Managing the tensions between the external environment, the needs of organisations and the needs and wants of individuals to create sustainable and thriving environments for all stakeholders.

The world today as we know it is different from anything we have ever experienced and the role of HR and ‘people people’ is harder and more complex than we have ever seen. Our ability as HR people to understand, engage, mobilise, and create organisations that will thrive, requires us to understand the tensions at play and what we need to do differently, or the same, moving forward.

There are tensions between the external environment, the needs of organisations and the needs and wants of individuals.

What are these tensions and how do we as “people people’ help organisations manage the tensions to create sustainable and thriving environments for all stakeholders?

The environment is complex and changing – The world is now “never normal.”

  • There is a generational shift occurring with 50% of our population being less than 35, and there are different expectations around the role of work, organisations, and society.
  • There are the effects of climate change and a greater focus on the environment and sustainability.
  • There is a global shortage of skilled talent – 4 in 5 employers globally, reported difficulty in finding the skilled talent they need (Manpower 2023 Global talent survey)
  • Technology is rapidly changing and the role of Data and AI are becoming core.
  • There is such a rapid pace of change and sometimes it feels like we are “sprinting a marathon.”

Organisations are juggling economic uncertainties and the need for organisational flexibility, whilst meeting the need of individuals in a fair and equitable way

  • Economic uncertainty is needing organisations to better understand and focus on core capabilities for growth, whilst looking at more flexible and agile ways of resourcing and operating
  • Organisations recognise that employees are looking for greater input and balance in the way they engage and work, which creates its own challenges around equity and fairness.
  • There is a greater focus on the needs of talent and the “war for talent” and global mobility is now a reality – Spain has announced a global nomad visa for people to live and work in Spain for up to 12 months whilst being employed in another country.
  • The pace of change is not slowing down and organisations need to be able to create an environment that is scalable and adaptable to weather the changing world.

There has been a fundamental shift and employees have ever increasing expectations around their relationship with organisations. – 65% of people say that what matters to them in workplaces now, has changed since the start of the pandemic. Seek Research , 2022

  • People are more transparent about their priorities and are asking for greater flexibility and work/life balance.
  • People are wanting organisations to focus on what is unique for everyone individually, whilst ensuring fairness and equity
  • People’s mental health and wellbeing is at the core and the role of leaders and HR teams has radically changed to enable and support employees.
    People want development and career progression.

So, what can organisations and their people teams do to set themselves and their people up for success in our ever changing and flexible world?

At shilo we work with organisations to develop strategies to enable them to survive and thrive in the realities of the world today ( as outlined above). This includes strategic workforce planning approaches and sourcing models, agile operating models, leadership development programs, values and behaviours alignment to purpose and Health & Wellbeing and psychological safety strategies.

What we are seeing and what we heard from you on the deep dive day is that the following things are super critical for people agendas going forward:

  • Being clear on culture and purpose – who the organisation is and what it stands for and how that manifest itself in the day-to-day values behaviours and ways of working.
  • Developing strategic workforce plans and strategies that identify strategic capabilities and diverse ways to source capability – be it attract/source, borrow/partner, or develop/build that creates greater flexibility for the organisation as the need to adapt and flex grows.
  • Identifying new ways to resource and creating more flexible ways of working for individuals and teams.
  • Inducting and onboarding people into organisations to be clear on their purpose, the culture, and ways of working that enable and support flexible and remote workplaces.
  • Developing Leaders who are able to lead in an ambiguous and ever-changing environment and who can authentically support, coach, and grow people.
  • Providing growth, development and a compelling employee experience is key to retaining talent.
  • Providing boundaries and guidelines on people process, rather than detailed structures and policies to enable leaders to lead individuals within the context of their environment and needs.

@shilo, we work alongside CPOs and HR consultants, Executive teams, and leaders, to develop and implement people strategies and provide on demand HR resources to help embrace the realities of our world today and create sustainable and adaptable organisations for the future.

To learn more about managing the tensions in your workplace, please contact us today.

by Alissa Clark – Executive Director Consulting – shilo.