Blog

The global phenomenon that has been coined The Great Resignation, where record numbers of employees left their jobs during the pandemic, has caused major ripples across a wide range of industries. Amid an economic bounce back that is increasing the demand for labor and new skills, nearly half of workers are walking away, changing their career plans.[1]Businesses that are committed to overcoming these challenges understand that workers are looking beyond pay raises to find organizations that make them feel valued. Many who left jobs during The Great Resignation have expressed that they weren’t listened to by the companies for which they worked. Millions of workers had reached a breaking point due to increased workloads and workplace-related pressures.[2]One of the root causes of workplace dissatisfaction is lack of training opportunities. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of workers report not having been offered any form of coaching by their employer, with 67% saying they do not have a written plan in place to map their professional development.[3]For companies looking to improve employee recruitment and retention, the evidence is clear that coaching makes an impact. Here are some key steps to consider when developing a coaching strategy for your organization’s team members.Provide tools to make coaching accessibleEmployees who don’t know where to turn for career help will ultimately grow frustrated, so it’s important that human resources leaders offer coaching that is easy to access and use within the organization. From orientation through ongoing career conversations and performance reviews, workers should be equipped with everything from online learning libraries to virtual coaching platforms that enable them to build the skills they need to succeed.While executive coaching continues to be a vital way to drive development for leaders, more companies are realizing that training needs to extend beyond the C-suite to all levels to create a culture of high performance and employee well-being. Studies show that coaching not only drives engagement, but also motivates and boosts team morale. Organizations that are classified as high performing have a much stronger coaching culture when compared with other organizations.[4]Role model a ‘permission to learn’ cultureIt’s one thing to make coaching accessible, but if it not valued by management, employees would not make it a priority for themselves. Senior team leaders need to demonstrate in a transparent way that they are dedicating time to their own development, therefore empowering employees to understand that training is not only acceptable, but also crucial to the growth of the organization. Dave Goldberg, the late former CEO of SurveyMonkey, advanced this idea by creating a ‘culture of curiosity’ in which he was at the forefront of continuous learning for himself and his team. He launched initiatives such as the Goldie Speaker Series in which he invited experts from different industries and backgrounds so everyone could learn on the same level.[5]Build in time for developmentOne of the most prominent barriers to establishing a consistent coaching strategy for employees is a lack of time. When asked about the biggest challenge they face at work, many employees say it is an overwhelming workload. Most employees are spending less than three hours a month on professional development.[6]Human resource and organizational leaders should clearly communicate with employees at the outset of their engagement that they are committed to providing employees with the time needed to build skills and increase their value to the company.Google’s famous ‘20% Rule,’ which was kicked off by the company’s co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 2004, says that team members are encouraged to spend 20% of their work hours learning new skills and exploring other ideas and coaching opportunities.[7]This is a great example of how leaders can commit to building training into employee schedules.[8]More than 98% of leaders that have participated in Right Management Coaching have gained new knowledge and skills to empower employees and provide them with beneficial development tools.[9]If your company is seeking a solution to get you started, it’s easy to book a 30-minute or 60-minute on-demand RightCoach session.Establish a personalized action planA key step to engaging employees in their development involves creating a personalized action plan – and helping individuals follow through with it. This task should be a collaborative effort between team members and managers, establishing concrete goals and ensuring that all assignments, timelines, and desired results are mutually agreed upon. Coaching is frequently used to assist team members as they prepare for new assignments, overcome obstacles, or improve skills and work habits. A personalized action plan may include the following:Perform self-evaluations (i.e., identify newly gained skills, assess key areas for improvement, add and refine goals, etc.).Perform peer-to-peer evaluations.Offer informational webinars and/or conferences on topics relevant employee roles and interests.Encourage employees to attend monthly networking events to build professional contacts.Coordinate regular check-ins and evaluationsOngoing touchpoints are key to making sure goals are being met and continuously evolving. Managers should meet one-on-one with team members on a regular basis, whether biweekly, monthly, or quarterly to create practical, timely benchmarks and devise a thorough plan for what can be discussed during each meeting.Coaching programs require consistency, dedication, and energy, but time and time again, they result in more confident workers, better outputs, and employee longevity around the globe. According to the International Coaching Federation, businesses that implement coaching activities can witness 4-8 times the return on investment.[10]When coaching becomes integrated into a company’s culture and considered as continuous initiative, individual employees, teams, and the entire organization will benefit.Learn more about how your organization can strengthen its coaching strategy through RightCoach.[1] Right Management Employment Data 2021[2]https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation[3] Right Management Employment Data 2021[4]https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/09/29/the-democratization-of-coaching-and-leadership-development/?sh=7fafbd7b7e82[5]https://hbr.org/2019/01/surveymonkeys-ceo-on-creating-a-culture-of-curiosity[6] Right Management Employment Data 2021[7]https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/google-says-it-still-uses-20-percent-rule-you-should-totally-copy-it.html[8]https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/16/google-20-percent-rule-shows-exactly-how-much-time-you-should-spend-learning-new-skills.html[9]https://www.right.com/leadership-solutions/rightcoach[10] Primed for Success Report, ManpowerGroup 2021

