The old way to bring in talented people and keep them happy was to throw money and the promise of stability at them. If you’re still doing this, you might want to tweak your playbook.
In order to attract and retain top talent in the era of hybrid work, employers must abandon old ways of thinking. Money and the promise of stability, pensions and stock options? That won’t cut it anymore. This is especially true for public sector organizations that generally do not have the deep pockets of private sector businesses.
During a recent ITWC online briefing, Pluralsight director Tony Holmes outlined what the new playbook will deliver. and storage talent seems. He emphasized the importance of continuous learning not only for companies that want advanced talent, but also for their employees who never want to be stuck in the boring routine of a position where they do the same thing every day. and never grows.
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Holmes’ company, Pluralsight, which helps organizations develop their technology workforce, surveyed more than 1,200 technologists, technology leaders, and HR and learning and development directors globally to understand the current state of skills and skills gaps, barriers. and the challenges they face in 2023.
Perks no longer entices, Holmes said any the field in general. Rather, people want and need to feel has been invested by companies.
“If I’m a tech guy and some company tells me they offer a pension scheme, benefits and days off, but they don’t talk about how they’re going to invest in my career… that there’s potential. [and a future in this role], I will atrophy,” he said. “I can leave the job in a worse position than when I entered it. [particularly if] my colleagues were constantly learning in their companies.”
Holmes drew a clear line between investing in people and paid lip service to the idea. The power behind this investment came from the highest levels.
“To learn and [carving out time for people to upgrade their skills] it’s a lot that has to come from the top. It has to come from the top down, and it has to be something that everyone buys into; [all the way] below the line.”
Holmes said training is something that has to happen over time. That means it has to happen all the time, but more importantly, with speed.
“You talk to the people in charge of that department and they say they can’t give it [their people] more than half an hour per week. If you give to your people [minutes] study time each week but [they’re on] A 100-hour training track … it’s going to be two years before they even come close to fully establishing their role,” Holmes said.
While many companies cling to the idea that they can get all the skills and talent they need from the post-secondary pipeline, Holmes said a far better approach is for organizations to become creators of talent rather than simply consumers of it.
To support his idea, Holmes pointed to the talent gap in technology.
“If everyone [currently working on] degree in technology will be completed tomorrow, we will still be short of heads to fill it [open] technological roles. So if you’re relying on the university pipeline, you’re out of luck.”
“[Organizations] must… look [their] people… see where they have a special interest, [and whenever possible] give them a way [forward] – like an apprenticeship. Provide them with the necessary training, hands-on experience and [when they’ve advanced their skills enough]befriend them… integrate them into the department.”
Holmes said that making the case for investing in people’s skills within an organization is largely a matter of culture.
“If all companies [including those in the public sector] technology organizations are… then [learning becomes] tactical ability,” he said. “It should be as easy for people to sit down and learn new skills as it is for them to create a meeting or have a strategic conversation with people from other departments. It should be a part of everyday life.”
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