We need to challenge everything we thought we knew about engagement. Did our commitment to it actually go deep enough? What we do know is that people are rethinking where, how and even why they work.
Attracting and retaining the best people is likely to get far more complicated. Agreeing how people work could become more a-la-carte than fixed menu.
Some predict a war for talent. Those in great demand now feel they can be based wherever they want and will no longer bend to meet unsympathetic expectations.
Employers will have to do the bending.
Localised and even personalised solutions will be required. That’s a massive shift. Working out what will work will demand the proactive involvement of leaders and managers.
This iterative, consultative approach illustrates just how vital it will be for HR and business leaders to work together. On both sides, they will require openness to ideas, generous curiosity and commitment to experiment.
HR can guide and facilitate at every level – from agreeing strategic principles through to ensuring that these consultations generate positive energy across the organisation.
These authentic, inclusive and empathetic conversations could be the new game-changer in engagement.
