How do you build a resilient workforce?

Building a resilient workforce is crucial for organizations, especially in an era of rapid change, uncertainty, and unexpected challenges. Resilience means that employees can bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change, and keep going in the face of adversity. Here are some steps and strategies to cultivate resilience in your workforce:

1. Leadership and Culture:
   • Role Modeling: Leaders should lead by example, demonstrating resilience in their own actions and decisions.
   • Open Communication: Promote an environment where employees can express concerns, seek feedback, and share challenges.
2. Training and Development:
   • Resilience Workshops: These can teach employees coping mechanisms, stress management techniques, and problem-solving skills.
   • Continuous Learning: Offer opportunities for employees to upskill, which can build their confidence and adaptability.
3. Support Systems:
   • Mentorship Programs: These allow experienced staff to guide and support less experienced members.
   • Peer Support Groups: These can help employees share challenges and solutions.
4. Work-Life Balance:
   • Flexible Working Hours: This can help employees balance personal and professional obligations.
   • Remote Work Options: Can reduce the stress of commuting and offer a more comfortable work environment for some.
   • Mental Health Days: Recognize the importance of mental health and provide days off specifically for mental rejuvenation.
5. Health and Wellbeing Programs:
   • Physical Health: Offer programs or incentives for physical exercise, as physical health often correlates with mental resilience.
   • Mental Health Resources: Provide access to counseling or resources that support mental well-being.
6. Feedback and Recognition:
   • Regular Feedback: Constructive feedback helps employees understand where they need to improve and where they excel.
   • Recognition: Celebrate successes, big or small, and acknowledge hard work.
7. Clear Expectations:
   • Job Clarity: Ensure that employees know what’s expected of them.
   • Provide Resources: Make sure employees have the necessary tools, training, and resources to fulfill their roles.
8. Encourage Innovation and Creativity:
   • Promoting a growth mindset helps employees see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than threats.
9. Diversity and Inclusion:
   • A diverse and inclusive workforce can offer a wider range of perspectives and solutions, making it more adaptable to challenges.
10. Emergency Preparedness:
    • Conduct regular drills or training sessions for different kinds of crises, so employees are prepared and know how to respond.
11. Encourage Taking Breaks:
    • Regular breaks can prevent burnout and allow employees to recharge.
12. Safe Environment:
    • Ensure that the workplace is free from bullying, harassment, and other negative behaviors. Employees should feel safe to speak up without fear of retaliation.
13. Provide Opportunities for Growth:
    • Career advancement opportunities, cross-training, or lateral job moves can keep employees engaged and motivated.

Increase speed, strengthen resilience

Companies should always be ready and fast in action. In today’s uncertain world, being resilient and quick can make or break success. But, our studies show that not all companies prepare well. Some focus on only one aspect of readiness, like dealing with a specific problem. They don’t consider the whole picture: regularly updating their structures, processes, and people. This way, they not only recover from crises, but also advance – landing safely and moving forward with fresh energy.

Crises are bound to happen. Today’s global business world is fast-paced, interconnected, and complex.

People know how crucial it is for organizations to be resilient. Over 60% of people surveyed believe it will become even more vital in the future. However, many feel that their organizations aren’t prepared enough for the potential shocks in the next few years.

How can organizations unlock the power of true hybrid work and adapt to dynamic work dynamics for success?

According to McKinsey, in recent times, organizations have experienced a significant shift in work dynamics. Formerly expecting employees to spend the majority of their time in the office, now only around 10 percent do, while 90 percent have embraced hybrid work models. Employees value this flexibility and balance, with over four out of five preferring to retain the hybrid model.

To succeed in this evolving landscape, organizations must determine the best combination of remote and in-person work that suits their workforce’s specific needs. Embracing the “true hybrid” approach, where policies and workflows guide employees on the optimal format for activities, allows organizations to attract and retain top talent and enhance overall productivity. This dynamic journey towards flexible work models continues to shape the future of work, offering boundless opportunities for those willing to adapt.

Keep on reading: The Ultimate Guide to Remote Talent Management

AI-Driven Transformation. How can AI help organizations?

AI can help organizations by driving transformation through automation, data analysis, predictive insights, enhanced decision-making, and improved customer experiences.

How to attract and Retain Top Talent in a Transformed Work Landscape?

