As businesses continue to invest in tech literacy and innovation, the job market is witnessing a large influx of new roles and a subsequent demand for new skills across industries. As a result, employers are now turning to young professionals entering the workforce, expecting them to bring a fresher, more digital-first approach towards developing and growing businesses in these transformative times. LinkedIn?s recent research echoes this sentiment by showing that 9 in 10 business leaders in India believe that younger professionals will be a key to developing fresh marketing strategies as businesses continue to grow more tech-savvy. But taking centre stage has a downside for new hires and, ultimately, their employers. According to LinkedIn?s recent jobseeker research, the Great Reshuffle in India is being led by freshers with up to 1 year of work experience (94 percent) and Gen Z professionals (87 percent), who are more likely to consider changing jobs in 2022. Diving deep, we realise that the rate at which businesses are adopting a tech-first approach has raised the bar for new hires, where organisations expect them to shine bright since day one. And while they don?t seem to mind this hustle at first, given the sweet taste of early success, the pressure to remain a high-performer gradually engulfs them in a ?fulfilment paradox.? New hires continue to push themselves to consistently perform at a high level since the beginning, as companies continue to set unrealistic success metrics and performance expectations. The result? An exhausting hustle culture that fuels unfulfilling careers and eventual exit plans. The writing is on the wall: Unless organisations step up to break this chain and inspire long term talent growth, management, and retention, the Indian workforce will witness a mass exodus of young talent, which could drastically disrupt our labour market dynamics. Here?s how companies and employees can avoid this and set the tone for the leadership of tomorrow: Don?t hire for ?who they are?; hire for ?who they could be?? In today?s dynamic professional landscape, a transformative culture of learning is key to long term organisational success and employees who come in with a growth mindset are necessary for shouldering this process. When looking for new talent, organisations must hire candidates not only for their present skill-set and experience but also for their personalities, which will ultimately determine their success. Personality traits such as curiosity, collaboration, determination, and not being averse to failure are critical metrics that employers must track when hiring someone new. This will help them hire the right talent that not just complements their values, but also offers the potential to improve organisational culture in the long run. Free your new hires from the ?A1 since Day 1? pressure? The consistent pressure on young professionals to perform well since day one has left them feeling anxious about their abilities at work.?According to LinkedIn?s recent jobseeker research, a staggering 90 percent of professionals are being pushed to consider a job switch less than a year into their jobs. Organisations must acknowledge that while new hires don?t necessarily bring all their skills on day one, managers with the ability to coach and inspire employer trust are critical for young employees to feel more competent and confident about driving their organisation to new heights. Peak performance is a journey, not a short trip Not only is performance pressure at a new job detrimental to employee well-being and overall confidence, but it can also create many unrealistic performance assessment metrics for new hires. This pressure to ?hit the ground running? makes them less likely to reach out for help and collaborate with team members, which is critical in their early days. Organisations must take the cue and allow new employees to use their initial period to "observe and learn", rather than "action and implement". By giving them the space to find their groove into the company's systems and culture, organisations allow them to build their unique professional identity and eventually achieve the peak of their performance?not immediately but one or two years into the job. Ace the right mix of digital and soft skills Jobs are changing and the skills required to succeed are evolving at a rapid pace.?Skills for the same job in India have changed by about 29% on an average, from 2015 to 2021. At this rate, professionals? skills are expected to change by as much as 48% by 2025. India?s young professionals are looking to back their tech literacy with the right human skills. Twice as many Gen Z Indians are learning more soft skills than hard skills today. With the right mix of workshops, training modules, and on-demand learning alternatives for hard and soft skills, organisations can nurture this need for employees to upskill holistically and help them excel at their jobs. Think long-term growth over short-term benefits As India continues to brave the war for talent in a tight labour market, it's time to think about what's causing the Great Reshuffle. Professionals today are looking for more than just attractive job titles; they are looking for self-growth and fulfilment. With talent in the driver?s seat, organisations must focus on finding and retaining employees who are willing to learn on the job and understand what works best for their organisations. Putting employee success at the forefront by way of investing in a thoughtful L&D strategy will help organisations attract the best and most competent talent for years to come. The past few years have pushed businesses to explore creative ways of reinventing themselves in the face of these changing times?in that sense, this time has been a test of organisational agility as much as of resilience. As we approach an era of fresh, exciting challenges, we must continue to hit the ground learning, not running, to best prepare for the dynamic future of work that we?re already navigating in the present. The writer?is LinkedIn's India Country Manager.
