From a uni-dimensional lens of looking at talent and what drives them, the world in these strange times has transitioned towards a more blended, multi-faceted approach. It's almost as though all our motor skills and the five senses we experience are dependent on the kind of technology we leverage. We cannot see each other but video aided tools can now bring people together, get them to collaborate and even celebrate. 

In the absence of a physical CV that a recruiter would otherwise use, AI is disrupting the basic competency of a recruiter that parses through a multitude of resumes by sifting through the ‘A+’ CV in a matter of seconds. Companies are not banging on about native candidates because where you work is not as important as how you work. Today, you can run exciting fun events from anywhere around the world with anyone around the world. This is, in fact, the most pivotal moment in talent management. 

Meet Madame Digital

The physical world and the digital world have distinct cultures. The wise would do well to not use them exclusively. With so much going on around the world and mental wellbeing being at the forefront of executive discussions, the time has come to find that sweet spot where we can exact great results by blending them.  

Onboarding has seen one of the biggest changes in terms of employee experience. Tech tools of today are enabled to connect and engage with a new hire’s buddy, manager, and keep track of the new hire’s 30-60-90 day plans. Functional experts can also create a ton of videos on a platform that new hires can gain access to. New hire feedback is taken and given on the spot, making the process operate like clockwork. The important thing is that the administrative and personal experience makes it powerful for HR folks to drive and lends a lot of credibility to those involved in the process. All that said, it would be naive to think that technology can touch everything that tingles an employee. Tagging the online space with personal 1:1s hits the sweet spot. At the end of the day, technology can aid employee experience but it's the human connection that lends real heart to the process.  

The significant shift in annual people satisfaction surveys

Surveys today are made to be simple, asking about 8-10 questions, themes that talk about the employee, the leader, the manager and the company at large. Carrying out surveys in quick succession keeps people curious and excited, addresses people’s concerns in real-time and one sees a sense of urgency to come back with an action plan. The success of the digital survey technique is then accompanied by the physical world of organizing online focus-groups, collaborating to solve and course-correct. This feedback-action loop and how both the digital and physical worlds come together to create a culture of empathy and outcomes is a real revelation that a blended engagement strategy is a way to go.

Core values are looking to alter the status quo

While companies look at transparency, integrity, customer-focus as standard core values, but with so many aspects being governed by tech, there are a few undertones that employees are grappling with. If not corrected, these can stand in the way of delivering clean results, create a toxic culture and workplace stress. When employees are always looking for information quickly, unless companies invest in collaborative tools and resource libraries, people are going to show a lack of empathy when transacting with people within/outside their teams. Performance management tech in that regard has been ahead of the starting line of HR offerings. My mantra to retain top talent has been on the back of:

Ensuring clarity of goals to all employees

• Regular feedback - more coaching than performance feedback
• Appreciating people when hitting the home run or in dire times
• Owning your development - you are writing the destiny of your future and not allowing someone else to

With these pillars, technology has started to blend goals, outcomes, feedback and competencies to make the experience more real-time. The hybrid culture of today requires constant conversations and the tech and decision-science to support critical calls on people. In the pandemic chaos, the culture of only those organizations has witnessed a quantum shift where technology has aided in making people more agile and results-oriented and have touched lives by demonstrating empathy, resilience and a desire to win together.