Introduction

Defining the life-work shift

Introduction

Defining the life-work shift

The outbreak of Covid-19 upended how we work. More than two years in, it is still forcing businesses to rewrite the playbook for how we do business.

Our new survey of 1,000 senior executives across 12 countries and 10 industries reveals how leading businesses are recalibrating how they acquire the talent they need to win in today’s ultra-competitive markets. A life-work shift is under way: leading employers are moving to meet employees’ expectations for greater flexibility in how they integrate work in their lives, supporting their mental health, and showing greater authenticity and urgency in engaging with diversity, equity and inclusion.

The aftershocks of the pandemic continue to be felt across the business landscape. Waves of employee resignations have disrupted the labor market. Employee expectations about work have changed for good.

Employers have to adapt to new realities. This research shows how leading firms are charting the path ahead.

About this report

This report marks a one-year follow-up to our 2021 report, Next-level agility: The four dynamics of a resilient workforce.

In that report, we identified the companies that were out ahead of the pack – firms we labeled the Vanguards. They were leading on four dynamics to create more agile workforces:

Strengthening workforce agility
Reinventing the employee experience
Taking concrete action on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
Adopting the right technologies to empower today’s workforce.

For 2022, we built on this, with new questions taking a closer look at how the Vanguards are leading on the life-work shift.

Alongside the survey are insights from in depth interviews with a group of business leaders who shared their perspectives on the challenges they are currently facing: from hybrid working, to the demands of scaling up for growth, to attracting and retaining talent in disrupted labor markets.

We are seeing a shift in control away from organizations to the talent. Rigidity in hiring processes, work location, compensation, and work schedules will severely limit organizations’ choices for finding candidates with the skills they require. Companies of all sizes and industries should revisit their employee and contractor value propositions to make sure there is resonance with the talent they seek.

Matt Norton
Global Workforce Solutions Research Manager, Staffing Industry Analysts

We would like to thank the following individuals:

Crystal Lannaman, Head of Talent Acquisition and University Relations, BASF
Malcolm O’Neal, SVP Human Resources, MRC Global
Kirsten Tolfree-Dart, Contingent Worker Program Manager, Kantar
Anthony Webster, EVP and CHRO, Evoqua Water Technologies

If organizations aren’t actively listening to what their workforce wants and providing the technology that makes it possible to seamlessly engage and communicate with them, they will miss out on attracting and retaining talent. In a tight labor market, building a comprehensive and positive worker experience for both employed and non-employed workers is critical for greater retention, productivity, and engagement and translates to better business results.

Matt Norton
Global Workforce Solutions Research Manager, Staffing Industry Analysts

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