The India country manager of LinkedIn, Ashutosh Gupta writes about the trends that will shape India's labour market dynamics in the new year, and how talent will take the driver's seat
Working in isolation for 18 months has left the workforce coping, adapting, and constantly searching for a sense of balance, as boundaries between personal and professional lives have blurred. The sheen of ?flexible? work from home (WFH) schedule has worn off in a short time, and the reality of remote work is far harsher than what meets the eye. The hustle culture has put a stranglehold on a sizable chunk of the workforce, who are now reporting burnouts. According to the latest LinkedIn Future of Work study, one in three professionals in India is burnt out today. For many professionals, this stress has triggered a reassessment of ambitions, definitions of success, and work-life balance. Professionals are re-prioritising work-life balance and are now also looking for opportunities that allow for more breathing space. This mass pursuit for balance strongly reflects in our survey that states that today professionals value work-life balance (52 percent) just as much as their salaries (52 percent), and a little more than job stability (50 percent). Organisations are now rethinking their entire work models, values, and culture, while professionals are rethinking not just how they work, but why they work. This collective reimagination is poised to become a defining moment in the history of work because its outcome promises to set the tone for the?not too distant?future of work. Embracing flexibility and trust? After working remotely for nearly a-year-and-a-half, professionals are seeking more human connection and social interaction to sail through these trying times. However, these 18 months have also left professionals seeking more flexibility in how they work and where they work from. As businesses continue to discern this dichotomous outlook towards the future of work, one of the most probable and popular solutions to meet the need for balance lies in adopting a hybrid work model. No doubt, achieving the ideal hybrid work model is complex, however embracing flexibility, different work styles, and a culture of trust can help us all navigate it successfully. As our CEO, Ryan Roslansky says, ?We trust each other to do our best work where it works best for us and our teams. We?ve learned every individual and every team works differently, so we?re moving away from a one-size-fits-all policy. We?re embracing flexibility with both hybrid and remote roles, expecting more of us to be remote than pre-Covid.? What is exciting to see is that this moment in time has allowed executives and company leaders to rewrite their playbooks when it comes to hiring, skills development, and engaging their talent. To meet this growing demand for a hybrid work model, organisations will need to invest in malleable digital tools that allow seamless collaboration between their remote and on-ground staff. Given the asynchronous nature of the hybrid world developing in front of us, it will be imperative for companies to lead with trust.?One of the ways a company can do this is by building a strong culture of empathy. Managers and leaders will need to step into the shoes of their fellow workers to build more trusted and transparent relations with their teams. They will need to play an active role in scheduling more time-offs so workers can come back with more energy and accountability. Managers will also need to extend unique flexibility offerings that best suit each staff member?this will be critical to unlocking greater engagement, improved productivity, and heightened well-being. Encourage employees to find what works best for them As we learn new things about the hybrid model of work, employees need to help managers know what works for them and make well-being a top priority in this environment. Organisations will accordingly extend more meaningful flexibility offerings and shelter their workforce from stress levels or burnout. While organisations need to introduce more digital tools to help their teams stay connected, it is crucial for employees to learn to use these tools efficiently. As we enter a hybrid future of work, it has never been more important for professionals to improve their digital literacy and community-building skills to collaborate more effectively in a virtual setup. Technology will be an enabler?helping employees as they transform for hybrid work and reimagine everything from meetings that transcend space and time to a digital employee experience that everyone can access from anywhere. We are living through a moment of change, unlike anything we?ve seen before in the history of work. As employees continue to seek greater flexibility, better pay, and deeper fulfilment, it?ll be a symbiotic effort between organisations and professionals to embrace these times of change and prepare for a hybrid future of work. The writer?is LinkedIn's India Country Manager.