To attract and retain top talent in a transformed work landscape, focus on offering flexible work options, nurturing a positive company culture, create initiatives to help meet individualized needs, providing opportunities for career growth, and ensuring competitive compensation and benefits.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent “Great Attrition,” senior leaders worldwide are facing a scarcity of human capital. Job openings are difficult to fill, and employee retention and engagement have become pressing concerns. Despite the high attrition rates, many employers underestimate the number of employees planning to leave, including the “quiet quitters” who are disengaging in various ways.

Employees are reshaping their work-life boundaries, with some transitioning to new roles and others leaving the workforce entirely. Different age groups, life stages, and work experiences influence what employees seek from their jobs, such as flexible hours, remote work, meaningful tasks, and fair compensation.

Keep on reading: How to Attract, Retain, and Develop Top Talent with GFoundry Platform.

Can Building Institutional Capabilities Lead to Sustained Growth and a Competitive Advantage?

Yes, building institutional capabilities can lead to sustained growth and a competitive advantage.

The workplace is experiencing a shift due to the increasing deployment of new technologies like automation and AI. As the skills needed for growth and value change, companies face capability gaps and seek to build institutional capabilities to stay competitive. These institutional capabilities encompass an integrated set of people, processes, and technology that enable consistent superiority over competitors.

However, many organizations lag in core activities due to insufficient resources or commitment to capability building. In a survey, 90 percent of respondents recognized the urgency to act on capability building, but only 5 percent felt their organizations’ capabilities were already established. Getting capability building right is crucial, as it leads to long-term growth and skill gap closure, benefiting both companies and employees.

Keep on reading: Creating an innovative learning and development ecosystem with GFoundry

Optimizing Talent Allocation: How Can Organizations Strategically Align Talent with High-Value Roles within Budget Constraints?

Organizations can manage talent within budget constraints by identifying the most critical roles and their high performers, and prioritizing talent allocation based on strategic needs and budget constraints.

Business leaders face the complex task of balancing budgets while retaining key talent. As organizations strive to protect their businesses in the short term and set them up for long-term success, a critical focus is on matching top talent to high-value roles. This becomes increasingly vital as the importance of tech specialists and digital capabilities grows, with many companies citing a lack of key skills in areas such as digital analytics and software development.

McKinsey research highlights the significant impact of high performers, with only 5 percent of employees delivering 95 percent of an organization’s value. Companies that reallocate top performers to critical roles regularly outperform competitors. However, many organizations struggle with identifying the most critical roles and their high performers, with 46 percent of respondents lacking clarity on this matter. This lack of transparency poses challenges in understanding which skills drive organizational value and hinders effective talent development efforts.

Keep on reading: Performance and potential assessment: identify your top performers

Is Your Leadership Fit for Today’s Turbulent Environment?

In today’s turbulent environment, leaders face a crucial choice: stick with familiar approaches that may no longer be effective, or embrace change and rethink their leadership strategies. Remaining in the comfort zone could lead to alienating stakeholders, including employees who may feel demotivated and overwhelmed. A mere 25 percent of respondents in the State of Organizations Survey believe their leadership culture inspires employees to their fullest potential.

Successful leadership in the present landscape requires three layers of capability: leading oneself, leading a C-suite team, and exhibiting the skills and mindset to lead at scale, coordinating and inspiring networks of teams. This task demands a keen awareness of oneself and the operating environment. The benefits of effective leadership are substantial, with inspiring leadership driving stakeholder and employee satisfaction. High-performing CEOs have the potential to generate $5 trillion in excess value, significantly impacting a company’s performance and employee experience. Scaling leadership throughout the organization is a critical facilitator for success.

Is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Driving Organizational Progress?

Yes, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) can significantly drive organizational progress.

In recent years, organizations have increasingly prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across their product development, hiring, and talent management processes. Despite economic challenges, many organizations remain committed to these efforts. However, there is a disconnect between their intentions and actual progress. While diversity initiatives have shown some advancement, equity and inclusion efforts still lag behind.

McKinsey research reveals that over 70 percent of companies aspire to transformative DEI goals, but only 47 percent have the necessary infrastructure to achieve them. Additionally, more than 20 percent of respondents in the State of Organizations Survey cannot confirm a sense of community and inclusion within their organizations. This lack of community is often experienced by employees in underrepresented groups, who may be less likely to respond to surveys.

