Why Your “Best Talent” May Not Be Part of the “Great Return”!

68 %. 

Number of workers - “Talent” - who researcher Envoy says are still “worried” about returning to the office.  

Another 66 %. 

Workers preferring a “Hybrid Workplace” from a recent survey by insurance giant Prudential.  

It’s called “The Great Return”. 

And a “buyers market” no doubt! 

So, how long before “the great return”? 

Today? Next week? Never? 

No one really knows at this point and, according to most workplace experts, not probably for a while. And the confusion it’s creating for companies is palpable. 

The central point I want to make here is this: 

When employees do come back to the office, will that group be your “best employees”? 

And when I say “best employees”. I’m referring to that group of employees who love coming to work every day, who are real team players and who want to build a career at your company. 

You know who I’m talking about, right?  

And this definitely ain’t the whole organization. Am I correct? 

As companies start to rebuild and reconfigure their organizations post Covid, I recommend that you try and really engage that “best talent” cohort and do all that you can to engage, educate and collaborate with them. It could result in higher productivity, more satisfied employees and employees who are loyal to their organizations over the long term. 

And a major piece of this whole puzzle is a company’s “culture”.  

In my best – selling book of a few years ago, Seller’s Edge, I devote a part of the book to “company cultures”. Building on well – respected research by well – known author Terry Diehl (Corporate Cultures) and popular Chasm author Geoffrey Moore (Crossing the Chasm, Living on The Fault Line) looking into the “culture phenomenon”, I deduced that their were half dozen or so distinct “cultures” in organizations today including categories like “Needs” culture (only what we need, nothing more), “Price” (all decisions hinge on price) and others. 

74 %.  

The number of employees in a recent research report who said that “a company’s culture is the biggest contributing factor to job satisfaction.” 

So, if some of the “returning employees” don’t really fit in to the company culture (don’t believe in the price-is-everything mantra, for example) – and maybe didn’t from the start – then how does that possibly hinder the “re - build” that must take place post Covid? 

In summary, the coming “war for talent” is going to be a long one with some definite twists and turns.  

And not every returnee is going to be a great returnee.  

So I ask you:  

What’s your plan when the “great return” ends up being the “wrong returnees”? 

Here’s my cue to suggest a few “business tips” to help you have a more successful strategy for handling your coming company re – build and, they are included below. 

Business Tip # 1. Make sure that you know which “culture” your company is whether it’s a Needs culture like I discuss above or say a “Brand culture” (I want to be part of the popular brand) and know that employees usually “line up” and flourish in organizations where they feel the most comfortable. 

Tip # 2. Determine the percentage of your employees who naturally embrace that culture by conducting regular audits of your organization. Performed online and blindly, of course, these efforts can provide with a real “window” into your returning talent and assist in rebuilding your company after Covid. 

So are your “best employees” returning to the office? 

How can you figure this all out? 

Spend some time on understanding your organization’s “culture” and I promise you’ll start to figure this out and put together a game plan! 

Until we’re together again kickin’ some ideas around.   

Happy Holidays! 

Ciao.