have yet to revise or build their Talent Management strategy are leaving employees on a self-directed approach, holding more traditional options or random skills development solutions.
Nowadays, Talent or Employer value proposition is not only a matter of Why, “Why should an employee choose to work in your company instead of another one?”, but it is also a matter of “main features” in terms of What, “What should your company have for attracting employees?” Thinking about future situations in which people can maximize their performance could bring up the same advice from the most important Organizational Development Theories:
Company Culture: it creates the conditions to thrive Talent
Excellent Leaders: coaches and facilitators with strong ethic Values, with the abilities to motivate, enable, and integrate a group of people towards common goals.
Sustainability: global attention to the impact of the company.
Long-term Strategy: integrated with an agile approach.
Transparency: creating the environment for more fluid feedback conversations between leadership and employees.
Consistent Competencies Models: ensure meritocracy and trust.
Listed above are HR strategies and decisions that, of course, cannot solely run on Excel spreadsheets. People are not file records: they act and react, choose, think, feel and communicate. Employees’ behavior is not 100% predictable and leaders should take into consideration people’s unique qualities and mannerisms. HR foundation skills are about creating a big picture of the environment, consistently communicating, translating old procedures into on-line and digital tools, analyzing data, and thinking prospectively. It is also important to point out one of the most strategic HR features: a strong cross-functional collaboration.
The inspirational and visionary value that a new HR style could bring is collaborating with marketing in terms of reputation and communication: “One of the most important company customers are its own employees”. With HR being a business function, the operative value could be strictly collaborating with the finance department as well as interpreting reports and complex data towards the market needs.
Leaders, in general, should take into consideration their actions and responses. Poor decisions in people management could result in varied employee reactions that could cost reputation, trust and money. A weak HR vision could beget huge risks and costs for organizations.
Human Resources in China: challenges brought by Covid-19 pandemic
Two and a half years after it started, the Covid-19 pandemic is still greatly impacting businesses in China at all levels. Especially the ‘zero-cases policy’ is creating increasing difficulties to individuals and businesses in the mid-long term.
From HR perspective, for companies, especially foreign companies, one of the major concerns today is how to attract and retain international talents, considering the exodus of foreign nationals and the scarcity of new talents coming to China. In some specific industries, international competences are hardly replaceable by local workforce and the increased scarcity of foreign talents is creating many challenges.
International businesses that provide internal rotations of international profiles now, find themselves having to look outside their own reality to overcome the difficulty of moving talents in China. The immediate effect is that businesses are willing to offer highly competitive salary to attract and retain international resources and others are turning to local employees to bridge the gap.
The peculiarity of China job market challenges European companies in attracting and retaining local employees, as many are the job opportunities rising all at once. In addition, it is not easy to find qualified resources, particularly in terms of “soft skills”, “critical thinking” and “practical knowledge”; an issue present for several years but exacerbated in the last period due to the scarcity of international resources, which led businesses to look at the pool of local candidates.
In the long run, this localization strategy of the team might significantly impact the management and communication between HQs and the China business. Both foreign and Chinese are unable to travel to HQ for information exchanges, networking, training, and sharing of expertise. The risks facing are the lack of diversity in the team, and the isolation of China operations.
All these elements have led to an increase in the demand for international resources which is unbalanced with respect to the current market offer. Currently, businesses in China are monitoring the situation for their next moves, and we, Consea Group, with our team in Shanghai will keep a close eye on it for you.
Authors:
Gaia Ceccatelli - Country Manager China
Chiara Altomonte - General Manager and Head of the Fashion & Retail division
Unlocking the Gen Z Code: How Companies Can Attract and Retain Tomorrow’s Talent
In today's rapidly evolving job market, companies are increasingly turning their attention towards attracting and retaining Gen Z candidates. Born into a world of constant connectivity and technological innovation, Gen Z brings a unique set of skills, preferences, and expectations to the table. Understanding what makes this generation tick and embedding it in the employer brand and value proposition is critical for companies looking to thrive in tomorrow's competitive landscape.
Tech-Savvy from Birth
Gen Z is the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age. Since day one, technology has been an integral part of their lives, from smartphones to social media. As a result, Gen Z is inherently tech-savvy, effortlessly navigating digital tools and platforms for communication, learning, and productivity. For companies looking to appeal to Gen Z candidates, a solid digital presence and innovative use of technology in the workplace are non-negotiables.
The attitude towards new technologies is the field where the clash between generations occurs most often. Except for start-ups and cutting-edge digital companies, most organizations across industries need to create work environments where the older generations, typically in senior and leadership positions, can sustain and adequately address the Gen Zers' optimism and attitude towards using technologies if they want to engage and retain those talents.
Shared Values and Meaningful Work
Gen Zers are more diverse in race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation than any other generation. They prioritize researching inclusive work environments and are sensitive and committed to global topics such as social justice and climate change.
As consumers and employees, Gen Zers choose brands that align with their values. They want to work for companies with a clear social commitment and mission that goes beyond profit. They select a job not only because it meets their financial needs but also because it makes them feel proud and fulfills their purpose.
