The demand for flexibility at work is mounting

A growing demand for flexibility in the workplace is one of the four macro trends leading to the rise of alternative work arrangements, cross-functional teams, and project-based work. Recent studies have shown that competitive pay and a great culture will get employees in the door, but the key to keeping talent is diversity, inclusion, and, above all, flexibility.

Deloitte’s 2018 Global Millennial Survey found that 43% of Millennials plan to quit their current job within two years. Why would someone voluntarily leave a hard-won role with a steady paycheck and benefits? 62% of those who would willingly leave are tempted by the gig economy, and its promise of flexibility, the potential to earn more, and the possibility of pursuing work that’s meaningful to them.

Fortunately, employers have an effective tool at their disposal to engage and retain great employees: onboarding. Or, more specifically, modern onboarding. This introductory period enables companies to show (not just tell) new hires what it will be like to work together.  It also provides the functional groundwork for flexible working arrangements – everywhere along the spectrum from fully remote to fully in the office.

Optimize your mobile-first onboarding with these 4 best practices: 

Highlight company values and mission

Show employees how their individual role is meaningful and how they are a part of something bigger.

Provide an effortless user experience

Impress new hires, especially digital natives Millennials and Gen Z, with a clean, easy to follow interface.

Protect employee personal data

Make sure all employees, whether on site or remote, have their personal information transmitted and stored in a SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliant manner.

Build a network

Bolster new hire’s relationship to the company through powerful social bonds.

As the demand for flexibility grows, and the allure of the gig economy increases, companies can strengthen their relationship with employees and gig workers with stellar onboarding.

Internal mobility as a talent strategy brings greater ROI

Leveraging internal mobility to drive ROI is one of the four macro trends leading to the rise of alternative work arrangements, cross-functional teams, and project-based work. Hiring from within eliminates the expense of finding a new hire, accelerates the speed to productivity, and ensures a positive culture fit. It also gives employees room to grow and bolsters their engagement – important factors for sustaining long term, happy employees.

In fact, Deloitte reported in their 2019 Global Human Capital Trends Survey the following reasons for focusing on internal mobility:

–          38% of respondents are looking at internal mobility to build better leaders

–          31% cite the need to expand the business  

–          32% believe mobility is required to increase employee engagement

However, many organizations stumble on the execution of seamless internal mobility. Siloed functional groups and manual or non-existent transfer processes make it cumbersome for talent to move from one team to another. A clunky process hamstrings your employee’s ability to immediately integrate and be impactful in their new team.

Fortunately, this can be easily remedied with something you already have in your HR/Hiring Manager arsenal – crossboarding.

Treat this internal move just like a new hire, with automated triggers that kick off a workflow curated to their role, situation, and location. Include all the information they will need for their new role in one easy to follow, mobile-first hub so they can feel good and prepared when they meet their new team.

This tweak will pay dividends as your employees will be able to easily move throughout the organization, empowering them to strengthen their internal network and pick up priceless firsthand knowledge from different teams and departments.

Cross-functional Teams Made of Internal and External Talents are a Growing Model for Business Success

Teams composed of internal and external talent is one of the four macro trends leading to the rise of alternative work arrangements, cross-functional teams, and project-based work. Companies, eager to drive innovation and revenue, are leveraging highly skilled talent that’s now available in the marketplace because this work style matches their wants and needs. In fact, according to Deloitte and MIT Sloan School of Management’s research, 80% of digital-maturing companies foster partnerships with outside individuals, groups and partners. These cross-functional teams empower organizations to optimize talent they have and borrow needed talent to hit their targets and out-innovate their competition.

Onboarding external talent plays a pivotal role in enabling companies to not just pull these diverse project groups together but to accelerate their working relationships. It facilitates the speed of raw knowledge transfer to the team members and provides an avenue for a standardized but curated project introduction experience. Thoughtful, engaging onboarding allows external team members (regardless of their experience with your organization) to show up to that first project meeting feeling prepared, knowledgeable, and ready to contribute.

A positive, mobile-first onboarding experience makes for a wonderful first impression to top industry talent that can easily move between organizations seemingly at will.

Crafting a modern approach welcoming these individuals and groups leaves a lasting impression for the next opportunity that your teams will certainly have to offer externally. And, separating your company from competitors who still use paper-based analog onboarding techniques is savvy, smart, and necessary to win the war for talent.

Strategically hiring temporary external talent to bolster cross-functional project teams is a great way to get the skills needed for a specific project. Just make sure you onboard (and offboard!) the talent so amazingly well they’ll sing your praises in the gig worker talent pool marketplace and want to come back next time you need their help.