The GREAT DISCONNECT
A Candid Conversation About the Elephant in the Room By Deanna Zenger (National Project Manager & Regional Coordinator for Food Processing Skills Canada)
S
ince launching the Succeeding at Work (SAW) project, it has become painfully clear there is a surprising disconnect between job seekers and employers and well as employers and workers.
Let’s talk about labour market issues. But from a slightly different point of view. What are we learning? Being boots on the ground for FPSC allows me to interact with job seekers and employers alike. MPO members, other food industry sectors and non-food employers. I have spoken with many of you. The issues are the same, unlike other industries, We Feed Canada© so our needs are more pressing. As much as employers say they’re looking hard for employees, they’re often not looking in the right places or in the right ways. HR departments are leaning too heavily on technology to weed out candidates, or they’re just not being creative enough in terms of how they consider applications and what types of people could be the right fit. Hiring software and popular platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter have made it super easy for employers to list countless positions and for jobseekers to send in countless résumés. The problem is, they’ve also made it super easy for those résumés to never be seen.
Today, workforce change happens like a tsunami. The workforce revolution of today, will be disruptive. Both in recruitment and retention. It is time to stop talking. It is time we turned the page. It is time to DO… Ask yourselves: What do I want? What do I need? What am I prepared to do to get it?
Elephant time…the biggest issue I see is there’s a lack of imagination on the employer side. Please don’t assume that what people are doing is what they are qualified for. We know many individuals have taken jobs out of necessity. Their job history may not align with your job title, but their transferable skills may be exactly what you are looking for! When I asked employers what they were looking for in an employee, I heard, “reliable, hardworking, shows up on time, works well with others”. I didn’t hear; “labourer, 3-4 years experience ( for entry level) and post-secondary education”. So why are these words on your job postings? Why the disconnect?
Jobseekers and Recruitment. To navigate the tsunami, we are going to need a hard look at how we work. I feel one of the lessons learned from the pandemic is that survival meant change, and change we did. Sort of. There is more work to be done beyond testing and physical distancing. Work is still designed for family and economic structures from half a century ago. That world no longer exists. So again, I ask… What do you want? What do you need? What are you prepared to do to get it? 32
BlockTalk - Winter 2021
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