The ongoing health and economic crisis has transformed the professional landscape drastically, and in many ways. For starters, economic drivers are being redefined, business operations are being reimagined, and the ?way of work? is witnessing a complete rehaul in the remote work reality. As the ripple effects of this disruptive change continue to upturn the job market, one thing that has emerged as a top business priority is the need for upskilling. These dynamic times have transformed many jobs, if not rendered several roles obsolete; not just today, but for years to come. And to shelter from these long-term economic shocks, professionals must welcome an upskilling revolution with open arms, while companies must shift the needle from past experiences to future potential. Championing this dual-paradigm shift can be challenging, but the prospect of preparing a future-ready workforce to revitalise India?s economic recovery far outweighs the obstacles. Against such a rapidly evolving backdrop, adopting a skills-based approach to hiring and developing talent will be elemental in shaping India?s future of work. Skills-based hiring to revitalise the economy? At its core, skills-based hiring looks at a candidate?s skill sets and professional capabilities, instead of singling them out for their work history. To truly legitimise this journey, companies must reconsider how they define job descriptions. Instead of outlining an elaborate list of qualifications, employers must list the requisite skills ? both digital and soft skills?for the role they?re hiring for. Doing so will help them articulate their requirements better, which is ever-so critical in attracting the right talent. Similarly, evaluation processes can also be recrafted in order to assess skills, rather than solely relying on education or experience as alternatives. Specified assessments centred on hard skills, ?job auditions?, or innovative soft skill tests can be used as a few metrics to determine if applicants fit the bill. Echoing this sentiment, our recent perception study among India?s youth showed that every second (51 percent) Gen Z Indian wants employers today to value skills when hiring, while 44 percent want their employers to make careers an experience, not a process. Collectively, these statistics show us how India?s young professionals are looking for jobs that can ensure fair play at every milestone of their professional journey. This serves as a distress call for companies to rethink how they hire today, and for leaders to implement better processes so they can access wide and diversified talent pools. There are a number of reasons to leave behind traditional recruitment processes that place emphasis solely on educational qualifications, experience, or personal referrals. This way of hiring eliminates or disqualifies all those who may not have access to elite institutions or strong professional networks, simply because of where they come from. And as the uneven impact of the pandemic continues to prevail upon those who are hit the hardest, the need to move away from such an approach becomes nothing short of imperative to create a more equitable workforce for tomorrow. Embracing skills can 'future-proof' careersWhile companies must play their part, potential candidates should follow suit by proactively pursuing a skills-based approach towards finding and landing the right opportunity. Professionals must sharpen their focus on digital literacy and collaborative capabilities, specifically seeking to develop emerging skills that are actively shaping the job market. In many instances, this can be done effectively by assessing the transferability of their existing skill sets, or by picking up the right skills that can help them transition their careers with appreciable agility in today?s rapidly digitising economy. For all those wondering where to start, SQL and Javascript have been featured as two of the most in-demand skills on LinkedIn as of March 2021. The potential of nurturing transferable skills in uncovering opportunities is especially relevant in India, where over the past year, 1 in 3 professionals have started new jobs by moving to a different industry. Boosting skills can help smoothen career transitions, and provide a wide arena of lucrative possibilities even when certain avenues are shut due to circumstances. Recognising the need to facilitate such learning, LinkedIn partnered with Microsoft last year to help three million people in India, and 30 million people globally to acquire digital skills since the onset of the pandemic. Thinking business growth? Think reskillingInternally too, companies must consciously cultivate a culture of learning, upskilling employees on a regular basis. When filling open roles internally, companies should deploy structured learning programs to fill gaps in the knowledge of employees, guiding them towards skills required to dispense responsibilities in other positions. Additionally, promoting a culture of learning among employees can make this ?great talent rehaul? more inclusive, thus ensuring that the existing workforce isn?t neglected in this transformative hiring landscape. Allowing employees to participate in cross-functional teams, entrusting them with varied responsibilities, and offering more time off for upskilling are good ways to incentivise learning and consequently ensuring stronger retention of existing workers. At LinkedIn, we are motivated to see individuals, employers, educational institutions, and government agencies speaking the same skills language to improve workforce planning, hiring, and development programmes. Ultimately, following through with a skills-based hiring approach will result in an engaged, efficient workforce and a nurturing work environment, all of which is integral to smooth functioning despite market volatility. Moving deeper into these times of change, we must reimagine the role of learning, and let our people take the centre stage, while deploying a skills-based approach to hiring as the lever for business growth and economic recovery. The writer?is LinkedIn's India Country Manager
