In an increasingly volatile and shifting world, organisations across all industries are being forced to address new challenges; re-examine how they leverage talent within their organisations; and implement new business processes, to ensure they become more agile and ready for change. Against this backdrop, many logistics organisations are recognising that they need to re-think their recruitment and workforce planning strategies, providing lessons that can benefit all sectors.

At a time when our ‘always-on’ economy means that consumers expect responsiveness 24 hours per day, logistics companies are under pressure to deliver a more efficient service than ever before. As demand continues to intensify, skills shortages are making it increasingly difficult for the logistics sector to keep up.

This isn’t just a concern for logistics employers themselves. It’s a concern for all organisations that rely on the logistics sector to deliver their business. With this in mind, it’s mutually beneficial that organisations in all sectors do all they can to help logistics overcome the hiring challenges they currently face.

Six key trends impacting logistics recruitment

Let’s take a look at six key trends which are significantly impacting on the logistics sector’s ability to attract and retain skilled talent:

• Changing consumer behaviour – Consumers are increasingly opting to buy online instead of in-store. Not only are they demanding increased speed and better value for money, but they also want their deliveries to arrive exactly when and where they want, often within a precise timeslot that they can track online. Achieving this requires investment in technology and exact workforce planning processes to ensure they can meet demand without creating inefficiencies.
• Brexit – Logistics has a significant reliance on non-UK talent. While we cannot be sure exactly how Brexit will affect future talent availability in the years ahead, any reduction in the number of EU workers will certainly exacerbate current pressures even further. Employers, industry bodies and the government must work together to promote the attractiveness of the UK as a labour destination for logistics workers
• Aging workforce – As workers reach retirement age, there are not enough young people entering the logistics workforce to replace them. More needs to be done to attract young people into the industry. At the same time, offering flexible working opportunities and seasonal contracts may help to attract retirees back into the industry as so-called ‘Boomerang Workers’, so organisations can retain their skills on a more casual basis
• Gender imbalance – Employers need to bridge the gender divide and support more females into their organisation. Breaking down the entrenched male culture that exists in logistics is critical, if it is to attract females from other sectors who have transferrable skills. Digitisation will force many workers to reconsider their career path in order to remain employable. To achieve gender parity, we need to make sure talent across both genders perceive logistics as an attractive destination.
• Digitisation – Telematics and planning systems are used across logistics, but historically the industry hasn’t always made widespread investment in technology. And while great strides have been made in recent years, the industry is still a long way from being digital-first. While we cannot slow the rate of technological advancement, we can focus on investing in employees’ skills to increase the resilience of both people and organisations. Now’s also the time for organisations to review how technology can be harnessed to ensure smarter resource planning and utilisation.
• Evolving employee expectations – The employer-employee relationship is fundamentally changing. Skilled talent have more power and choice, and are being increasingly selective in when, how and where they work. Companies who are adaptable to alternative ways of working will be better able to secure the talent they require. After all, many professional drivers are opting for temporary roles over full time, permanent positions, as they enjoy the flexibility of picking and choosing when and where they work, across different assignments and pay scales.

What’s next?

Business success relies on staying one step ahead of these trends. The logistics industry already has a significant shortage of professional drivers. If these trends aren’t effectively managed, this skills shortage may worsen – hampering organisations’ ability to meet customer demand.

That’s where a recruitment partner like Manpower can help. We have over 40 years’ experience in recruiting for the warehouse and logistics sectors, ensuring they have access to the skills they require in the years ahead. By anticipating and adapting to the future labour market, we build compelling attraction and retention campaigns that enhance our clients’ position as an employer of choice.

These days, candidate attraction efforts need to be more targeted, more proactive and more relevant if an organisation is going to stand out from the crowd. This doesn’t just mean attention-grabbing creative adverts and an engaging online presence. It’s also important to physically get out into the community and deliver your message face-to-face, too. By combining an optimised blend of different communication channels with an authentic and distinctive employer brand, logistics firms will be better able to build a robust talent pipeline.

Employers must recognise that many applicants may not have worked as a professional driver before. They may not immediately appear to be an ideal fit based on their CV alone. However with a comprehensive assessment process, they can uncover the potential of individuals who may have less practical experience, but who do have all the right personality traits to be a success in the role – people who are diligent, remain cool under pressure and have excellent attention to detail and planning skills.

