Far and wide: the new recruitment formula
Far and wide: the new recruitment formula
4: Focus on future digital needs
To undertake the kind of digital transformation that gives companies a genuine edge requires the best people, working in the right places, at the right time.
For many companies, the ability to find and exploit that talent is hampered by limited recruitment horizons. An inflexible strategy of hiring specialists only from the usual talent pools will hold companies back, rather than allowing them to pioneer new ways of operating.
“Companies need to find different ways to identify talent,” says Jilko Andringa, CEO of Brunel. “These can often be found in unconventional places.”
Our research found that many companies are unable to source the talent they need, leaving them at a digital dead-end. So, how can organisations expand their recruitment sources and broaden their talent bases?
say their digital-transformation efforts are being hampered by an inability to recruit new employees with the required skills
Think global, not local
For companies in sectors such as Mining, Oil and Gas and Life Sciences, it was once unthinkable for significant sections of the workforce to operate remotely. But this has changed over the past decade. Mining, for example, has been implementing off-site operating techniques for several years through remote operating centres (ROCs). This trend has accelerated during the pandemic and is being further enabled through the adoption of automation.
“Today, the talent marketplace is global but too few companies have switched to this mentality. This is limiting their options,” says Brunel’s CEO Andringa. “Leaders and hiring managers must look to the future and consider long-term, sustainable solutions.”
Finding ways to connect the right people to projects based thousands of miles away from them – while ensuring compliance – is of critical importance in the new working environment. The way to do this sustainably, Andringa suggests, is to “plan for the roles of tomorrow” and ensure companies “are building a strong array of talent from both internal and external sources”.
Be inclusive and open to change
To attract talent from the widest possible pool, organisations must provide their employees with a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace – somewhere they can feel comfortable, in every sense.
This can’t be taken for granted, especially when you consider 31% of energy workers say they have personally been the target of workplace discrimination, according to research from Brunel and OGJS.
Close attention paid to the recruitment process, such as removing bias and improving inclusivity, including in the language of job adverts, can expand the range of interested candidates.
There is a clear business case for this, and it is getting stronger. Research published last year by McKinsey found that, in 2019, “Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile – up from 21% in 2017 and 15% in 2014.”¹
Likelihood of companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams to have above-average profitability compared to companies in the fourth quartile:
“Leaders play a pivotal role in ensuring gender equity, and can achieve this through hiring, development and succession to ensure gender balance and equal opportunity,” says Christine Anderson, Global Head of Human Resources, Brunel. “A diverse workforce allows for diversity of thought, creates innovation and drives organisational capability.”
Louisa Moreton at Finsbury Glover Hering says that leaders must think hard about what it means to have a “truly inclusive recruitment process”, and what changes they need to make to get there. She suggests that this could involve targeted line-manager training, for instance, or changing job descriptions to ensure they are inclusive and don’t inadvertently exclude people who have the right skills. This demonstration of values is more impactful than just saying a company is inclusive.
Family-friendly policies can also have an impact on employee satisfaction and retention. According to research by McKinsey in 10 countries, extended paternity leave can have a hugely positive impact for both employee and employer.
Be inclusive and open to change
To attract talent from the widest possible pool, organisations must provide their employees with a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace – somewhere they can feel comfortable, in every sense.
This can’t be taken for granted, especially when you consider 31% of energy workers say they have personally been the target of workplace discrimination, according to research from Brunel and OGJS.
Close attention paid to the recruitment process, such as removing bias and improving inclusivity, including in the language of job adverts, can expand the range of interested candidates.
There is a clear business case for this, and it is getting stronger. Research published last year by McKinsey found that, in 2019, “Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile – up from 21% in 2017 and 15% in 2014.”¹
Likelihood of companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams to have above-average profitability compared to companies in the fourth quartile:
“Leaders play a pivotal role in ensuring gender equity, and can achieve this through hiring, development and succession to ensure gender balance and equal opportunity,” says Christine Anderson, Global Head of Human Resources, Brunel. “A diverse workforce allows for diversity of thought, creates innovation and drives organisational capability.”
Louisa Moreton at Finsbury Glover Hering says that leaders must think hard about what it means to have a “truly inclusive recruitment process”, and what changes they need to make to get there. She suggests that this could involve targeted line-manager training, for instance, or changing job descriptions to ensure they are inclusive and don’t inadvertently exclude people who have the right skills. This demonstration of values is more impactful than just saying a company is inclusive.
Family-friendly policies can also have an impact on employee satisfaction and retention. According to research by McKinsey in 10 countries, extended paternity leave can have a hugely positive impact for both employee and employer.
Strike a balance between discipline and domain knowledge
Our research shows that companies want candidates who possess a good understanding of the business, even above technical skills. In certain roles, this makes sense – operational technology in Mining, for example, requires candidates to have experience of the sector to be effective. In Life Sciences, the need for specialist knowledge, allied to digital skills, will be critical as the sector looks to generate more than 130,000 jobs in the UK alone over the next 10 years. A study in the United States by CSBI and TEConomy Partners, found that nearly half of Life Sciences employment was in high-skilled occupations compared with just over a quarter for other industries.
But, in other roles, sector experience is less important and companies should be looking for transferable technology skills that have been nurtured in other sectors. A blend of discipline and domain knowledge can be powerful because it produces individuals with fresh perspectives, who can sit alongside more established teams and challenge received thinking or add new capabilities.
The reality is that it is difficult to move digital transformation forwards if we are all fishing in the same pools. Companies need to shift their mindsets and open up their talent pools by broadening experience and neurodiversity.”
Tania Sinibaldi, Managing Director, Australasia, Brunel
The reality is that it is difficult to move digital transformation forwards if we are all fishing in the same pools. Companies need to shift their mindsets and open up their talent pools by broadening experience and neurodiversity.”
Tania Sinibaldi, Managing Director, Australasia, Brunel
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