Page 19 - SA Chamber UK - October Newsletter

NAVIGATING CHANGES IN

THE WORLD OF WORK

On a webinar in August Cindy Norcott spoke about how the world of work has changed,
and how many employers have not adjusted their mind-sets and approaches.

We are living in a time where there are many threats to business. Since Covid, one of the
most remarkable phenomena has been the “great resignation”. Employees are demanding
a different experience of work. Many employers have not understood the gravity of this
shift and have not changed their approach to hiring and managing staff, which has led to a
universal cry “How do we attract and keep good staff?”.

Cindy shared her thoughts on a few aspects of the new world of work –
1. Employers need to adjust their thinking to understand that many employees expect a

flexible or hybrid role, without any pay reduction. Employers who are pushing people to
work at the office 45 hours per week will be losing out on talent.

2. Employers no longer have the upper hand when it comes to hiring top talent. Top talent
have scarce skills and they are in demand. They are interviewing employers. If an
employer makes a candidate jump through hoops, shows a lack of respect, takes too
long in the process or does not sell the opportunity, they will lose the candidate.

3. Candidates want to work in a positive work culture and they are checking google reviews
and going onto social media to find out what type of experience employees have at work.

Employees of today will not tolerate toxic cultures.
4. The next generation in the workplace don’t believe in earning their stripes. If they know
how to do their job and they are adding value, they are very comfortable to ask for an

increase or a promotion. They expect to be paid for what they are delivering. They are
more interested in the company of today than big promises for tomorrow.

5. Companies need to improve on-boarding processes, making new hires feel welcome
and managing expectations from the outset. They need to create an onboarding plan so
that the first week or month is structured, professional and welcoming.

6. Many companies are spending a fortune recruiting staff. It is not just the agency fees
paid to recruiters but the cost of training new staff and the downtime when staff leave.
It is becoming more and more imperative for companies to focus on staff retention.
One strategy is to conduct “stay” interviews with existing staff, to find out what makes

them stay and what can keep them longer. The secret, however, is to act on their
suggestions, otherwise it is just a fake exercise.
7. Over the past few years since Covid, many companies made knee-jerk reactions and cut

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SA CHAMBER UK NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2023