Working consumes the majority of our adult lives, and while not everyone is lucky enough to have a career they love, everyone should have the security of a job, and a work environment that supports their mental and physical wellbeing.

In the past, both large and small companies have been criticised for placing ‘profit over people’, resulting in poor working conditions and employees being overworked and underpaid. Thankfully, this appears to be a declining trend as workplaces become more competitive in their talent recruitment.

Although we are unlikely to see a world where the ‘profit over people’ mentality is completely absent in our lifetimes, we are seeing strong employer brands emerge. This powerful employer branding serves to realign expectations, drive change and create better opportunities for work-life balance within their organisations.

How to prevent burnout and stress

A company’s operational and organisational structure plays a key role in the level of burnout found within a business. Levels of stress are perpetuated by lack of planning, management, staff and organisation, and will impact your employee retention levels.

Preventing burnout and stress is an ongoing effort, but here are 3 powerful strategies for prevention: 

#1 Have regular project planning meetings. Attend these meetings with a full understanding of team capacity. When booking time in, ensure you leave room to allow for ad hoc tasks.

#2 Put regular task management reviews in place, alongside quarterly team structure meetings. Determine the full remit of responsibilities for each team member and ensure they are communicated, this way they can flag any requests coming to them outside of their duties. This will also help you identify talent acquisition needs.

#3 Create a culture of ‘working smarter not harder’. Encourage employees to find new and innovative ways to do their job to improve employee retention. This could be anything from investing in tech and software to hiring interns and this will go a long way to fostering employee engagement.

Flexibility and work-life balance

Trying to attain work-life balance shouldn’t be an extreme juggling act. Working weeks that consist of over 40 hours have long been seen as the ‘standard’ to earn a decent living, but this perception is changing.

While not everyone can offer reduced hours, offering flexibility in terms of when and where an employee works as part of your company culture could make a huge difference to their quality of life.

Remote work may cut hours off a commute each day. This could be the difference between someone seeing their child before they go to bed or not. Flexi-hours may also allow employees to leave for work later, creating space for some quality personal time working out in the gym before heading to the office. Flexibility at every level offers benefits to employees, and in the long-term will help enrich their lives and make them less likely to take time off due to mental or physical health issues, and will ultimately reduce employee turnover. 

Team leaders and management can help encourage a greater work-life balance by:

• Discouraging working at weekends
• Encouraging taking full lunch breaks 
• Ensuring annual leave is taken in full 
• Leading by example by adopting healthy at-work habits

Not only will teams be more happy, engaged and productive, they will begin to build an emotional connection to your company, which will help towards employee attraction, as they will become advocates for potential future hires

Financial security and benefits

Financial stress can affect mental and physical wellbeing on a range of levels.

Fair pay and performance-based increases will keep employees feeling appreciated and motivated. But financial security can extend far beyond this. Offering attractive employee benefits are another way employees can be supported, such as:

• Access to financial support and advice
• Share and ownership options
• Life assurance policies
• Health insurance for employees and their families 
• Assistance with retirement and pension planning

Relationships, workplace dynamics and leadership styles

The way colleagues interact with each other can have a far-reaching impact on the company culture, general happiness and day-to-day atmosphere within the business. 

For example, a secretive closed-door environment could encourage rumours to spread or end up ostracising employees, resulting in high levels of stress, low mood and the development of a toxic work setting. Strict rules and micromanagement could also see employees become stagnant, stressed or nervous when they come in each day.

Here are 4 ways to develop good workplace culture and how you can keep your employees comfortable with their working relationships:

#1 Foster a workplace culture where autonomy is encouraged by managers, and employees are empowered to make decisions within their remit. Anything out of a worker’s control should be highlighted early on in employment, with boundaries firmly set and understood.

#2 Open-door policies or regular one-to-ones give employees the chance to speak about how they’re feeling, and can help discourage gossiping within teams. By encouraging active conversations, problems can be listened to and addressed before they escalate.