When implemented comprehensively, robust DEI practices become a competitive advantage. Companies with diverse executive teams outperform their peers in profitability, with ethnic diversity contributing to a 36 percent increase and gender diversity contributing to a 25 percent increase. Moreover, organizational DEI can attract top talent and unlock the full potential of a diverse workforce, fostering a more inclusive and successful environment.

Keep on reading: Promote and manage diversity and inclusion in your company

Is Prioritizing Mental Health and Well-Being the Key to Sustainable Business Success?

Yes, prioritizing mental health and well-being is crucial for sustainable business success. By acknowledging the prevalence of mental health challenges among employees and offering structured wellness programs, organizations can create a supportive and thriving workplace culture.

Keep on reading: Employee well-being – the complete guide

Are Organizations Ready to Embrace Efficiency in a Shifting Business Landscape?

While some organizations have already taken steps to embrace efficiency, many are still in the process of adapting to the changing business landscape.

Organizations are facing a growing mismatch between existing operating models and market realities, leading to increased focus on efficiency measures. More than one-third of leaders in the State of Organizations Survey consider efficiency a top priority for the coming years. Many organizations have SG&A expenses exceeding 20 percent, and hierarchies with multiple layers separating the CEO from the front line, causing inefficiencies and unnecessary interactions.

Fixing the foundations of how work gets done and empowering employees with decision rights are vital for improving organizational health and accountability. Improving role clarity and simplifying structural complexities can significantly enhance an organization’s efficiency. Additionally, companies that actively reallocate resources to more strategic areas, both financially and in terms of talent, deliver higher total shareholder returns (TSR).

Keep on reading: Unlocking Efficiency with OKRs: Maximizing Organizational Performance

The Talent Management cycle

In order to build great employee experience, it is important to look at the complete Talent Management cycle. The impact that an employer can have on an individual starts by the attraction and recruitment phases, going until the moment when the employee leaves the company. During all the stages, it is important to keep the employees engaged, providing them an experience that will keep them connected to their roles, and to the organisation.

Additionally, by using gamification as a way to make the workplace a dynamic environment that stimulates interaction and positive competitiveness, it is proven to be a great tool to improve the employees’ experience in their roles. The example of DPD Portugal is a great case study on how gamification allowed the company to skyrocket their KPIs. Another great case study is Carglass, which has implemented a complete talent management solution which is called Go Inside, currently spread throughout the entire internal structure.

Attraction and Recruitment

The period while a candidate is considering and/or applies to the company is crucial for its engagement with the organization. By providing them an experience that differentiates the organization from its competition, it is possible to increase the Employee Value Proposition and attract more talent directly. With GFoundry, you can create a Recruitment Journey, in which the candidate can go through different steps, while being in direct contact with the organization through an app. You can read more about how to design Recruitment Journeys here.

Onboarding

The onboarding period defines the relationship that the employee has with the company in the long-term. A successful onboarding has direct impact on the success of the individual in its objectives, while increasing their motivation and retention. With GFoundry, you can create Onboarding Missions that will lead the new employees through a path of different activities that will prepare them for the challenges ahead. You can read more about how to build onboarding missions here.

Develop and Manage

While change is a constant nowadays, it is important to invest in developing the employees in order to prepare them for all the challenges that they might face. With the support of our platform, it is possible to disseminate tools that allow the employees to have a Learning Journey that not only is engaging and dynamic for them but that also adds value to their knowledge and capabilities. You can read more about how to create impactful learning journeys here.

Departure

Finally, we reach the phase where the employee leaves the company. This last moment within the organization can impact the way the individual will spread the message about how their past employer manages their people. In this moment, it is important to still maintain the employee engaged, while collecting crucial feedback about their path in the organization, in order to improve any flaws detected in the process. What to know more? Book a demo now!

The common space to manage talent with proximity

The platform is from GFoundry and was parameterized according to the challenges identified by Closer. It systematizes the performance evaluation and is the interface to carry it out, also articulating it with training. It also allows onboarding to be a unique and fun program

Founded in 2006, Closer Consulting is a Portuguese company specialized in what is now commonly known as data area – Data Science and Artificial Intelligence -, helping their clients (for example, large banks and telecommunications companies) to take the best advantage of it to be increasingly competitive. These 16 years of existence have been marked by good results, which are reflected in market growth and organic robustness: more than 300 projects and 150 customers, presence in 14 countries (3 continents) and about 370 employees (44% growth in 2021).