Whether it's the rise of ChatGPT, the ongoing development of the Metaverse, or algorithms that impact everything from what we see on social media to how we order food, everywhere we go and everything we do is blanketed in technology. Yet, we’re discovering that if we left everything to machines and technology, we’d all get identical results, products, and activities. So, amidst the growing digitization of work and the workforce, we are seeing that humans are still the catalyst to the future. In ManpowerGroup’s 2023 workforce trends report, The New Human Age, we’ve identified 14 key trends shaping the future of work and impacting today's employers and the people they employ. These include four key forces: shifting demographics, individual choice, tech adoption, and competitive drivers. The report also provides guidance on how employers can attract and retain talent in this new age. Let’s take a closer look at the forces and trends shaping the world of work in 2023 and beyond. Shifting Demographics The rise of the Gen Z workforce has forced organizations to take a long, hard look at how they cater to younger workforces. Employers need to adapt to the shifting expectations of Gen Zers, who will make up 27% of the workforce by 2025. Gen Z is continually raising the bar about issues ranging from diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) to climate change, with 52% of Gen Z workers saying companies are not doing enough on environmental issues. Despite the rise of the Gen Z workforce, with aging populations hitting retirement age every day, we are witnessing acute talent shortages and reduced labor force participation in many countries that cannot be overcome by simply employing younger people. Countries with early retirement rates, such as France and Switzerland, are finding their talent pool drying up. Yet, only 19% of hiring managers are actively looking to hire returning retirees, creating another disadvantage for older adults. This shows that focusing solely on one generational age group or demographic will severely limit a business's ability to recruit talent from a wide range of diverse and skilled talent pools. Individual Choice In the wake of the pandemic, people of all ages and genders are seeking employers who acknowledge and actively support a healthier work/life balance. The majority of workers (81%) say the pandemic has affected how they think about work, while three in 10 workers and nearly half (42%) of millennials want more work-life balance. 31% of workers would take another role in the next month if it offered a better blend of work and lifestyle. Yet, despite the growing importance of candidate and employee voices in the workplace today, more than six in 10 (66%) feel their employers have all the power to determine where they work. That dynamic is creating a power struggle as 64% of the workforce would consider looking for a new job if they were required to return to the office full-time. On issues of gender, this is paramount. In the United States alone, more than 1.7 million women left the workforce during the pandemic. As of December 2022,1 million women still have not returned. Many have new life priorities, and existing work expectations don’t necessarily fit that lifestyle. During the recent Women in the Post-Pandemic World of Work panel at the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup Chief Commercial Officer and President of North America Becky Frankiewicz addressed directly what women are now looking for at work. “Women believe companies should be doing more. They are burned out. They're feeling undervalued and underappreciated. They want autonomy on their terms,” says Frankiewicz. “They want equality in pay, fair pay for fair work, and fair pay for the same work. And they want empathetic leaders and managers who take the time to get to know the challenges they're having both in and outside the workplace.” Work is no longer one-size-fits-all, it’s now one-size-fits-one and organizations need to understand and recognize just how different the needs are on an individual, case-by-case basis. Technology Unleashed People are beginning to acknowledge how much technology and innovation have improved the world of work — it’s no longer accurate to think of “human vs. automation.” Most workers (63%) say technology has made work better. In fact, 63% percent of frontline workers are excited about the job opportunities technology creates, with workers in executive or senior roles (74%) and American employees (71%) reporting feeling most positively about technology in the workplace. The challenges now lie with organizations, who need to use the power of technology to rehumanize — not dehumanize — the workplace. As work during the pandemic showed, less than half (46%) of employers believe in-person brainstorming generates the most creative ideas. That’s in line with what people reported since their main motivations to come back to the office are for social interaction (39%) and efficient collaboration (26%). As tech helps to remove barriers and borders to work and accessibility, employers must recognize the benefits of augmenting their workforce with tech. Doing so will open up a world of possibilities to find new, and exciting ways of working in the coming years. Competitive Drivers Skilled workers have always been highly sought-after, but today the demand is more acute than ever, with 75% of companies globally reporting difficulty recruiting. In ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions’ (TWI), the top three overall markets for skilled talent are the United States, Singapore, and Canada. Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Switzerland fell out of the top 10 markets, primarily due to aging workforces. Additionally, one of the three most important strategies for growth is managing geopolitical risk, and 90% of companies are planning to invest in onshoring or nearshoring manufacturing facilities as they seek to de-risk supply chains with alternative sourcing. In an increasingly borderless world of work, staying competitive in a digital-first global economy, access to highly skilled talent is a distinct competitive advantage. And organizations will need to meet that talent wherever they are. Technology May Be the Great Enabler, Humans Are Still the Future Humans have always adapted to new technologies and better ways of doing things. As the saying goes, history repeats itself. And the pandemic taught us again that we can make extraordinary progress if we come together — it is the combination of innovation, technology, and human ingenuity that will help us overcome the biggest challenges. Now, as we embark on a New Human Age people are utilizing technology and digital tools to enhance human connections, be more productive, and live more meaningful lives. By equipping people with the skills to leverage technology, we can create a future of work that is closer to what workers of the future want; it is how we will build a path for all to increase prosperity for the many, not the few.

News

LGBTQIA+ Inclusive #WordsatWork Guide

How to Embrace Diversity at Work and Support Our LGBTQIA+ Colleagues Year-Round

IT World of Work 2023 Outlook

How to Effectively Manage Employee Notifications During Workforce Transition?

How to Develop an Effective Coaching Strategy for Your Organization

Four Ways Organizations Can Measure the Value of Coaching

On-Demand Coaching Solves Today's Problems, Builds Leaders

5 Questions To Ask Before Implementing an Outplacement Program

Talent Matters More Than Ever

3 in 10 Tech Workers Are Women. That’s Not Good Enough

Contact Us