#3 Communication should be frequent and ongoing. Regular team meetings and updates on the company as part of your company culture will help employees feel included and in-the-loop. 

#4 A clear, formal route for escalating problems to HR should be in place. If someone is being bullied, experiences inappropriate behaviour or has witnessed something immoral, they should feel safe and confident in reporting it through the official channels.

So how do you motivate staff and improve employee engagement

Money might help the world move but it doesn’t always take employees where they want to go. It’s so important for individuals to be seen as just that, themselves, and never just another cog in the machine.

With the right career development path and ongoing Continuing Professional Development, employees will begin to appreciate your interest in them and this will enhance your employer brand. Likewise, understanding their personal goals can help you build a better picture of their career path and what motivates them.

For example, if they want to buy a bigger house, the incentive of a pay rise will drive them. Or, if they plan to have a family, a more flexible work schedule would be more appealing for some.

In sickness and in health

While not every company can offer the best health insurance policy, it’s important that some kind of investment is made into employee wellbeing, for attracting and retaining talented employees. Whether that’s a basic health plan for all, an upgrade to safety equipment, the introduction of regular exercise clubs or free access to mental health therapy, as well as considering diversity and inclusion in your policies — there are so many ways organisations can support teams in these modern times.

Health, safety and wellness needs to be of paramount importance for employers. If it isn’t, employee turnover will be high – people will leave their positions in droves, in search of greener pastures with competitors.

Managing a strong employer brand with our brand management platform

The foundations of a strong employer brand lie within you, your team and what your company stands for. Ultimately, you can’t build a desirable company to work for if employee mental and physical health aren’t looked after.

Managing communications for your internal teams and externally to prospective candidates can be time-consuming, confusing and costly. At Papirfly, our all-in-one brand management platform is central to any employer branding strategy and helps to bring your employer brand to life. It puts the power of creation back into your hands, and gives teams autonomy to build all the assets they need – without needing to be designers.

So, whether you need to get a video promoting a role out in the next half hour, artwork created and printed for a recruitment fair or employee comms made and distributed urgently, you can do all of this and more with our brand management platform.

Find out more about Papirfly for employer branding teams or book your demo today to see our brand management platform in action.

Generation Z is doing a lot to shape the future of work. And for recruitment and employer brand teams within the Millennial category and beyond, it can be hard to pin down exactly what’s needed to nurture this current and future talent pool.  

In terms of generational shifts and experiences, they’re the most unique of the century, having grown up with internet connection as standard.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the mindset of Gen Z in the context of employment and recruitment. 

Who is Gen Z?

Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z aren’t the mystery that the media portrays. In fact, their motivations, wants and needs are very reasonable. They are also paving the way for raised workplace expectations and improved benefits packages for every generation. 

Gen Z’s ideal workplace looks vastly different to those of some earlier generations. Having a family isn’t the top priority. Work-life balance is key. Salary is only one of many other critical factors. 

They are the generation causing waves not seen before in the world of work, and now employers are having to quickly learn how to attract and retain this all-important workforce of the future. With Gen Z accounting for around 30% of the world’s population, they are predicted to represent 27% of the entire workforce by 2025.

What makes Gen Z different?

Working conditions across the world have greatly evolved over the years, reforming through both legislation and the needs of the global population. While many prior generations have been exposed to very distinct periods of time, and have seen the gradual progression of society and technology, Gen Z has been raised in a world that centres around technology in almost every aspect of life.

The older portion of Gen Z has been witness to the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. Gen Z places salary as a lower priority than other generations, and are not worried about taking risks despite the financial turmoil of these events.  

Gen Z wants to be challenged, nurtured and pursue interesting work that means something to them. Unless they have the job of their dreams or are working for a company that has a mission to do great things in the world, without purpose, Gen Z is likely to move on from one role to the next, until they are able to find the right fit. 

They know they can’t undo the damage that has been done to the environment and the world, but by working for a company that has sustainable and ethical CSR and ESB policies, it can help to shine a positive light on their employer. 

