Balancing New Standards in Job Culture

When examining the shifting sands of today’s employment practices, it is clearly evident that traditions and paradigms are shifting faster than many companies can keep up with.  Countless organizations still find themselves utilizing previously solid and reliable methodologies that have since lost their foundation.

Keeping abreast of the trends and changing tides of the workforce and its marketplace is of paramount importance to every competent executive. It’s your job to forge your enterprise forward, ensuring not only a source of stability, but a lucrative position for your company within its industry.

With this in mind, let’s explore where a successful company should be in respect to the more recent shifts in the workforce, culture, and marketplace.

Remote Work

Advantages

Remote work is on the rise in such a meteoric fashion that one can’t help but take notice of its astonishing potential. Thanks to the internet, professionals and executives can now reach out and connect like never before. The entire globe becomes your talent pool, allowing you to find individuals who match and align with your visions, business acumen, and even personal philosophy. It’s no surprise that those who connect well also work well together.

Another advantage of going the remote route is the elimination of factoring in paid-time-off and working with schedule accommodations.  Employees who “work from home” have fewer time constraints since they can coordinate their own hours, and are also able to complete tasks and meet deadlines without distractions from coworkers.

Professional networks coming together to fill vital roles are transforming the face of collaborative ventures across the board. No longer are executives restricted by geographical limitations to fill essential positions.

Considerations

Although seeking new employees in this fashion is highly effectual, it is not entirely without hitch.  Employers must be aware that due to the very nature of global work, you must account for the considerable variance of global markets; and proceed with caution. It’s here that the old maxim “you get what you pay for” is most applicable. Suppose you have a need for an Inbound Marketer or Graphic Designer. You advertise the position on various websites and are almost immediately deluged with interested applicants; many of which are phenomenally under-bid. This raises your brow and so it should. Internet outsourcing carries with it access to higher end job markets that were previously closed, and it’s only natural that people outside those markets want to break in. This is the scenario that can lead to insanely low offers for web design or content writing work.  While this gives companies access to an enormous number of candidates at very affordable rates, employers must also carefully sift through a mass of applicants who may or may not carry the proper range of experience or qualifications in order to find the best talent and fit for the position.

Nonetheless, an employer who is willing to put enough time and effort into the screening process may just find a promising new up-and-coming talent in their field at a very reasonable rate.

Social Media

Advantages

Social media is a major player in today’s professional life. Many options and avenues proliferate but there are some notable sites that have made a significant impact. Here are three of the biggest:

LinkedIn

No surprise, LinkedIn is one of the largest, and most consistent, websites for professional networking. It has garnered a massive reputation and banks much of its success on being perceived as indispensable. One Forbes contributor goes so far as to call LinkedIn the “ground zero” for professional networking, and recruiting alike.

Twitter

Twitter boasts such a substantial user base — over 53 million active users in the US alone — that many market analysts consider it simply foolish to not tap into; keeping in mind that your margin of success will be directly correlated with your enterprise’s value of internet marketing. Yet how can 140 characters pack such a potential punch? To answer that question, simply look around at the most powerful brands today. It doesn’t take a great deal of wording to make an impact.  In fact, we can see how effective a very short line loaded with emotional or inspirational content can be; (“Just do it”).

Facebook

Without question, as the largest social media platform of our day, it is no secret that many companies rely almost exclusively on the media site for ad placement, outreach networking, and even eCommerce. With Facebook, coordination is absolutely vital: your logo, your public-facing profile pictures, and brand lines must all be consistent to become recognizable. Above all, your biggest challenge is going to be breaking through the constant drone of individuals’ news feeds. Try being as organic and creative as possible by ensuring your company’s posts are connecting with people on actual issues and up-to-date opinions and information. The fastest way to end up in a Facebook dead-box is by posting trite, unoriginal subject matter.

Considerations

When taking social media and networking sites into account, it pays to bear in mind that the extreme inundation of rising networks alone, dilutes the talent pool and leads to unrealistic expectations for those looking to enter the workforce at higher levels than previously possible.

As with any online job search tool, it’s important to remember that these networks, robust and active as they may be, are to primarily be used as entry points or as a tool to take those first steps of introduction and seeking to establish that connection. Similarly to seeking remote employees on a global level, companies must still remember to utilize comprehensive screening practices to narrow down large groups of candidates into a more manageable gathering of only the most qualified.

Informality of office and corporate culture

Advantages

This is one subject that often comes as a surprise to the more experienced executives. The increasing informality of the workplace, even up unto the boardroom itself, runs counter to the conventional and traditional standards of business decorum. This is not, however, an issue lacking virtue.  This relaxation in corporate culture is not necessarily reflective of an implosion of respect in the workplace, but rather the need for greater opportunities for effective collaboration and brainstorming. However counterintuitive it may seem to some, a relaxed atmosphere actually increases the potential for productivity, ingenuity, as well as overall communication.

In our modern world, employees are addled by stressors that may not have even existed 20 years ago, in addition to every day job pressures.  When employers take the lead by creating a peaceful, untroubled work environment, they are doing their part to ensure a decrease in employee turnover and an increase in output and efficiency.

Considerations

While there is no disputing the benefits of a relaxed corporate culture as opposed to a rigid work environment, it is also important to maintain a solid balance between the two.  Employees who need extra guidance due to difficulties with self-discipline and motivation must be monitored, and there should never be tolerance for unethical behavior of any kind.  Therefore, while creating a comfortable environment of open communication where employees are free to express ideas and suggestions is important for both short and long-term productivity, employers must also assure that their staff is adhering to moral guidelines and working responsibly toward the company’s objective.

In conclusion

Taking a step back from our most conventional preconceptions helps us to identify what patterns exist simply for their own sake. “Business as usual” should not become an excuse for poor systems that waste talent, resources, and energy. Within context, paradigms are made to be challenged and executives are the ones in the key position to do so.

By Fred Coon, CEO

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