Talent Strategy – Page 2 – Crystal Recruitment

HR Trends that cannot be ignored in 2020

“The future is already here – it is just not very evenly distributed”

In 2015, the Judicial Service Commission advertised 1000 vacant positions. The commission received more than 80,000 applications which took weeks to sort through. It took the assistance of the National Youth Service, two academic institutions, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and Directorate of Criminal Investigation to sift through the applications. The Judicial Service Commission would later admit that they were not prepared for the overwhelming response to the advertisement or the additional costs accrued in order to effectively carry out the recruitment process.

According to the 2019 Kenya Economic Survey, it is estimated that the current unemployment rate stands at 9.3%. The rate at which jobs are being created in the country does not match with the rate at which skilled professionals are graduating from institutions. According to a recent report released by the World Bank, it is estimated that the country needs to create about 900,000 jobs per annum in order to keep up with the number of skilled graduates who are being churned into the job market.

Most human resources professionals admit that it is increasingly becoming impossible to keep up with the number of applications received following the advertisement of vacant positions within their organizations. As new technologies change the workplace and the war for talent heats up, all functions of the human resource departments must evolve and embrace new technologies. Below are some of the key trends that HR must embrace in the year 2020 and beyond:

1. Data-driven decision making

Decision making in this day and age cannot be separated from data. A report by Deloitte Global on human capital reported that while 84% of HR professionals surveyed from across the globe thought that people analytics was important, most organizations were hesitant to do it because they thought that they would not gain practical insights from it. However, as tools for analytics improve, more HR departments are embracing it. The inclusion of digital interfaces such as employee self-service portals is crucial in ensuring that HR gather crucial information that will shape core functions such as recruitment and performance. Multinationals such as Google, use meeting-cancellation rates as an indicator of engagement and a predictor of future turn-over rates. Some of the questions that can be answered through data analytics include:

What are the possible reasons for the high turnover in XYZ department?
What are the skills gaps that need to be addressed through training in the next financial year?
What are the organization’s talent needs based on the projected growth of the organization?

2. Intelligent recruitment technology

In the case study cited above about the Judicial Service Commission, the use of technology would have saved the commission time and money. The bulk of the administrative work would have been done through the use of tools such as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) therefore optimizing the entire hiring process. Most ATS come with a set of preliminary questions known as “knock out questions” which help sift out through some of the applications in order to reduce the number of applicants who move to the next stage.

Research that was done by the Society of Human Resource Management showed that the use of social media in recruitment the past five years had increased significantly. It was reported that one out of five candidates who were surveyed during the study had applied for a job through social media. Platforms such as Jobmarket maker and Entelo have the ability to automatically obtain information about candidates from a number of platforms such as professional forums, social media platforms, blogs, personality and skills assessments. Such systems have the ability to rank applicants as per the requirements of recruiters by cross-referencing the information that has been obtained from forums with the internal performance benchmarks of organizations. By synchronizing these systems with virtual assistants such as Talla, it is possible for a recruiter to get a list of the best interview questions to ask the applicants from the system

3. Growth of the remote office

A 2018 study that was carried out by a Switzerland based serviced office provider showed that at least 70% of the respondents from different countries worked from home at least once a week. The traditional working hours from nine to five are paving way for flexible working schedules. A report by Gallup showed that there was an increase in the number of US professionals working from home from 39% in 2012 to 43% in 2016. It is estimated that by 2020, half of the workforce in the US will be working remotely. This trend is not just limited to developed countries but it is also catching up with developing countries. This shift has been accelerated by the availability of digital tools that make it possible to communicate, manage projects and track performance. We recently interviewed software developers and one of their top concerns was whether the Hiring Employer had the option of working remotely before they could even consider being interviewed by the potential employer. This goes to show that flexible work hours and work arrangements are gaining popularity in an already candidate-driven market.

4. Evolution of HR as a profession

With the ever-increasing adoption of technology in HR, HR as a profession is no longer about pushing paper and ensuring that employees stick to the rules. Experts predict that there are a number of new roles that will emerge as the future of work becomes a reality. These jobs include:

HR data scientists: Helps the organization incorporate the use of data analytics in its HR functions
Employee experience specialist: Focuses on the relationship between the employee and the organization. The benefits, the career trajectory, training needs etc. are evaluated and managed by the employee experience specialist
Head of talent acquisition: The war for talent is expected to continue as organizations strive to get the best talent in line with their business strategies.
Organizational psychologist: Uses psychological principles in the workplace in order to develop a more holistic approach towards HR, sales and marketing.

5. Evolution of HR service delivery

It is difficult for most HR professionals to keep up with the barrage of HR-related questions in big organizations. Chatbots are slowly being used to enhance HR service delivery. There are chatbots that can answer questions about HR related matters such as maternity leave policies, the status of the organization’s health insurance, etc. The popular collaboration platform, Slack is one of the platforms that has successfully been integrated by HR departments to ease the management of questions from employees. Chatbots cannot effectively answer questions that lack definite answers or update policies hence there is still a need for the human element.

