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South Africa is experiencing one of the largest skills reform and brain drain episodes since Covid, says Pabi Mogosetsi, country manager for employer branding agency, Universum Global South Africa.
Mogosetsi talks about work in the new world post-pandemic: what trends are prevalent in the workplace now, and what is essential to today’s employees.
According to Universum, the Great Resignation’ and ‘Great Renegotiation’, along with ‘Quiet Hiring’ and ‘Quiet Quitting’, are key causes for this brain drain. ”
“Added to this, global companies are taking advantage of local; skilled employees by offering remote work earning in the currency where the employer company originates from, meaning employees are earning a wage above what local companies can offer,” said Mogosetsi.
Universum has conducted various surveys to understand the talent landscape, and has picked up on the following points that are crucial to attract and retain crucial talent:
Talent shortages for crucial skills
At least 40% of professionals are looking to move employees and even industries within the next six months in SA.
“The data has clearly shown that 65% of those who leave organisations will likely not return to their industry of origin. At the same time, 17% of that original 65% do not return to the workforce entirely to pursue gig work and build on their side hustles or passions and other various spaces.
“It is more crucial now to strategies the HR teams and include them in the overall organisational areas, not just human capital, for them to fully understand being an ambassador to their organisations,” said Mogosetsi.
Wellbeing
Universum’s Wellbeing Survey identified that some of the biggest influencers in this category are flexibility, work-life balance, and creating a culture of belonging where your contributions are noticed and praised or encouraged.
“However, many employees said that they would rather speak to a third party concerning their issues than someone internally. This tells me that there is minimal trust in the organisations regarding this matter.
“Additionally, 77% of employees feel they can not be themselves at work; however, 84% of students surveyed said they think they would be able to be themselves when entering the workplace. This means there is an opportunity here as well as a lot of work to do to make this expectation a reality,” said Mogosetsi.
Hybrid work – one size does not fill all
“Getting back to the office has been a sore point for many corporates who have struggled to get their workforce back for various reasons. Many corporates want people back in the office to maintain and build culture, break silos and provide more accessibility in terms of resources – especially with our country facing load shedding.
“Our data has shown that an average of two days in the office is a great medium for the talent population. However, one size does not fit all, as each organisation is a unique ecosystem that needs to identify its best way of working, so communication is vital,” said Mogosetsi.
Fostering a feedback culture and open space to communicate with your people helps them feel wanted and understood in making important decisions but also helps assess your risk and build on the company culture at the same time, said the country lead.
EVP & DEI
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), is very important to talent, said Mogosetsi. “We see 78% of future talent indicating that they would like to see an employee embrace and extend equal opportunities to them and their peers.
“The EVP is one of the spaces where employers can humble brag and reach out to the talent they want – whether the talent lies in the high school education or early tertiary, they can speak volumes by making intentional changes that are directly attached to their brand identity.”
The rise of the digital nomad
Universum said that skilled individuals do not mind having two jobs to cover expenses while also working on their side hustle. However, they demand flexibility and understanding from their main company.
“We have come to understand that not everyone is necessarily looking to stay in the same industry or have a linear approach to their careers,” said Mogosetsi. The pandemic lockdown has opened up opportunities to expand vertically and horizontally, with many managers and CEOs looking at finding other opportunities.
“With the current semigration, we have noticed a lot more individuals willing to double hat their responsibility to either create a more secure space of income with more income streams and fulfill their career desires, as a way to be able to feel fulfilled and secure and expand their flexibility options if anything had to suddenly change – as the pandemic time showed us.”
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