I often refer to Google and Facebook in my blog, due to their influence on workplace design. Many consider them to be workplace interior’s holy grail. But today’s big employers are competing with one another on a much broader set of principles. Cool interiors alone just won’t cut it. Zürich, like many European cities is home to a large number of global brands, with bustling financial services and tech sectors. I regularly hear of people with multiple job offers taking a job with a lower salary, rather than accepting a role in a company that doesn’t reflect their ideals. This decision can be influenced by office design and facilities, career development options, corporate culture and much more.
Shifting battleground calls for new strategies
Traditional PLCs previously considered the Steady Eddys of the business world are rolling out next gen offices with in-house yoga studios, barista coffee and agile work settings as standard, using tech brands for interior inspiration. Nigel in corporate law has been secretly attending underground freestyle hip-hop sessions and is learning how to breakdance. But in fact, the aim is not to imitate the cool tech guys, it’s to outdo them.
“Banks today are not really banks like they were years ago” says Christian Ronn Osteraas, head of Real Estate at Danske Bank. “Banks are more and more IT Companies, so the fact we compete for the same talents means we have to offer the same or better physical benefits and services.”
Today’s young talent switch employers more frequently than Theresa May changes Brexit Secretaries
Many workplace skills are transferable. You may be in marketing, PR, a business analyst or a coder, yet you could work for any number of employers from TV to tech, finance to pharma. And younger employees have a different mindset when it comes to career paths. It’s no longer the goal to start as tea boy / girl at Goldsmith and Bobbins and 23 years later, progress to the corner office and sip scotch with the board. Today’s young talent switch employers more frequently than Theresa May changes Brexit Secretaries. Many have a side-job (or side-startup) and want jobs on their terms. The attraction and retention of young talent is more complex than ever.
The businesses winning the talent war are those continually investing in – and listening to – their primary assets. It’s all about the employee experience. Here are a few ways big firms across Europe are improving their chances of tempting top talent.
The gig economy
PwC launched The Flexible Talent Network; a flexible working scheme allowing recruits to work when they want. Applicants simply list their skills and preferred work pattern. The aim is to attract and retain skilled people who don’t want to be tied to the traditional 9-to-5. Flexible working can include anything from shorter weekly working hours, to only working for a few months a year.
PwC will match recruits to relevant projects rather than specific roles; a move hoped to bring more diverse talent into the firm. They decided to embrace the gig economy after a study it carried out showed that almost 46 percent of 2,000 respondents prioritised flexible working hours and a good work-life balance when choosing a job.