Author: Lisa Ciardi (La Nazione)
“Covid has changed the strategies and perspectives of workers who are now less willing to give up their well-being, satisfaction and smartworking”. This trend is explained by Claudia Paoletti, managing partner of Kilpatrick Executive Search, a headhunting company appointed by companies to select managers and highly qualified professionals.
“The world of work is certainly one of the areas that has been most impacted by Covid – she says – forever revolutionising its logic and mechanisms. Workers, in fact, seem to have completely shifted the focus of their desires, returning the interest in their physical and psychological well-being and seeking greater involvement in the company”.
A study conducted by the Centro Ricerche Aidp (Associazione dei Direttori del Personale – Association of Personnel Managers), shows how, in recent months, 75% of companies in Italy have had to deal with an increase in voluntary resignations by employees, especially in the IT and digital area but also in production and commercial/marketing areas. The theme of “great resignation” is therefore not only a problem that affects America but, to a certain extent, is also arriving here.
“The reasons why so many people change jobs are varied – Paoletti continues – but we can certainly highlight the most common ones that candidates tell us about at the moment.”
“People often run away from their bosses rather than from companies and complain about too much pressure, lack of recognition or involvement, or company decisions that are not always meritocratic. For many people it has become very important to be able to do a job where they can ‘make an impact‘. Most of the candidates surveyed by Kilpatrick change jobs in search of more stimulating and interesting content. Young people in particular are no longer willing to compromise. They have their own values and want the company to be aligned with their ideals. Training is also an element of attraction for the most talented people who seek continuous growth and new stimuli. They want to train and they want to do it now, they don’t have the patience to wait.”
“Another element that companies need to pay attention to is the onboarding proces – explains Claudia Paoletti – It is essential to improve the employee’s experience in the workplace, and it is therefore necessary to create an onboarding process that does not only involve human resources as actors, but also other areas of the company, key teams, key stakeholders and the CEO when possible. You have to engage the candidates and make them feel part of the new project and the new team to make sure they stay as long as possible”.
Finally, the smartworking element: most workers can no longer do without it. “Companies that try to go back to the pre-Covid way of working – concludes Claudia Paoletti – with a total presence in the office, risk losing some of their most talented and sought-after employees and not being able to attract staff from outside. This is a point on which we headhunters pay a lot of attention before accepting an assignment, because the risk of not closing the search is very high if good flexibility on hours and remote working is not granted. The trend that we have picked up from the majority of companies in Italy, but also in Tuscany, is fortunately oriented towards maintaining two days a week of smartworking for their employees also in the future.”
What is the yolo economy?
“You only live once”. The new generation of digital natives is changing strategies and objectives.
It is the era of the Yolo Economy, an acronym for ‘you only live once’. The protagonist is a generation of digital natives who have grown up with smartphones and a constant internet connection. They are used to travelling the world thanks to low-cost travel, are cosmopolitan, speak several languages and are used to being on the move. They have experienced greater economic prosperity than boomers and have been able to devote resources to their passions and personal interests. In addition, today’s young people are more disillusioned with the corporate world, have seen their parents go through organisational restructuring and do not believe in long-term commitment. If they do not find what they are looking for in their work experience, they seek and change without too much trouble because they are aware that they will have to change many jobs and employers in their professional career. “Surveys – Claudia Paoletti further explains – show that, on average, they expect to stay with a company for three to five years at most, and a third of them even less. For the new generations, the issue of wellbeing and sustainability has also become increasingly central. Young people are also much more attached to their roots than previous generations and there is a strong interest in nature. Tuscany can certainly benefit from this interest and Made in Tuscany can be sold well to candidates who appreciate the idea of living in a region that offers so much.
Source: La Nazione