Additionally, diversity and inclusion have become deciding factors of whether a Gen Z candidate feels comfortable working for an organisation, something that has had much less focus in older generations.

Insights on Gen Z attitudes

The unique circumstances that Gen Z experienced as they made their journey to the workplace have not only given them a distinct set of priorities but have also shaped their attitudes at work.

Their lives are wholly integrated with technology

To Gen Z, being connected to what’s going on in the world and the people they care about is a must. They are more likely to be receptive to new tools and software, and could help companies find more digital ways to reduce manual processes.

They are always learning

As one of the most formally educated generations to date, Gen Z thrives on learning new information in engaging ways. If they don’t know how to do something, they’re more likely to find the answers on Google or watch a tutorial on Youtube first than ask peers. 

If they’re not learning or bettering themselves, they can feel stagnant, restless and unfulfilled so it’s important to keep professional growth and gaining skills a high priority within their working hours.

They won’t stick around just for financial security

We’ve seen a seismic shift in the rights of workers over the last half a century. But to this day, there are still employees who find themselves stuck being unhappy in roles where they aren’t treated correctly. This is often because they are responsible for their families or have other financial commitments.

If a Gen Z employee is unhappy, they won’t stick around and hope that things will improve – regardless of whether they are in a good financial position or not. Their entrepreneurial spirit will carry them off to the next opportunity or they will start up a venture on their own in a freelancing capacity. It’s important that a company’s culture, values and mission align with a Gen Z employee’s expectations, as well as the perks and benefits.

What are Gen Z’s needs, wants and expectations in the workplace?

To capture the attention of burgeoning Gen Z talent, it’s important employers are doing all they can to satisfy the needs, wants and expectations of this savvy new wave of workers.

What does Gen Z need?

• To have interesting and fulfilling work 
• Financial stability but not at the expense of their mental health
• A supportive culture where work-life balance is appreciated
• Flexibility in how, when and where their work is delivered 
• To continually learn and grow, professionally and personally

What does Gen Z want?

• To work for an environmentally conscious company
• To have shared values and attitudes with their employer
• The opportunity to give back to their community or causes they care about
• Logical pay progression based on merit, skill and contribution
• Trust and freedom to earn more holiday or prolonged periods of leave

What are Gen Z’s expectations?

• Inclusion and diversity to be a priority for their employer, who can effectively demonstrate their commitment
• A personalised employee experience and journey, based on individual goals as well as their wider team’s 
• Incentives for pay rises, progression and improved quality of work 
• Transparency and openness within the workplace environment
• Having the option of hybrid working, but having the opportunity to regularly meet with colleagues in-person – face-to-face interaction is still important to Gen Z

How to recruit and retain Gen Z

While we can’t generalise an entire generation, recruitment experiences have seen the etiquette between candidates and potential employers change somewhat with the Gen Z population. Here we explore what this change could mean for your recruitment strategies…

Move fast, communicate often

They are keen to move fast and don’t want to be sitting around waiting for responses from interviewers. If your interview process is unclear, long or multi-staged, your Gen Z candidate will disengage and move on to the next opportunity. The key here is to keep communication clear, consistent and frequent.

Highlight support network

While one of the most educated generations, Gen Z is acutely aware of the knowledge and skills gaps they may need for roles. If the training and support they’ll receive on-the-job aren’t made clear from the outset, they are also likely to disengage.

Opportunities to go global

A desire to travel is something that has been strongly ingrained in most generations, but Gen Z is set to make it more commonplace than it has ever been before. If a global company firmly aligns with their mission and values, another big plus would be opportunities to transfer to other disciplines in different parts of the world – exposing them to new cultures as well as new areas of the business.

Put mentorship programmes in place

Training and routes for progression are valuable to Gen Z, but having someone they can go to with any questions or advice is invaluable. Gen Z has incredible gratitude for someone that takes the time to help them, so having a dedicated mentor will both be beneficial for them and for succession planning within the business.

