The advent of the ‘talent uprising’ characterised by large numbers of resignations without the security of the next job, has left companies and hiring managers challenged in what the future of talent may entail. There are many questions that need to be examined and answered such as: Is the one-size-fits-all approach employed in the past and present still relevant?

If it isn’t, what is the new model or what are the models needed to manage current and future workforce? Given the state of flux, it is crucial to acknowledge the need for change to remain relevant and attractive as employers.

Here are themes that are dominating today’s talent conversations:

1. Decentralisation is becoming more prevalent in local and regional organisations. After more than 2 years of experimenting with varying working models for employees, many still appreciate the flexibility and time available without the daily commute, being closer to home and family, whilst being able to deliver meaningful work. Naturally, many want to retain this focus and flexibility whilst being able to work in a manner that complements their lifestyle. There are different perspectives on the productivity and engagement-levels of staff in a WFH, hybrid, or conventional 9-to-5 work scenarios, but what is important to note is that organisations still need to take into consideration, staff feedback and rethink, if needed, their perspectives, expectations and measures of productivity or performance, to determine the best way forward.

2. The changing landscape and pivots by companies to incorporate greater technology integration and platforms, also means new and (perhaps) different skills are required. However, change is not linear, neither is the speed of change. Therefore, the sprints and constant directional shifts require different skillsets to identify and manage different people, teams, and projects, at different times and locations. Agility will take on a very different meaning and significance as employees look to the leaders to define the way forward in terms of the culture and expectations.

3. Purpose takes on a front row seat in driving organisational culture and the pillars of support. As employees prioritise meaningful work, they will be doing more than just what is stated in the job description. The challenge is how to develop a purpose-driven organisation where alignment means that the purpose informs decisions, guides day-to-day behaviours, and becomes the source that vitalises the organisation? As expectations grow, organisations demonstrating real action in the form of policy and plans will be perceived as sincere in their priorities and recognition of the need to adapt and invest to set themselves apart from their competitors.

COVID-19 has not only changed the world and the way we work. It has also changed the way people think, feel, and engage. Employees are looking to make a greater impact at work and are committed to shaping a better world. Therefore, the path forward is clear: organisations who do not prioritise company culture, leadership, and succession planning; will be left behind. 

Starting the journey

By applying decades of expertise and data on employee experience, Kincentric has been working to identify and acknowledge Best Employer organisations through their employees’ opinions and experiences. In analysing the 2021 Best Employer client data spanning over 600,000 survey responses, many companies were found struggling to hire and retain the talent necessary to sustain their business. Additionally, the same survey revealed that having a healthy organisational culture is the key strategic differentiator to minimising talent related issues. Culture is more important to business goals than ever before, and many leaders are deliberating whether they have the right culture to deliver on their future business needs.

Here are three (3) culture principles that future organisations will need to adopt and embed in their business:

1. Align to strategy – Culture needs to align with and support the business strategy.

• Employees and stakeholders will need to be assured that the company culture and business strategy are not on two different paths and align well to avoid confusion.
• Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor to talent and stakeholders, culture. It should be incorporated seamlessly into the business strategy, so that they do not clash.
• Culture creates embeddedness to support business strategy and promotes retention; employees need to feel connected to the organisation one way or another.

a) Links – Interpersonal relationships with co-workers and leaders
b) Fit – The balance between personal capabilities and work challenges for growth
c) Sacrifice – Barriers to leave, positive benefits like meaningful relationships and sense of purpose at the workplace which makes employees think thrice before they decide to even consider resigning

2. Lead by example & proactive engagement – Culture is shaped by engaging leaders as well as their actions and decisions.

• Leaders are driving forces for shaping culture and engagement via modelling behaviours and expectations for the workforce. Kincentric has identified five dimensions of leader behaviour that have an empirically verified impact on team engagement, which is referred to as the SPARK model.

a) Stimulate – Motivate through inspirational leadership, passion, and purpose
b) Propel – Step up to drive a solution / direction for the team
c) Anchor – Be the anchor of the team by being authentic, humble, and candour, give constructive feedback / guidance; create stability during times of change
d) Relate – Create stronger emotional connection with everyone on the team
e) Kindle – Practice servant leadership and develop the talents’ capabilities

• However, changing the behaviour of disengaging leaders from corrosive to constructive is a journey, not an event, and realistically will not succeed with every disengaging leader.

• Organisations need to ensure that they have engaging leaders at all levels. Based on a recent Kincentric’s survey, only 1 out of 3 leaders are engaging globally. Leaders can help reduce the risk of resignations by providing guidance that unites individuals to work towards common objectives to advance the company agenda as well as encourage the growth of the employees’ individual careers, a win-win situation all around.

3. Reinforce with actions – Culture is reinforced by business and organisational systems

• Quoting the proverb, ‘action speaks louder than words’, organisations will need to make effort to create support systems where company management will need to be more open to flexibility, and allow employees to work how they want, with an open-door policy, additional leaves, mental health support, etc.

• According to Kincentric’s data, Best Employer organisations distinguish themselves in committing agile way of working in leveraging opportunities for business. 83% being able to invest in new ideas that drive future success, and 81% of those organisations also work towards having a work environment with collaborative culture.

• The bottom line is to support talent to live a comfortable and meaningful life, inside and outside of work, which in return, will increase productivity and quality of work.

Ultimately, employees want to feel appreciated, a sense of belonging, be given the opportunity to grow, coupled with the flexibility to deal with their everyday commitments. At this point, while expectations may seem unrealistic, however if we put a spotlight on addressing their concerns, is the first and an important step towards building and vitalising your game-changing talent strategy for tomorrow.


* Ridhima Khanduja leads Kincentric (A Spencer Stuart company)’s business for Malaysia as the Partner and Market Leader. She brings along over 15 years of consulting and line management experience.

** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.