Creating a corporate culture that reflects the company's mission and values is essential to engaging Gen Z employees. They demand accountability and integrity and tend to abandon workplaces where the declared commitment to inclusion or sustainability, for example, is not encountered in the daily practices and expected behaviors.
Embracing Entrepreneurialism
Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Fueled by a desire for independence, creativity, and impact, many Gen Zers are eschewing traditional career paths to forge their way. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder, they are pursuing passion projects and side hustles, leveraging their skills and interests to create meaningful work on their terms. Companies that offer autonomy, creativity, and impact opportunities are more likely to attract and retain Gen Z talent.
To this extent, innovation labs, internal contests to promote problem resolutions, and employee-led initiatives are excellent examples of allowing Gen Z workers to fulfill their aspirations and needs and simultaneously impact the company's success. In addition, new generations seek out organizations that allow employees to have side jobs to pursue their passions, explore their entrepreneurship ideas, and manage them through clear "moonlighting policies" and open communication.
Flexible Work Arrangements
The need for independence of the newest generations of employees also arises in their approach to the work arrangement. Work-life balance is a top priority for Gen Z. They value flexibility and autonomy in their work schedules, preferring hybrid or remote work arrangements that allow them to effectively balance their professional and personal lives. For Gen Z, productivity goals take precedence overclocking in hours at the office. Companies that embrace flexible work policies and prioritize outcomes over input are better positioned to attract and retain top Gen Z talent.
Gen Z workers don't love routines. They appreciate the autonomy of managing their schedule and the opportunity to work from anywhere and in any time zone. They don't appreciate mandatory days in the office and similar prescriptions, as they consider the virtual work environment as effective as the in-person one. However, contrary to what the older generations sometimes believe, Gen Z values face-to-face conversations and the connection created by working in the same room with others as long as they understand the benefit and don't perceive it as an attachment to old working patterns.
Investing in Continuous Learning
In a world where industries constantly evolve and new technologies emerge rapidly, continuous learning is essential for staying competitive. Gen Z recognizes the importance of upskilling and adapting to industry trends and technologies. Companies that invest in employee development and offer opportunities for growth and advancement are more likely to retain Gen Z talent in the long run. They are also more keen to reskill and have the chance to redesign their career path to follow their curiosity and interests. The idea of doing the same type of job or growing in a single direction through their career is not appealing to them; as mentioned before, Gen Z workers seek opportunities to prove themselves and are more open to questioning their choices if they are not in line with their values and needs, than the previous generations.
Whether through training programs, mentorship opportunities, or access to educational resources, companies prioritizing learning and development and offering multiple chances for career paths will stand out in the eyes of Gen Z candidates.
Conclusion
As Gen Z enters the workforce more significantly, companies must adapt their recruitment and retention strategies to meet this generation's unique needs and preferences. To this extent, they must enhance the company's reputation and image as an employer (i.e., employer brand) and communicate internally and externally the benefits, opportunities, and rewards that the company offers and what it expects to have in return from its employees (i.e., employer value proposition) in a way that includes the aspects mentioned above.
This approach is fundamental for a talent strategy that attracts and retains top Gen Z resources, ensuring the company's success in tomorrow's competitive job market.
By partnering with Consea and Cometa Coaching, your organization can receive comprehensive executive coaching, training programs, and advisory services that will equip you to successfully navigate the challenges of managing and engaging a Gen Z workforce.
Authors
Antonella Cerabona, CEO of Consea America
Mariateresa Romeo, Founder of Cometa Coaching
Employer Branding: The Art of Attracting the Best Talent
As we have already seen in the article "Upskilling & Reskilling: The Future of Work, Talent Shortage, and Human Capacity Within Organizations", in Mexico, it is increasingly difficult for companies to attract and retain the right talent. Therefore, you hear a lot about the Employer Branding concept, which consists on communicating the mission, values and culture of an organization to build their reputation and an attractive differentiation for their talent market.
Companies that foster a good reputation and outstanding workplace culture can attract and retain the most valuable talent, ultimately allowing them to be more competitive in the continuously changing world of work. One of the most recognized global authorities in this field is Great Place to Work.
Some of the companies with multinational talent in Mexico earning of the title of "Great Place To Work 2023" have been: Cisco, Accenture, Astra Zeneca, Monex Grupo Financiero, Ericsson México, Novo Nordisk México, Tequila Sauza, and BASF (Puebla site).
It is no coincidence that the most successful companies in the recent decades are the ones delivering the "best practices" in Employer Branding: Google is widely recognized for its business culture and Innovative Human Resources policies; Apple focuses on creativity, innovation, together with the personal and professional development of its employees; Sales Force has created a company culture focused on values, diversity and inclusion.
Employer Branding is also becoming more and more relevant due to the increasing importance given to the wellbeing of employees and the purpose of the company in the labor market.
Those companies not only have a strategy to attract the best talents but they are also committed to creating an authentic, inclusive, positive and meaningful company culture.