We are currently living through a pandemic that has draped the world in panic, uncertainty and, most importantly, social distancing. In a span of three months, the novel coronavirus outbreak has sent us into an unprecedented lockdown, limiting our ability to stay connected to others. With life now at a standstill, we suddenly find ourselves in a world with no handshakes, no visiting cards and no face-to-face meetings. But companies, professionals, and job-seekers still need to connect with others, in fact, more so than before. In the past few weeks, we have seen the professional community rally for each other on LinkedIn; entrepreneurs and heads of businesses coming together to offer tips, best practices, business pivot ideas, moral support?in short?to help each other navigate the crisis in any way possible. Right before Covid-19 shifted the world into low gear, LinkedIn commissioned a survey, the ?LinkedIn Opportunity Index?, which helped us understand how people across the world perceived ?opportunity? and barriers that stopped them from achieving these opportunities. Findings of the report stated that 88 percent of Indians believe that knowing the right people is important to get ahead in life. This is an incredible insight into what we as a nation think strong networking can enable. However, despite this fact, only 13 percent of the nation is working towards building and nurturing their professional network. The data also tells us that people with stronger networks are more confident to overcome barriers as compared to those with weaker networks?an insight that can prove to be empowering for companies and professionals to help navigate this global crisis. But in this world of social distancing, how will professionals make the right connections, and continue to grow their network? The new?Work From Home world has given rise to 'contactless networking'?to network virtually, remotely from home, and with a clear purpose of improving connectedness. Stay in, but go out of your wayAs Covid-19 continues to spread fear and uncertainty across the world, it is crucial for businesses to stay visible and connected. Networking in these times means to be a helpful partner to your clients and customers. This will help build real connections with their customers, and show that you truly care and value the relationship. Work may have slowed down, but It?s important to continue to catch-up even without reason, to check on their mental health, concerns, and anxieties they may be feeling at this time. Be reliable, and share insights and information across your digital identity. This will empower your customers to make well-informed, high-impact decisions that can contribute to overall industry growth. Now is the best time to root yourself as a credible entity so you earn the trust of people and build newer connections that could result in new opportunities. This transparency can result in healthy, widespread community engagement within your personal connections as well as professional network. Regular online meetings, casual catch-ups, virtual events and webinars can be a good way to continue to provide desirable service and counsel at a regular cadence. Tools like LinkedIn Live enable organisations to broadcast information with company followers on the platform, and nurture a real-time sense of networking among diverse business communities. To gain and keep a customer?s trust, it is important for you to connect with others authentically at this time. Signal your brand values and build thought leadership across your digital presence through long-form posts, videos, and maintain healthy dialogue with your connections on relevant topics. Networks, like opportunities, are not distributed equallyBut in reality, networks, like opportunities, are not distributed evenly. This is what we call the 'network gap'. The LinkedIn Opportunity Index global data tells us that where you grow up, where you go to school, and where you work can give you a 12x advantage in gaining access to opportunity. In India, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR are the top three regions in India where people are believed to have stronger networks. In fact, people living in metro areas are 1.76x more likely to have a stronger network than those living in non-metro areas. This disparity in access to strong networks also depends on where you go to school, seeing that people who attend a top university are 1.53x more likely to grow a stronger network. Take this opportunity to reach out to your networks, either to give help or get help. Many of your connections may have the answers or opportunities you?re looking for. If you are in a position to support others, connect them to people who you know can help, because helping your connections connect with others is a step forward in closing this network gap, especially in this moment of crisis. The world is changing as we know it. With shifting priorities, evolving aspirations and rapid digitalisation all swimming in the same lane, everyone must now realise that in the present times, you need to have the right tools to build the right connections. And if a powerful network has always been your north star, now is your chance to engage, upskill, and adapt?all through the power of digital. The writer?is LinkedIn's India Country Manager Click here to see Forbes India's comprehensive coverage on the Covid-19 situation and its impact on life, business and the economy