Three Ways to Attract and Retain Your Best Talent During the ‘Great Attrition’

The workplace is forever changed. Check out our top three strategies of how to attract and retain the best talent as you navigate the new hybrid work environment.  

Prior to 2020, the traditional workplace environment centered around coupling where people lived with an accompanying workplace. Going back before the rise of digital workspaces, the model remained largely intact over generations. This model has finally changed—and in a dramatic way. Prior to the pandemic, research existed showing that productivity actually increased across knowledge workers when they had more optionality when it came to the workplace, but a small percentage of companies actually deployed distributed or hybrid work environments. Now, providing flexible creative and productive workspaces is an expectation.

According to a recent study from Cisco, 64% of respondents agreed that the ability to have flexible technology solutions to help them work with their colleagues directly affects whether they stay or leave a job. That being said, the study also noted that there is still uncertainty around whether employers will realize the potential of hybrid work with only 47% of the respondents thinking that their company will make the changes necessary to enable them to continue working at the level that they need in order to stay in their position over the next 6-12 months.

Now is the time for companies to implement solutions that help them retain their best talent. But where should the focus be applied? Here are three key areas that you should focus on to separate your organization as a leader in the next generation of productivity.

1. 1. Improve meeting efficiency while optimizing decision making
   According to the Harvard Business Review, time spent “managing across” in meetings has significantly changed since the pandemic. In comparing activity focused work between 2013 and 2020, among the biggest changes were 12% less time was being spent in meetings with a 9% increase in time spent on externally focused work. Through the pandemic, there is increasing amounts of evidence that show that employees have learned how to better prioritize their work. They now have an expectation that they have the tools to continue this in the future.  
   
   Video conferencing is now a staple of the workday, but the leading companies are taking it a step above basic Zoom calls. Using solutions that encourage simultaneous, multiple-screen sharing and interactivity that provide a collaborative workspace across multiple locations are optimal.
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2. ‍2. Build a culture of agility and innovation
   ‍According to a recent report from McKinsey & Company, agile organizations that can quickly redirect their people and priorities toward value-creating opportunities are one of the biggest contributors to employee satisfaction and positive business outcomes. According to the report, creating a successful agile transformation enabled companies to increase employee engagement by 20-30 points, gain a 30-50% improvement on operational performance and increase customer satisfaction by 10-30 points. The cumulative result of these increases was a 20-30% improvement in the organization's financial performance.
   
   Now is the time to invest in the tools and processes that create more agility and break down the boundaries that create operational friction. Creating a central activity hub, with solutions such as Oblong’s family of Mezzanine Solutions, transforms multiple office spaces into a cohesive destination. It becomes much more purposeful by presenting multiple content streams in one place to make more confident and agile decisions.
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3. ‍3. Accelerate time-to-market to take advantage of new category creation
   ‍Never before have we experienced a business environment where employees as well as consumers have been more open to new considerations. D2C companies such as Glossier or Away have been able to disrupt entire industries and have been able to capture impressive market share seemingly overnight. The timeframes that business was operating on even three years ago has dramatically shortened.
   
   Today’s employees are motivated more than ever before in creating impact and working for companies that have influence on the world. Showing commitment by investing in world-class technology that leaves an impression with employees and customers alike goes a long way in, not only creating, but deploying ideas that are redefining job satisfaction as well as the industry around you.
   
   As we continue to see the ‘Great Attrition’ gather steam, visible investment into productivity will not only help you retain your top talent, but also attract others who are looking for those leaders who are forward thinking in their approach to a collaborative culture and workplace.
   
   For more information on how to take the next step, visit www.oblong.com