Regular recruiter training

The employer brand experience starts with your recruiter, whether that’s an in-house person or an external company. If they aren’t receiving regular training or check-ins, there could be something going wrong at the very first hurdle.

Is your employer brand ready to go to market?

Employer brand teams have a big mountain to climb when it comes to realigning recruitment strategies to meet the needs of Gen Z – though many are already making the changes. It’s important to get real-world feedback on your campaign ideas and approaches, whether that’s through market research or internal surveys with existing Gen Z employees.

In order to snap up top talent quickly, the right employer brand strategy must include an agile approach to brand content production. Providing the right central employer brand portal can play a big role in meeting the demand for marketing materials, with official assets and content design templates available – so teams can create infinite digital, video, social, print, email assets and more means global teams can quickly adapt content for different markets and cultures.

Ultimately, brands must act fast, and be on-brand in their messaging, if they expect to become the employer of choice for Gen Z.

It may sound obvious to say that it pays to hold on to your best talent, but you may be surprised at just how big of an impact it makes. A recent study of more than 600,000 researchers, entertainers, politicians, and athletes found that high performers are 400% more productive than ‘average’ ones.

Over the last decade, there has been a widening skills gap across all sectors and a growing trend in changing jobs much more frequently. According to research by McKinsey, nearly a third of senior leaders cite finding talent as their most significant managerial challenge. Be sure to read our previous article, ‘Employer branding – how important is your employer brand?’ to gain some expert tips on navigating today’s unique recruitment landscape.

The gap in skills is largely due to a gap in experience. We are at a time when many baby boomers who have developed their skills at a company over a long period of time are beginning to retire — taking decades of knowledge and experience with them. 

On top of this, millennials tend to be less loyal towards their workplace. In their report, ‘How Millennials Want to Work‘, Gallup found that one in five millennials have changed jobs in the last year and two in five are currently looking for a new job.

What does it take to attract and retain talent in 2022?

Remote-friendly interviews and onboarding

65% of candidates say that bad interview experiences will make them lose interest during an application process. Hindered by technical issues, a lack of face-to-face interaction and not being able to convey the atmosphere of the office can make it difficult for employers to make the best first impression.

“Trust has to exist from day one. When you’re remote you don’t have the opportunity to lean into someone’s cubicle to see how they’re doing. You have to get creative about ways to nurture that relationship.”
Chloe Oddliefson, Head of People Operations at Dribbble
(via Miro)

How a company supports employees working remotely will also have an effect on how long they decide to stay at a company. This all starts with a well-thought-out onboarding process that accounts for the challenges of not being in the office. If you want to retain great candidates from the get-go, using a digitised version of your onboarding document and omitting anything in-office related won’t cut it.

When new starters aren’t able to meet their team in person, onboarding is even more important for sharing elements that will help them learn all they need to know to become a successful addition to the company. Depending on the role, a comprehensive onboarding process may last around three months and cover these five areas:

1. Pre-onbording by HR, line manager and recruitment team
2. Onboarding by HR, line manager and payroll team
3. Orientation by line manager, colleagues and senior management
4. Feedback on first tasks and assignments by line manager
5. Ongoing support into their new role by line manager and colleagues

Promoting health and wellbeing

For obvious reasons, health and wellbeing has taken the spotlight over the last year. After companies saw first-hand the effects of employees suffering from poor physical and mental wellbeing during the pandemic, this will be an important value in employer branding going forward.

Many companies already offer health and wellness benefits like gym memberships, cycle to work schemes and free healthy snacks. However, these make no difference when your employees are working unreasonable hours or are not getting the right kind of support.

More than creating a more enjoyable place to work, addressing employee wellbeing issues at their root cause will help reduce burnout, increase productivity and retain employees for longer. Consider initiatives like:

• Allowing flexible hours
• Organising social activities
• Regular employee check-ins

Empowering employee growth

Companies that leave their employees’ career growth stagnating have always been more likely to lose their most enthusiastic people more quickly. 

