Hybrid Jobs — more than a choice of location
Recruiting of the future
Hybrid jobs do not deal with from which location you work.
Hybrid jobs are a far more complex concept that is crucial for your organisations’ success in the future. Looking at how organisations perform their recruiting efforts, one can still see many bad hires who are not able or ready for the job. Consequently, employee turnover is high, employee motivation is low and the problem of hiring the right people for the right job restarts from the beginning. It seems very difficult for organisations to hire the perfect fit, and it almost seems impossible to see which people might be the best choice. However, guesswork cannot be the solution. A recent study conducted by Google showed that the aspects for which organisations are looking are often not the ones that fit best with the needs of the people in your organisation (Source).
How can your organisation conduct better recruiting and selection processes and deliver better results?
Formal Aspects
Formal factors often drive the traditional approach to recruiting and hiring practices. Which degree, which university. This selection process tells you more about the social upbringing of a person, especially when hiring in or from the UK and USA than it tells you about a skillset which you may need in your organisation. Catering to alumni networks and giving them an unfair advantage is common practice in some organisations. Quickly, people in your organisation will know that without fairness and transparency, working for you will not be a viable option. Talented people will either stay away, or you have to invest an unreasonably high amount of effort and money in convincing them to work for you (still, this does not guarantee you that these people stay afterwards).
Hybrid jobs end the distinction between the people-side and the hard-facts-side of the business being separated. You often see this happening in organisations. More of a people person? Welcome to Sales or Marketing. More of a numbers person? Let’s put that person to Research & Development, Controlling or Accounting. This approach is not sustainable. We need both aspects of business in the same position. These are hybrid jobs.
Skills
Looking at the recent study, which skills are the most in-demand, you may see some surprises. You might expect skills like data science, specific fact-driven skills or similar answers.
However, the results are the following:
- Being a good coach — developing people,
- Communicating and listening well — being a master communicator,
- Possessing insight into others (social awareness) — understanding not only yourself but others as well,
- Empathy and support toward colleagues — growing a team,
- Critical thinking — being able to question even long-standing aspects of the organisation,
- Problem solving — being of help,
- Connecting complex ideas — connecting the dots to get the best results.
Hard skills did not even make it to the Top ranks of the survey and study. This list is the proof and evidence that the soft skill side of the business is far more critical than most organisations acknowledge. Hybrid Jobs show the importance of the soft skill side more than ever before. Your effort of winning, retaining and developing the right people should focus on building hard and soft skills for the same person.
Leadership
You may now think some of your leaders will not accept the new hybrid job scenario. Of course, numerous leaders will be open to change. Especially as they demand being open-minded about change from any employee. However, certain leaders will deny the innovative approach and insist on handling people development the old-fashioned way.
When it comes to leaders and hybrid jobs, you have three options: train, coach or replace. Any leader who refuses to change will cause harm to the organisation and, therefore, should leave it. Still, you can expect that most leaders follow science and will accept that the approach of hybrid jobs is a more sustainable one. They will change accordingly as long as you make the right training and coaching offers.
The change in the direction of hybrid jobs is taking place right now. It is highly recommended that your organisation checks your status quo immediately and start to change where necessary.
More about hybrid jobs and the Future of Work in
this week’s podcast: click here to listen and learn.
The Future of Work is important for your organisation?
Let’s talk: NB@NB-Networks.com.
