In what may be considered a case of drowning in a desert, nervous employees are feeling the pinch in the current tight employment market. Increasingly burdensome workloads, long hours and the knowledge that the next candidate is breathing down your neck for your job, are all placing pressure on workers to push themselves harder, for longer.
In many industries, including IT, it is becoming increasingly commonplace to hear of revolving door cultures resulting in valuable employees falling through the cracks.
Identifying talented, enthusiastic aspirants through targeted, early recruitment strategies, can prevent these situations and assist candidates in reaching their full potential. The alternative scenario may find them surreptitiously scouring job sites and recruitment channels for the proverbial ‘rip cord’.
Overwork, gender bias, time consuming minutiae, pressured sales quotas and poor workplace culture are all cited as contributing factors, particularly prevalent in the tech industry. Creative, technical and sales staff are all driven by the need to succeed.
Ascending the corporate ladder in this environment can feel like it is done wearing lead boots, you may reach your ultimate goal but it is an exhausting way to achieve your ambitions. It may be time to put down the phone and step away from the computer…
Blurred lines – no longer nine to five
Smartphones, iPads, email, tablets, laptops—we are constantly exposed to a smorgasbord of digital devices and technology. This sweeping accessibility is one single major factor in ‘workaholism’.
The expectation is that we are all available 24/7/365. Weekends, which were once earmarked as family or downtime, have somehow melded with the working week—employees are now on permanent ‘standby’ mode, with phones deemed a necessary accessory at dinner, in bed and even on the loo (for some).
According to job burnout specialist Professor Michael Leiter, the issue is caused by a blurring of the lines between work and home life. For those feeling the pressure to be constantly available, he says, it is up to the individual to draw a clear boundary as it is unlikely an employer will proactively do so.
Often this begins by lowering self-imposed excessive or unreasonable professional expectations—accepting and understanding your own limitations.
Professor Leiter believes the answer could also lay in businesses implementing fundamental values such as civility and fairness. These simple courtesies are vital in creating more engaged and fulfilling work environments thus lowering the risk of burnout—in other words, play nice.
Contrasting cultures
Stress in IT and other tech fields is not an unavoidable side effect which goes with the territory. In fact, according to Business Insider, where companies like Intel, Apple, eBay and IBM employees are reporting skyrocketing stress levels, Google and Yahoo employees are reporting quite the opposite.
Google is known to actively invest in stress reducing techniques—promoting recreational facilities and even nap stations, perceptively appreciating that the happiness of their staff is reflected in a successful and thriving business model.
Business Insider goes on to say that Yahoo staff report they are made to feel part of the big picture—imbuing them with a belief that they are a contributing factor in something worthwhile.
Implementation of other strategies which contribute to working smarter, not harder, include:
- Having the capacity to delegate
- Working as a team
- Transparency at management level and a strong flow of information
- Support for professional development and growth
- Higher recognition
- Identifying channels and support for career growth
- Collaborative environment
Back to basics – it begins at recruitment
IT, by its very nature, is an industry of change, challenge and innovation. At ZACK Group, we understand that the ability to excel, compete and thrive in an IT environment begins at the recruitment stage.
Recruiting through digital channels has now altered the landscape of resourcing, enhancing access to a pool of both active and untapped passive, talent. This has enabled heightened profiling and screening to ‘fingerprint’ optimal candidates for roles rather than obsolete scattergun approaches.
Data analytics is proving to be a virtual matchmaker—predicting, assessing and ultimately assisting to attract and source uniquely consummate candidates.
Recruitment success involves a combination of:
- Predictive recruitment strategies which anticipate candidates possessing the capacity to best succeed in a given role
- Analytically identifying ideal candidate matches to complement employer culture, expectations and skill sets
- Utilisation of digital platforms to attract higher quality passive candidates
- Streamlined inbound recruitment processes
- Embracing diversity to maximise creativity, loyalty and productivity.
The first step to evolving effective recruitment strategies for candidates and businesses is to identify the unique placement requirements on both sides—ideally creating a perfect marriage for both parties.
As the winner of the 2017 Employer of Choice at the Australian Business Awards, ZACK Group have firsthand experience in creating a culture of inclusion, excellence and fostering a collaborative and nurturing environment. If you are an exceptional candidate seeking to find your perfect match, let’s talk.
To continue the conversation around working smarter not harder, visit our LinkedIn page and discover the distinguishable difference ZACK Group can make to your career.
Got a Question?
We’d love to hear from you! Contact us via the form below and we’ll get back to you shortly.
