With unemployment in the USA hovering around 3.9%, these are strange times. In 2021 a reported 4.5 million people quit their jobs. This has left organizations short staffed and scratching their collective heads. Maybe the gig economy combined with COVID are to blame, or maybe Americans are just burnt out on the grind and looking for a different approach to work.

Several years ago I coined the term “Forwardfill” as an alternative to backfilling jobs. The concept is to think differently about open positions with an eye to the future rather than the past. My work around forwardfilling has helped many organizations to rethink their talent strategies and it has been featured by The Society For Human Resources Management (SHRM) among others. With the great resignation plaguing organizations, now is the ideal time to revisit the notion of forwardfilling roles. There are five keys to effectively forwardfilling jobs. To learn more about the concept visit www.forwardfill.com

Flexibility

Workers today desire and require more flexibility in their work arrangements. This starts with the location of the job. According to LinkedIn, one in seven jobs listed on the LinkedIn job boards today is remote. Only a few years ago that number was one in sixty seven. Clearly organizations are having to meet workers where they are and where they want to be. The pandemic has proven that through technology employees can be productive without having to be in the office. Flexibility goes beyond the work location and can include things like working hours, cafeteria style benefits plans, choices around technology like Mac or PC, and vacation/PTO policies. The goal is to meet employees’ individual and specific needs while also maintaining equity among workers.

Creativity

Employers must approach marketing job openings more like marketing products. They must present a value proposition, entice job seekers to apply and be able to deliver on the promises made in the recruitment process. Job seekers have lots of choices with so many opening and a shortage of workers, so companies must out compete other employers to land quality hires. Hiring managers must be creative in their candidate sourcing. Their searches can include referral bonuses for existing staff, clever job advertisement copy, unique job opening placements that go beyond LinkedIn and Indeed, and may include social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Ingenuity

During COVID and lockdowns, our firm Groove Management helped clients to rethink their sales model, specifically for SaaS companies who had their salesforces geographically deployed. Without the ability to call on customers in person and at their offices, being in the same city as clients and prospects became less important. As we assessed sales territories and industries we found that aligning sales people around verticals produced higher close rates and more sales than aligning around geographies. This major shift helped organizations to focus on hiring sales people with industry experience regardless of where they lived. This in turn opened searches to national candidates with deep expertise in manufacturing, healthcare, packaged goods and other important verticals. By re-engineering the approach to sales teams, organizations can boost sales, attract better candidates and increase margins. This requires ingenuity and a willingness to let go of approaches that have been successful in the past.

Empathy

As an executive coach, the leadership skill that I have seen to have gained most in importance over the past two years is empathy. These have been challenging times personally and professionally. The best leaders are in tune with their employees and the evolving needs of the business. Many who have resigned, have done so because they did not feel valued, they were treated poorly and they worked for rotten bosses. With choices as to where to work and what to do, job seekers are being much more selective. Leading with empathy is critical to building trust, attracting and retaining top talent. Empathy can and must be developed if is it a shortcoming of today’s leaders. My favorite executive coaching question “Would you thrive working for you?” is a good starting point for measuring one’s level of empathy. If you are going to forwardfill roles, then you must also make adjustments to your leadership style and be more empathetic to the unique needs of each candidate.

Authenticity

Your organization is not for everyone. Be clear on who you are, what it is like to work for your organization and why a candidate should want to join your company. By being authentic, candidates get a realistic preview of what it will be like to work for your company. First you must be true to yourself, then to your existing employees, and finally to the applicants. An assessment of why people are leaving is a good starting point. It you operate a toxic culture, then the organization will continue to be a revolving door for talent. It is up to the leadership of an organization to set clear expectations and to model the behaviors that are expected of all employees. While a candidate might interview well, if they do not seem to be a cultural fit during the interview process, in all likelihood they won’t work out. Remember, people are generally at their best or close to it, during the interview process. Be honest with the candidate about what they are walking into . Share the good and the bad so they are not surprised once they start the job.

While flexibility, creativity, ingenuity, empathy and authenticity are important to forwardfilling roles, consistency is also important. Each person on your team must buy into this set of behaviors and model them for candidates. Companies with strong core values that are lived out everyday tend to have fared better through the pandemic and have seen lower turnover rates. That said, turnover is inevitable, so the best approach is to forwardfill roles and be thinking about the future needs and future state of the company rather than focused on the past.