Employer Branding is meant to generate a sense of belonging and commitment by transmitting the fundamental purpose of the company and its raison d'être. This helps the talent acquisition and management strategy that share the same values (or behaviors) of the company (business and organization strategy) and also the desire to be part of something that well aligns with their own values, passions, and ambitions. Some important key points to consider are: generating opportunities for employee development and growth within the company’s organization; fostering a positive and equitable work environment that promotes inclusion, diversity, and well-being; and ultimately provide competitive compensation.
As said, today the reputation of a company is more important than ever. In Mexico, 1 in 3 people have turned down a job offer because of a negative review about working at a specific company.
There are in fact some online sources, available to anyone that needs to evaluate a company’s reputation; the most popular ones are: Merco and Glassdoor.
Consea Group, as a local and global firm with 45+ years in the Executive Search industry, is a strategic and reliable partner that can support you in managing your human resources challenges. As it becomes more difficult to find the best talent for companies, in a more globalization-oriented market, so does the need to implement strategies with the support of experts that know how to attract local and international talents in your market of reference. Thanks to our knowledge of different markets and industries, we can provide the best experience and sew a consulting plan tailored to your company to define an effective approach for your Talent Acquisition strategy.
Follow Consea Group on LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest labor market trends.
Author: Enríque Pedroza – Business Development Manager in Consea Group, Mexico
Read the article in Spanish:
Employer Branding: El arte de atraer el mejor talento
Como ya hemos visto en el artículo anterior, “Upskilling & Reskilling: El futuro del trabajo, la escasez de talento y las capacidades humanas dentro de las organizaciones” en México cada vez es más difícil para las empresas atraer y retener el talento adecuado. Por esta razón, se escucha mucho sobre el concepto Employer Branding, que consiste en comunicar la misión, los valores y la cultura de una organización para construir su reputación y una diferenciación atractiva para su mercado de talento.
Las empresas que fomentan una buena reputación y una cultura laboral excepcional pueden atraer y retener el talento más valioso, lo que en última instancia les permite ser más competitivas en un mundo laboral en constante cambio.
Una de las autoridades mundiales más reconocidas en este campo es Great Place to Work.
Algunas de las empresas con talento multinacional en México ganadoras del título “Great Place To Work 2023” han sido: Cisco, Accenture, Astra Zeneca, Monex Grupo Financiero, Ericsson México, Novo Nordisk México, Tequila Sauza y BASF.
No es casualidad que las empresas más exitosas de las últimas décadas sean las que ofrecen las "mejores prácticas" en Employer Branding: Google es ampliamente reconocida por su cultura empresarial y políticas innovadoras de Recursos Humanos; Apple se centra en la creatividad, la innovación, junto con el desarrollo personal y profesional de sus empleados; Sales Force ha creado una cultura empresarial centrada en los valores, la diversidad y la inclusión.
El Employer Branding también está cobrando cada vez más relevancia debido a la creciente importancia que se le da al bienestar de los empleados y al propósito de la empresa en el mercado laboral.
Estas empresas no sólo tienen una estrategia para atraer a los mejores talentos, sino que también están comprometidas con la creación de una cultura empresarial auténtica, inclusiva, positiva y significativa.
El Employer Branding pretende generar sentimiento de pertenencia y compromiso transmitiendo el propósito fundamental de la empresa y su razón de ser. Esto ayuda a la estrategia de adquisición y gestión de talentos que comparten los mismos valores (o comportamientos) de la empresa (estrategia de negocio y organización) y también el deseo de ser parte de algo que se alinee bien con sus propios valores, pasiones y ambiciones. Algunos puntos clave importantes a considerar son: generar oportunidades de desarrollo y crecimiento de los empleados dentro de la organización de la empresa; fomentar un ambiente de trabajo positivo y equitativo que promueva la inclusión, la diversidad, el bienestar y en última instancia, proporcionar una compensación competitiva.
Como ya hemos dicho, hoy la reputación de una empresa es más importante que nunca. En México 1 de cada 3 personas ha rechazado una oferta laboral debido a una crítica negativa sobre trabajar en una empresa específica.
De hecho existen algunas fuentes en línea disponibles para cualquiera que necesite evaluar la reputación de una empresa, algunas de las más populares son: Merco y Glassdoor.
Consea Group, como firma local y global con más de 45 años en la industria de Executive Search, es un socio estratégico y confiable que puede apoyarlo en la gestión de sus desafíos de recursos humanos. A medida que se hace más difícil encontrar el mejor talento para las empresas, en un mercado más orientado a la globalización, también lo hace la necesidad de implementar estrategias con el apoyo de expertos que sepan atraer talentos locales e internacionales en su mercado de referencia. Gracias a nuestro conocimiento de diferentes mercados e industrias, podemos brindarle la mejor experiencia y diseñar un plan de consultoría adaptado a su empresa para definir un enfoque efectivo para su estrategia de Adquisición de Talento.
Siga a Consea Group para mantenerse actualizado sobre las últimas tendencias del mercado laboral.
Autor: Enríque Pedroza – Business Development Manager in Consea Group, Mexico
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