In fact, 70% of high-retention-risk employees say they’ll be forced to leave their organisation to advance their careers.

A focus on offering opportunities for personal and professional development will be a key factor in facing the current global retention crisis. These are especially important for retaining new talent at the beginning of their careers who are looking to learn fast and constantly improve. Some of these opportunities could include:

• Internal learning and development programmes
• Access to online courses 
• Room to grow within roles
• Mentorship from senior employees
• Opportunities and encouragement to put ideas forward

Internal comms is key

Internal communication is often one of the most overlooked areas of an employer brand proposition, yet it’s evident in the employee experience every single day. Part of making it a positive one is determined by building a connection and maintaining engagement. 

Too often, internal comms is kept to the bare minimum and lacks the personality and culture traits that a company’s employer value proposition is centred around. Focusing more attention on what’s relevant and interesting to employees helps make them feel more engaged with the goals of the business. This not only instils more purpose in their role, but builds more loyalty too.

If you are keen to tackle work-related challenges that might encourage team members to look beyond your company, download our handy checklist outlining what you can do to address these issues and make a positive difference to your employees’ experience.

While email, surveys and text messaging are an essential part of the day-to-day running of a business, there is nothing stopping you from exploring other channels for more engaging communications. Video, social media posts, podcasts and blogs are a great way to share information, invite discussion and garner enthusiasm about what’s going on in the office and the wider business.

With a brand management solution you can streamline your internal asset creation with easy-to-use templates that help teams produce studio-quality materials in minutes. It also gives you a bird’s eye view of your campaigns and makes it quick and easy to share relevant and on-brand assets within your organisation.

Here are some great examples of companies that got it right:

The NHS
To make sure that all their employees were getting their flu jab, the NHS used the power of video to create these engaging posts for their social media channels.

Waitrose
UK supermarket, Waitrose, created a digital suggestion box to help all employees make their voices heard.

Pizza Hut
At the beginning of the pandemic, Pizza Hut acted fast to create a two-way conversation between staff, franchises and restaurant managers. Using the simple medium of WhatsApp, they helped employees feel valued in their role in feeding Britain during a challenging time.

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How to revitalise your talent retention methods

Improve personalisation

A more personalised approach shows a company’s ability to listen to the individual concerns of their employees. To retain the best talent, companies need to ditch the ‘one solution fits all employees’ approach.

Develop retention strategies that…

• Understand the different visions and goals of their staff – both professional and personal
• Allows employees to make their voices heard
• Provides opportunities to take on new challenges and steer their own path

“Personalisation for millennials in the workplace is about them seeing their work and organisation as a projection of themselves, and that drives loyalty.”
Felicity Furey, Founder of the Professional Leaders Institute
(via The CEO Magazine)

Be more flexible

When workplaces were plunged into lockdown, some were more prepared than others to support their employees to do their jobs effectively from home.

The most successful strategies included…

• Adopting the hybrid working model
• Testing out the four-day week
• Investing in technology that makes remote collaboration possible

Go further than raises and bonuses

Higher salaries and monetary rewards are one of the first considerations for an employee thinking of leaving an organisation. But they aren’t the only deciding factor. While having a competitive salary is undoubtedly a good thing, it does nothing to make a company stand out from the competition.

Establish a remote interview processes

Even if you have no immediate plans to bring in new talent, having a remote hiring strategy in place is vital for future-proofing your turnover, which is likely to increase going forward in 2021.

What should the remote interview process achieve?

• Can assess a candidate’s ability to work independently
• Reviews their proficiency communicating via digital channels
• Highlights their ability to collaborate remotely

Discover more insights in our Ultimate Employer Brand Checklist — download for free here!

To learn more about how Papirfly’s all-in-one brand management platform can help you attract and retain the world’s best talent in 2021, and beyond, get in touch today.