6. Employee training on demand

Learning management systems have enabled HR departments to make training easier to manage and more flexible. It is expected that there will be more reliance on virtual career coaches and context-aware platforms in an attempt to maximize on gains made through career training. Context-aware software analyzes the data that is available on the learning curves of employees then automatically recommends training based on areas where the employees are struggling. It is predicted that virtual career coaches will act like AI-driven mini managers by combining learning heuristics with virtual assistance. Human beings will still be required to create training material, set goals and creating career succession paths.

Are you ready for 2020 when it comes to smart recruitment? Do talk to us today and we shall walk the journey with you from talent identification, talent attraction to onboarding them right into your organization.

The future of the workplace in Kenya

A few years ago, banking halls used to be a mess. Clients would flock the banking hall at certain times of the month. The bank employees would be overwhelmed by the number of requests. Fast forward to today, most banks have empty banking halls for the better part of the month. Most transactions are carried out online. There has been a significant rise in the adaption of mobile banking solutions by individuals and organizations. This is just an example of one of the sections that has rapidly evolved as a result of technological advances. With these advances, some jobs have been created while others have been rendered redundant. Many organizations have been forced to lay off staff as they seek to remain competitive in this ever-evolving business environment.

According to research on the future of work globally, that was carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers, the future of work is unpredictable given that it is subject to competing forces whose relation to each other is complex. In as much as technological uptake in most sectors has been on an upward trend over the last couple of years, it is subject to other forces such as government regulations, consumer trends and shifts in economies. Robotics, artificial intelligence and automation are beneficial in a number of ways. They enhance productivity and improve lives but they can also be a source of unrest due to their disruptive nature. There have been reports in many parts of Europe and North America about protests by taxi drivers due to the expansion of Uber. Driverless cars have raised concerns about safety and led to protests in some parts of the USA.

There is widespread fear and alarm as organizations try and grapple with the realities that will be brought about by the rapid shifts in the workplace. These fears are to some extent based on the realities. Recently, East African Breweries Limited announced that it was laying off some of its staff. Telkom Kenya also issued a notice indicating that some of its staff would be laid off. As it is, it is estimated that 5.2 million Kenya youth are either underemployed or unemployed. Reports about the emergent challenges and opportunities brought about by the preparation of most organizations for the future of work can be demotivating for those who are seeking to find their footing in their careers or to remain relevant in their respective careers.

The future of work presents unique opportunities that are yet to be fully exploited. In spite of the job losses that have been experienced in certain sectors in the recent past, there is a silver lining. Research by PWC categorizes the emergent opportunities for organizations and individuals into four: the red world, the blue world, the yellow world and the green world. Estimate reveal that while there might be up to 75% displacement of jobs, there are about 133 million jobs that will be created¹. The opportunities in the yellow world are tied to the social nature of the sector. Business in this sector is secondary to the desire to do social good.

The Red world presents opportunities for innovators. Organizations in the red world are quick to adapt to new advances as they constantly seek to fulfill the desires of the consumers. Recently, Little Cab which has been offering shuttle services in Nairobi via a hailing mobile application was forced to halt its services after the government transport regulating agency, NTSA, flagged the company for failing to comply with its regulations. The online betting companies, Sport Pesa and Betin were recently forced to halt their operations and lay off their staff following a protracted battle over tax compliance. Facebook has been on the spot in the recent past due to concerns about data privacy. These are just examples of how innovation outpaces government regulation. In spite of this, the red world continues to constantly create new products and services for the ever-changing needs of consumers.

The blue world thrives on having large corporations that are constantly seeking ways to expand their business portfolio. Mergers have been witnessed in Kenya in the retail and banking sectors as organizations prepare themselves to handle the challenges that will come with operating in an ever-evolving world. Large corporations possess the muscle and the skills to devote resources to research that will enable them to compete in the dynamic business environment in the future. Green world organizations pursue business models that factor in sustainability and concerns about demographic changes and climate change. By 2030, it is estimated that the world’s demand for energy and water will have increased by at least 50%. In Kenya, the pressure on water resources is increasingly being felt as the effects of rapid urbanization and deforestation threaten the traditional sources of water. The Green world provides opportunities for new engineering processes, recycling technologies, alternative energy sources and waste management processes.

The future of Organizations

Given that the changes in the workplace cannot be stopped, it is paramount that organizations and society adapt accordingly. For organizations, it is important to place more emphasis on training and retraining. People, not jobs, should be viewed as a priority in every organization.

