5 minute read
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)
Since 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.
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:
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…
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.
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?
TRY THIS: Make the time to learn what support is available for you. Learn how to succeed with this new workforce by reskilling and upskilling yourselves.
Back to the basics has become the new ‘creativity’.
The effort and creativity needed is not saved for recruitment alone. Retention has become an even larger issue. We tend to focus on hiring as a priority. Like the offers a new bank or phone customer gets for signing up. Have you, as an existing customer wondered why you don’t get the same deal? Employees do.
Today’s workforce wants more. Two things often show up in employment surveys as being most important for candidates and employees. Stability and growth/development opportunities.
Prior to the pandemic, lack of growth and development opportunities was a leading reason why employees left their previous job. In fact, research by The Harris Poll found that one in three employees (34%) quit their last position because they “didn’t learn new skills or better their performance.”
Today, growth and development is more important than ever as people are more likely to associate growth and development with stability. Showing candidates and employees that your company is invested in their growth has become a sought after benefit in today’s tight job market.
Benefits Overhaul
We are learning a great deal from jobseekers and employees through the SAW program.
Let’s face it, we are limited in the wages we can offer. So we have to do more. We must rethink how we work. Rethink how we describe the work we do. Rethink how we manage people. Rethink …what is the benefit they receive by working with you? Management needs to reskill and upskill just as employees do.
Freebies vs. The Future
Something interesting has emerged from the Succeeding at Work Employer Stream.
When I speak with business owners, there is a distinct divide between groups. What I see and hear in terms of our program for example, is one group is interested in the freebie. The funded aspect of the program. The other group I have spoken with are excited about the educational opportunity for their employees… and themselves! They see the future, not the freebie. They love the Emotional Intelligence courses in particular. Never having the opportunity for this type of learning, these courses will help strengthen ‘their crew’ and promote the growth and development employees are yearning for, and staying for.. Offering education as a recruitment tool has proven successful in attracting jobseekers who will accept that entry level job if there is opportunity for more in their future. The opportunity of education for many who have never received a certificate of any kind? Priceless.
TRY THIS: Make the time to learn what support is available for you. Learn how to succeed with this new workforce by reskilling and upskilling yourselves.
It’s time we turned the page.