During peak demand periods, competition for drivers and warehouse workers skyrockets. So applicants need to be engaged with straight away; hiring decisions need to be made promptly; and a comprehensive onboarding strategy is required to ensure they don’t look elsewhere while they wait for their start date. Once a candidate has been onboarded, it’s critical that they remain engaged in their role. After all, turnover is extremely costly for logistics organisations, particularly during peak demand period. Despite this, too little time and attention is paid to managing the employee experience. A culture and mindset of retention should be embraced company-wide, as a happier workforce leads to a better customer experience. To achieve this, getting the overall worker experience right, with the right balance of pay, conditions, environment and care, is critical.

In a volatile world of work, logistics employers must ensure their workforce strategy is ready for an uncertain and unpredictable future. Whether you need professional drivers, warehouse operatives, supply chain managers, or someone else entirely – Manpower has the reach and expertise to secure the talent you need, for both peak demand periods and day-to-day operations.

To find out more, visit manpower.co.uk/warehouse-and-logistics or email us at [email protected]

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This article first appeared in the eighth edition of The Human Age Newspaper.

No company is immune from digitisation. As consumers increasingly expect better quality, value and efficiency, organisations must embrace new technologies and automated processes, so they can embrace innovation, remain competitive, and deliver their products and services when, where and how their customers demand.

In the future of work, employers will need workers with different skills than they did in the past. We can expect to see significant churn in the workforce, as new skills emerge and others become obsolete. Labour market predictions might talk about technology eating our jobs; robots replacing workers; and even the threat of a world without work. But these are rather dramatic representations of the facts. Humans will continue to be critical in the years ahead – but the skills they will need to possess will change.

When we interviewed 20,000 employers in 42 countries, 86% told us they expect their headcount to remain the same or grow in the next two years, as a result of digitisation. Unsurprisingly, as organisations invest in their digital footprint, IT is the function that expects to see the biggest growth in headcount. Frontline and Customer-Facing functions are close behind. In contrast, those roles that are routine or add less value to the customer are under greatest threat of automation – administration and office functions, in particular. In short, we’re not waving goodbye to workers, in favour of robots. Technology will bring new jobs and opportunities, as long as both people and organisations are ready. This is what we call the Skills Revolution.

Moving from traditional to digital skillsets

As the skill requirements of organisation evolve, so must the overarching workforce strategy by which they are managed. Transformation has to start at the top, and the impact of the Skills Revolution means leaders need to lead differently than they have in the past.

As technology gets ever-more sophisticated, it is inevitable that people will increasingly need to develop their skills and diversify into new areas, in order to remain employable. To support this, employers should identify and nurture workers whose traditional skillsets are adjacent and transferrable to new and emerging digital roles. They ought to then help them adapt to these new areas, through shorter bursts of on-the-job, experimental training and development. This will ensure that organisations maintain a right-skilled workforce; and that their workers remain valuable for the long-term.

To fully embed this approach in the workforce, many organisations have recognised the need to re-think how they view and manage both talent and resources. To be able to map the existing skills of workers against future digital requirements, employers need complete visibility of their entire workforce – including permanent workers, contractors, statements of work, offshored work, outsourced services, and more. Without total oversight of the complete workforce, employers will be unable to identify all of the ways in which the talents of workers could be reutilised in other business areas. With an integrated, holistic talent strategy, organisations can engage workers of all types in the right way, at the right time, and at the right cost.

However, all too often, organisations simply don’t have this level of oversight, because each area of their workforce is managed separately, by different teams who may have competing goals. There is a disconnect between procurement – who focus on ‘purchasing’ contingent workers – and HR, who maintain ownership for permanent resourcing and RPO management. These internal barriers need to be broken down, to ensure organisations can see and harness the skills adjacencies that exist across their workforce.

One solution: embracing Total Talent Management

This is one of the reasons why many organisations are now embracing a Total Talent Management approach to workforce strategy. In its absolute form, Total Talent Management unites an entire workforce in a fully comprehensive talent management programme, regardless of their employment status. It’s a flexible, adaptable mindset that enables organisations to more easily evolve their skills mix, in line with wider organisational demands. When permanent and non-permanent workers are no longer managed separately from one another, employers can more easily adapt their workforce to the demands of the Skills Revolution.

There are a number of challenges that need to be managed long before a Total Talent Management mindset can be implemented within an organisation. To gain complete oversight over the entire workforce, three elements need to be streamlined: talent sources, analytics, and technology. In unifying and connecting these three areas, organisations have a single point of truth: the intelligence they need to make more informed, strategic choices about acquiring, developing and retaining all talent types. Data will also play a more critical role than ever before − enabling better, faster decision-making; creating greater transparency; and allowing organisations to achieve a fully blended approach to the workforce.