In as much as the responsibility to acquire new skills is largely dependent on the individual, organizations that will thrive in the future need to make room for their employees to try new ideas, learn from their experiences and constantly rethink the ways in which they do their jobs. In order to remain relevant, the war on talent in the four worlds of work will remain fierce as organizations strive to remain relevant. It will be paramount for organizations to explicitly draw the link between people and performance and use this data to link the business objectives of the organization and the talent strategy of the organization. Traditional contracts that offer benefits such as medical insurance and pension may be rare as the world of work evolves. Organizations may find themselves grappling with the size and scale of their workforce as they seek to keep up.

What does this mean for the Workforce?

Adaptability is crucial for anyone seeking to advance his or her career in the future. In spite of the technological advances that have been made in the recent past, skills shortages are still being experienced particularly in the STEM areas. This does not mean that there are no opportunities for those whose education and skills does not fall under the STEM areas. A report of the top emerging professions listed sales and organizational development specialists alongside data analytics and software development. A survey of chief human resources officers drawn from various organizations listed the following capabilities as critical in the future workplace: creativity, complex problem solving, management capability, originality and entrepreneurship.

The World Economic Forum report on the skills required for the future workplace indicates that there will be a need for the aforementioned skills set to be blended with soft skills such as active listening, emotional intelligence and critical thinking.

In conclusion, work as we know it is constantly evolving. Those who will thrive read the times and adapt. Those who are keen spot the opportunities and take advantage of them. Change, as they often say, is the only constant thing in life.

We at Crystal Recruitment are in the business of getting you the talent that is adaptable to your business needs as the workplace keeps changing. Do reach out to us today.

Exit Interviews; Necessity or formality?

When John*, a highly talented manager took over the technical team at an assembly plant, he had eighteen members in his team. By the end of the third quarter, eight of his team members had left the team. No one could understand why the turnover in the team was so high. It took the intervention of a junior member of the human resources team to find out why the turnover was so high. After interviewing some of the former members of the technical team, it became apparent that John was the reason why most of the members of the technical team had left the organization. Most of the ex-employees described him as highly driven but difficult to work with. They described him as arrogant, impatient, prone to anger outbursts and a poor communicator. Most of them stated that they loved working for the organization but they found it impossible to continue working with John.

Like John’s organization, most organizations do not conduct exit interviews. Others conduct the interviews but they do not analyze the data. This could be as a result of the lack of appropriate skills and tools to enable them to analyze data. In this era where evidence-based approaches to talent management are the key to winning the war on talent, this could be detrimental to the organization. In some instances, organizations have data gathered from exit interviews but are hesitant to implement the findings. This is could be as a result of failing to align the overall objectives of the organization with the talent strategy. As a result of this, evidence gathered through observing the trends in the organization’s talent is disregarded and the organization continues to suffer from high turnover and lack of motivation among the employees.

Any organization seeking to constantly improve its talent strategy needs to conduct exit interviews.

An exit interview can be conducted via phone, an emailed questionnaire or one on one conversation. A one-on-one conversation gives a personal touch giving the panel an opportunity to gather more information through nonverbal communication cues. However, if the organization lacks a culture of transparency, it could be difficult to gain useful information during exit interviews in spite of the mode of data collection that is employed. The timing of the exit interview needs to be carefully considered. It is difficult to get employees to give honest answers in the last few weeks of their notice period. This is because most employees would like to make a good impression and get a good reference. If possible, it would be better to carry out the exit interview at the start of the notice period before the employee gets disengaged. Some organizations that have reaped the benefits of exit interviews conduct the interviews before the employee leaves the organization and a few months after the employee has left the organization in order to compare the perspectives.

In order to benefit from the data obtained from exit interviews, the organization should treat the information with the utmost confidentiality. One of the best ways to ensure confidentiality is to use an external human resource consultant to carry the exit interview. In order to fully reap the benefits of such a partnership, the organization should identify a Recruitment Firm that understands its talent needs and wants to help the organization to improve the talent strategy. The organization should be willing to learn from the insights gathered and work with the firm towards ensuring that the findings are incorporated into the talent strategy.

An exit interview is an opportunity to gain insights into the leadership styles within the organization and their overall effect on talent in the organization. It is often said that while some leaders are born, others are made. In the case cited above, the organization would have identified John’s weaknesses and strengths as a leader and helped him grow in his areas of weakness. Future training initiatives for leaders in the organization should include lessons on effective communication. Leaders in the organization can develop mentorship programmes for their employees where learning is emphasized and mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth. The shame-based learning culture in the case cited above can be corrected by ensuring that team leaders provide inspiration and motivation for their team members. In the future, the organization can also ensure that all team leaders undergo personality assessments.

Organizations can use exit interviews as a strategy to identify areas where they need to employ innovation. As the business environment becomes competitive, an organization can only thrive by being proactive in their approach. Some of the best ideas on how organizations can grow in terms of their products, their services and their talent can be obtained through the analysis of the data gained from exit interviews.

Would you like us to help you conduct exit interviews? Talk to Crystal Recruitment today and let us help you improve your talent strategy.