The year has started vigorously in the HR departments of big tech companies and in many employees’ agendas, but not in the same way for some of them as for others. 

Since 2020, these companies have had to make great efforts to expand their staff in order to adapt to the “online” era that emerged from the covid pandemic. However, now that the need for personnel is over, these companies are quickly shedding a large part of their workforce. As a result, smaller companies are benefitting from these layoffs and are creating talent attraction strategies with a range of benefits for employees, such as including a workplace well-being platform. 

This policy results from a massive wave of layoffs that is putting thousands of workers out of their jobs in recent weeks following significant job cuts initiated in 2022. More than one manager in the People area is likely delaying the administration of the next work environment survey in these teams as long as possible: who knows what result might come out of it at this point.

At ifeel, we believe the key to talent attraction is offering benefits that foster employees’ emotional well-being. HR managers play an active role in talent attraction and retention and, therefore, should be advised by occupational health professionals in order to place employee mental health at the heart of their corporate culture. To help managers tackle key issues in their talent attraction and retention strategy, we have created a First Aid Kit for HR Managers, which analyzes 7 problematic situations you may encounter as an HR manager, and how to solve them. 

The Great Resignation

Let’s also consider the enormous shuffle that has occurred worldwide in the wake of the Great Resignation, motivated partly by the need for workers to respond to their particular burnout syndrome and other adverse conditions that generated a bad experience as employees. What would have happened if all those employees had felt supported psychologically by their companies through a well-rounded workplace well-being platform? 

There is no doubt that this conjunction of large-scale organizational movements creates an interesting scenario for the recruitment field. It is a labor market full of highly specialized workers, especially in large technology companies and other sectors. These workers are, more than ever, potentially available to join new organizations and take on new roles. 

The rise of smaller companies

Precisely these companies – sometimes more humble than the ones employees belonged to before resigning or being fired – could be the great beneficiaries of this corporate storm.

It is likely that, in some cases, the new companies will not be able to match all the conditions these workers enjoyed. However, it is also possible that, given the circumstances, it may not be all about matching the role, functions, or salary they had in the past but about giving these employees the kind of experience that their previous jobs were not able to provide, increasing the significance to the emotional well-being and quality of life of the staff. This is precisely where companies can stand out and make a difference. HR managers can identify gaps in their occupational health strategy by providing powerful self-care and professional care tools to their workforce as part of an EAP (Employee Assistance Program). 

For this reason, Human Resources managers should be very attentive to make the most of this situation. This includes understanding some of the insights the Great Resignation has taught us, such as the importance most employees place on their quality of life and how their work influences it. It is up to HR managers to recruit skilled workers for their teams, who are now part of that professional mass that has decided to take a career break but is ready to re-enter the labor market. They must also find those who have been temporarily sidelined by the recent wave of layoffs in large corporations and would be happy to close this gap successfully as soon as possible.

A shift in workers’ needs

Recruitment processes must be well-established, attracting active job seekers, but also those people (and there are many) who are not seeking a better position than the one they have but who could join the company if the right opportunity arises for them. This approach is key when initiating the phases of a selection process with this type of potential employee. These are nuances that must always be taken into account, but even more so in the circumstances such as this, and which we could summarize in three points:

1. Not so eager
Just because they have recently been laid off does not mean they are eager to return to a job situation exactly the same as the one they had. Many of them will be able to rely on a good margin for negotiation; that is where you have to listen to them carefully to offer them a bonus that will make them fall in love with you. Be sure to pay attention to their comments about health, well-being, emotions, quality of life, or personal fulfillment. You can always respectfully ask about these topics to express their importance to you.

2. Not at conformist
If they decided to join the Great Resignation, we are dealing with people who made the difficult decision to put their psychological well-being before a job that may have had good economic conditions but did not support their quality of life. They are demanding, courageous and assertive employees, and employers must be reminded of this to persuade them to join a new professional project. Therefore, do not repeat the same mistake made by their previous employer, which is to underestimate the employee’s courage in finding a good balance between work and the other areas of their life.

3. Not so far from the personal
The key to convincing them will not be to pinpoint their weaknesses and criticize them. Instead, it will involve combining convincing material conditions with an employee experience that focuses on mitigating the primary psychosocial risks at work. In many cases, there will be no other way to captivate them than by proposing a new way of understanding the professional role in everyday life, and that could be the undisclosed point they are waiting for you to unveil.

It is clear that certain changes in the labor market can make it easier for companies in need of personnel to grow unexpectedly. The important thing is that they are in a position to capture the talent others leave available for various reasons. Most importantly, companies should be able to offer employees the benefits other companies could not, especially when it comes to fostering and protecting their emotional well-being. 

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