Staying Ahead of the Great Talent Migration
July 20, 2021 – The American workforce is changing rapidly thanks to job mobility, a still-tight labor market, and technological advances. According a new report by Accur Recruiting Services, this metamorphosis has been in the works for years and the COVID-19 pandemic simply accelerated the shift toward location-independent work and remote work. “But the changes are not just logistical; they reveal deep changes in how American workers approach their career trajectories,” said CEO Edouard Thoumyre.
A recent poll by Microsoft found that 41 percent of employees were considering leaving their current employer this year and 46 percent said they were likely to move because they can now work remotely. In addition, 53 percent of Americans said they would switch to an entirely new industry if they could retrain.
Whether you are an employer or a worker, these massive shifts will impact all of us. Mr. Thoumyre provided a round-up of tips for navigating these changes:
Desire for mobility: Recent surveys have amply demonstrated that American workers crave novelty and mobility. “The pandemic has just accelerated those forces to the point where companies wanting to acquire top talent must adjust,” said Mr. Thoumyre.
Technological innovation: Years ago, bringing teams together across the world was cumbersome and awkward. These days a host of platforms and services make asynchronous communication, online meetings and interviews much more frictionless. With email, Slack, Zoom and instant messaging, said Mr. Thoumyre, it’s no wonder that workers want more flexibility to craft their working days.
Related: Best Practices for Virtual Job Interviewing
Tight labor market: “While the labor market has been a wild ride over this past year and change, what hasn’t changed it that the competition to acquire and retain top talent remains challenging,” said Mr. Thoumyre.
How Employers Can Stay Ahead of the Talent Migration
Offer 100 percent remote work: “One easy way for employers to harness the best talent is to develop a strategy that is 100 percent location-independent,” Mr. Thoumyre said. “WordPress is an excellent example of this, not only in terms of remote work policies but also in terms of creating an environment where independent-minded employees can do their best work.”
Edouard Thoumyre is founder and managing partner of ACCUR Recruiting Services and has become a key player of the recruitment and executive search industry for consumer and luxury goods brands in the U.S., in export and in travel retail. With previous experiences in management consulting (Oliver Wyman, Ernst & Young) and entrepreneurship (co-founder of Assisteo, an education and healthcare B-to-C service provider), Mr. Thoumyre offers a well-rounded understanding of recruitment needs focused on sales, marketing, finance, or operations.
Consider non-monetary incentives: “We’ve found in our surveys that while compensation is king, other factors influence workers desire to stay,” said Mr. Thoumyre. “Make sure that your considering policies such as sustainability and diversity and inclusion along with strong remote work policies.”
Invest in career development: Another area that’s important to employees, especially those focused on growth, is career development, according to Mr. Thoumyre. “Make sure that your employees know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and how they can access career development resources,” he said.
Keep Your Skills Sharp: “Know the skills that are most in demand and how they fit into your career planning,” said Mr. Thoumyre. “As we recover from pandemic-related shutdowns, companies will prize employees who are flexible and proactive. Now is always a good time to be planning ways of beefing up your skills.”
ACCUR Recruiting Services is a boutique executive search firm specializing in consumer industries (beauty, wine and spirits, watch and jewelry, food and beverage, tobacco, cannabis, hospitality). It was established in 2006 and now has offices in New York City, New Jersey and Miami, with additional consultants in Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Bogotá. ACCUR focuses on recruiting for middle- to senior-level positions, mostly for sales and business development, marketing, export, retail, finance and operations.
ACCUR’s search process is the combined effort of a full direct approach strategy geared towards passive candidates working in target companies, and soliciting the large network of consumer industry professionals the firm has built over the years.
Related: Working Virtually Keeps Everyone Safe and Productive
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