The journey to Total Talent Management is not easy, nor is it straightforward. Fully implementing it demands significant resource and budget, as well as strong c-suite support. However, while adopting such an approach takes time and effort, when weighed up against the numerous benefits it provides, many forward-thinking organisations recognise they can’t afford not to move forward. Companies that embrace a Total Talent Management mindset are better equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities that the Skills Revolution presents – through better workforce planning processes, enhanced talent attraction and retention capabilities, and improved workforce management processes.

Bridging current-state realities and future-state requirements

Tomorrow’s world of work is set to be considerably different to today’s. To remain competitive, it’s more important than ever before that organisations understand the skills they already have in their business, and align these to the skills they will need in the years ahead. They must be ready to adapt to the Skills Revolution, and adopting a Total Talent Management mindset can support this vital process.

At ManpowerGroup Solutions, we are supporting a number of organisations as they implement such an approach, giving them the confidence to start the journey towards complete workforce visibility. From securing business buy-in to managing budget considerations, we have helped to build an understanding of the quantifiable benefits of this approach for their business; have identified the barriers they will face along the way; and partnered with them to find solutions to overcome them. This has enabled them to build a robust business case – bridging the gap between current-state realities and future-state requirements.

We invite you to read our recent interview with Alison Todd, Director of Talent Acquisition at Sky, to find out how we’re supporting Sky on their journey to Total Talent Management. Or, for more information about our Total Talent Management capabilities, visit: manpowergroupsolutions.co.uk/total-talent-management.

Digitisation, automation, artificial intelligence and more: the impact of technology will be enormous. And the pace of disruption is accelerating.

Digital disruption is going to drive a reset of organisations, both large and small. To remain competitive, organisations will need to transform themselves. And they will also need to embrace new forms of leadership.

This last aspect is vital. From HR to senior management, leaders will need to keep the business running with one hand, while preparing for an uncertain future with the other.

They will need to be agile and open to change. They will need to be able to take calculated risks, fail fast, learn, adjust, and re-calibrate. These are some of the new forms of leadership that businesses require. And there are some very compelling reasons why organisations should embrace them.

Digital leadership: are you ready to lead?

Today, more than 90% of employers expect digitisation to impact them. 75% of business leaders believe it will need brand new skills. And a study by Capgemini found that companies who embrace digital transformation are benefiting – 26% are more profitable than their competitors, and they have up to 12% higher market valuation.

But a survey by ManpowerGroup shows concern among HR leaders. 87% of those surveyed don’t believe they have the leadership talent to drive success. Yet, despite this pessimistic outlook, there are reasons to be optimistic.

80% of the capabilities that have always made leaders effective will remain the same. The other 20% are qualities that weren’t so necessary before, but will be vital for digital leaders to adopt now.

So what are the personal qualities that define a ‘digital leader’?

Qualities of the “80%” (traditional) leader

Let’s first begin by looking at a traditional leader and their suitability for the digital era.

Leaders have spent years developing valuable skills. They have the tenacity to work through failure. And they have navigated the career lattice, acquiring first-hand experience of change. As organisations undergo rapid changes, their leadership experience will prove very important.

To succeed in the digital era, the capabilities and qualities these “80%” leaders are going to need are:

• Adaptability: and being comfortable with ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty
• Drive: with the hunger, energy and desire to be successful
• Endurance: with high degrees of resilience, tenacity and stamina
• Brightness: being intellectually curious and sharp, and a continuous learner.

They will also need to demonstrate curiosity and learnability. These two traits are going to be particularly vital given the rapid emergence of new skills.

In fact, “80%” leaders will need to be willing to seek out different experiences, unusual perspectives, and be open to fresh ideas. They will also need to have an understanding of the technical skills required to transform their business.

Digital leadership – qualities of the “20%” (digital) leader

Yet these traits aren’t enough by themselves. To be an effective and successful digital leader, individuals will need embrace other attributes.

Let’s explore some of these.

1. Unleash talent.

• Digital leaders will unleash talent by attracting and developing high potential talent from inside and outside the organisation. They’ll build a culture that encourages ongoing career development and provide employees with a sense of purpose.

2. Accelerate performance.

• They’ll ensure employees understand how their role helps the company reach its goals. At the same time, they’ll also champion cross-functional collaboration. Both things in combination will accelerate performance.

3. Dare to lead.

• They will empower mid-level leaders to be innovative, take risks, and manage courageous decisions. All of which will be vital to achieve effective organisational transformation.

