Articles

Finding Talent During a Shortage

Employers are pondering whether they will face a talent shortage in the coming years when considering factors such as COVID-19’s impact on the workforce, the growing popularity of remote work, lower secondary education enrollment, succession planning, and increasing benefits. Many companies are unable to fill job vacancies, and a greater number of workers are demanding the option to work remotely and/or have a flexible schedule. 

Some suggestions for employers to consider include offering tangible employee benefits such as unlimited PTO, stock options, or fitness memberships. Another idea is the re-evaluation of traditional employment requirements such as a college degree or industry-specific knowledge in exchange for workers who can easily adapt to changing situations. The promotion of corporate social responsibility programs is another option, as many workers now express a strong desire to be associated with companies that align with their own values and actually show altruism through methods including volunteer activities, community donations, and conservation efforts.

Some of the following helpful suggestions come from Michelle Reckelhoff’s SHRM St. Louis HR Toolbox Series Webinar in February called Solving Business Problems Through People Solutions.

FOUR STEPS TO MAKING A LARGER IMPACT WITH A HUMAN-CENTERED FOCUS RATHER THAN BUSINESS-CENTERED ONE:

1. Know what your company goals are for the next three to five years and create a vision instead of a goal.  
   1. A vision of why you do things VS. how you do things
   2. Inspires and excites you through emotion VS. keeping you focused and on track
   3. A clear vision of the future you desire VS. a quantifiable metric that produces a result
   4. Provides a clear ongoing compass for your life VS. providing the tasks that you need to do
2. Leverage your own unique expertise – (and your team’s)
   1. What is your signature strength and how do you leverage it?
   2. What are the unique strengths of your peers or team members?
   3. Why does it matter?
3. Show impact on business results
   1. Greater experience = Greater profitability
4. Mess up, reassess, retool, and evolve
   1. Mess Up/DO
   2. Re-Assess/CHECK
   3. Retool/ACT
   4. Evolve/PLAN