Learn more

To learn more about this topic, you can download a copy of our Whitepaper: From C-Suite to the Digital Suite: How to Lead through Digital Transformation.

One in five people are in the wrong role, in jobs they are not motivated by, engaged with or productive in, according to recent research conducted by Right Management, ManpowerGroup’s global career and talent development expert.

Based on interviews with more than 4,600 people across 20 countries, Right Management found companies need to invest in career mobility and help employees develop their skills and gain valuable experience in ways that suit them (online, in-person and on-the job), in order to boost organisational engagement and productivity. Adopting a high-tech, high-touch approach that combines coaching with innovative technology will help match people to the right positions, resulting in a 40% increase in engagement with a knock-on effect on performance.

“Making sure you have the right people in the right roles is a proven way to boost engagement, productivity and the bottom line,” said Mara Swan, Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Talent for ManpowerGroup and Global Brand Lead for Right Management.

“Wrong for the role doesn’t have to mean wrong for the organisation. The best companies to work for are implementing high-tech, high-touch, personalised career development strategies. Online training and assessments that come with always-on capability and real-time career coaching is how they’re retaining and rewarding their brightest and best, and filling their talent pipelines for today and tomorrow.”

Ian Symes, Executive President of Right Management, North America and Europe, added: “Companies that embed career development into their people management strategy will significantly increase employee engagement and satisfaction. Successfully attracting and retaining top talent through providing opportunities to upskill results in higher revenue, greater customer loyalty, increased retention of key talent and reduced talent acquisition costs.”

To help companies position themselves as an employer of choice and ensure they can achieve the right person in the right role, Right Management’s Career Management platform provides 24×7 online, personalised career development solutions supported by real-time coaches.

To download the full research report, please visit: rightmanagement.co.uk/rightperson

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This article first appeared in the eighth edition of The Human Age Newspaper.

Technology is at the heart of millions of companies around the world. So it goes without saying that it’s deeply embedded in the working lives of employees too. With this in mind, when a new technology is due to be introduced or an existing system needs updating, the change process needs to be carefully managed to ensure business continuity.

This process starts with the strategy. Digital transformation projects often kick off with plenty of high energy, but without a clear plan and full leadership support, people can quickly start to lose interest. Furthermore, without thoughtful planning, any technology that is successfully implemented may be adopted in isolated silos, without uptake and engagement from the user base in its entirety. A clear, comprehensive strategy is critical to ensure continued momentum and full governance throughout the change process.

These plans can’t be created in isolation, though. Users must be at the heart of it and ought to be an active voice from the very beginning. After all, if they will later be expected to embrace a new IT system, platform or workflow, their thoughts, ideas and opinions need to be carefully considered to ensure they’re engaged. This doesn’t just mean sending out a survey – this is often an insufficient tool on its own. For major change initiatives, comprehensive consultation with the user base is critical.

Transforming End User Services

As technologies, platforms and accessibility to services become more sophisticated, so too must organisations. The technological landscape isn’t going to stop progressing, and any business that aspires to be truly digital-first needs to continually evolve and improve. This will enable them to embrace new innovations, remain in line with customer needs and expectations, and maintain a competitive edge.

As part of this, it’s critical that organisations have a well-equipped, forward-looking IT function. Naturally, this is the team that’s at the forefront of designing and implementing technical developments and innovations. But they’re also often the people your users will turn to when they need support during the transition period. No matter how comprehensive your training and communications are during your digital transformation initiatives, there’s bound to be a few teething issues when users adopt a new technology. So, while your initial focus may have been on transforming your digital footprint, it’s often the case that the workforce also has to transform, to ensure your end users get the experience they require and demand.

This is where an End User Services organisation like Proservia can support. End User Service providers help organisations deliver a seamless experience for their users, by transforming their IT service delivery process from both an HR and technology perspective.

An End User Service provider can deliver in-demand talent across key IT functions, including desk-side support, application support, onsite support, field maintenance, service desks, consulting, and more. They’re often used to supplement an organisation’s existing workforce when the core employee base is unable to meet user demand. However, they can also take on responsibility for the delivery of entire functions or projects on an outsourced basis, taking care of the workforce transformation that’s required to ensure the right skills are in the right place, and being utilised in the right way.

Equally, if your organisation isn’t equipped with the talent required to realise your digital transformation aspirations, End User Service providers can identify the people needed to design and build robust, resilient IT infrastructures that align with your goals for today and tomorrow.

To learn more about how expert End User Services can enable your organisation to better manage the impact of digital transformation, visit: proservia.co.uk

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This article first appeared in the eighth edition of The Human Age Newspaper.