The culture of Closer – as an organization – about the role it should have before society leads it, permanently, to have initiatives that foster proximity in its various dimensions. In this sense, in 2018, with the company in full growth and assuming a larger scale, it became necessary to professionalize the communication with its employees (some, for example, spend several days at the clients’ offices, therefore, physically distant from the parent company and the corporate ambience) and strengthen their collective commitment – in the sense of positive involvement.

Closer, then, looked for solutions that could achieve these objectives, guided by the demand of three requirements that, as Woitek Szymankiewicz, Partner of Closer, recalls, defined from the start: the implementation of an innovative platform; easy and interactive (mobile application) and with a gamification component (playful/game).

The choice fell on GFoundry and followed the design of the model best suited to the reality of Closer, ie, starting from the matrix platform created by GFoundry, was made the customization to the specific interest of Closer, namely through the co-creation made in several modules.

The final platform designed – the Stay Closer – has distinct areas, corresponding to different modules, of which the three most significant for Closer until now will be addressed separately below.

Performance evaluation

This has been the module with more importance and (intensive) use for Closer. Stay Closer allows, right from the start, to make the evaluation cycles at the pace desired by who runs the company, in this case every three months (and not only annually, since Closer considered it too watertight).

The whole assessment operation is, as one of the three Closer Partners says, “supported by the GFoundry platform”, and not only in its most important moment, the meetings (called “conversations with purpose”) between the employee and the manager. These conversations end up being, simultaneously, the arrival point (evaluation) but also the starting point (progression) for the next step.

In quarterly sessions, to reinforce a technical skill or by identifying a certain gap in the so-called soft skills (for example, the ability to listen or to be pragmatic), commitments (practices or tasks, to meet objectives, with precise metrics) are agreed upon between both, in a kind of mini-contracts, which will be periodically monitored by each during the next three months, and may be the subject of reciprocal communication/contact.

In addition to the feedback that may be reported, two weeks before the evaluation meeting, both the coordinator and the employee record their assessment of how the evolution went during that quarter, so that later, during the meeting, they can cross-reference and discuss the two perspectives.

Know more about Performance GFoundry’s Evaluation Solutions here.

Well, for each of these moments, the platform is crucial, because it is there that the steps that materialize an evaluation that is intended to be frequent (quarterly), dynamic in format (it is not limited to meetings, there is a “route” between them) and participated in the model (the reviewed is not relegated to a passive role). It can be accessed either through a computer (browser) or cell phone (Android and iOS).

The parameterization of this evaluation roadmap can be changed by whoever, in Closer, manages the platform (counting, if necessary, with the support of GFoundry). Thus, the time distance between meetings, the tasks between them, or even the actual performance of the assessment to an employee can be changed/suppressed. For Woitek Szymankiewicz, “this flexibility, with such a rich backoffice, is something very useful”.

From a more general perspective, the evaluation can also be done upwards, namely on general aspects of the company’s operation.

The support for talent management has another essential feature of the platform: the interconnection between employee evaluations and individual career and training plans. This means that these plans are integrated into Stay Closer, allowing a true integration in the same space of all components of the professional’s career. “The career plan is assembled on the GFoundry platform”, summarizes Woitek Szymankiewicz.

The manager considers the GFoundry platform (and this module in particular) “central and core to the quarterly and annual evaluations, ensuring that they are transversal and fair, in the sense that they do not bring surprises and are perceived by consultants and managers”.

Training

For Closer, as stated by its Partner, “constant learning is a fundamental pillar for the person to evolve – not only to obtain a certification” – and the fact that “it is systematized” and also “interconnected” with the other aspects of career management in the same platform is fundamental. To this extent, the training module is the second most important for the technological company.

The personalized training path is defined, recorded and implemented through Stay Closer. The various learning options (soft and hard skills) are compatible with the platform – in their organization in menu form, in the choice and consequent realization. In addition to the classic content-based organization, the platform provides an interactive approach, using learning missions that, in a visually appealing way, allow the employee to get from point A to point B with possible interactions and rewards along the way (gamification).

The integration of the training path in the individual career plan (and with the evaluation, through specific objectives) allows the entire talent management of each professional to be concentrated in the virtual space of the platform, shared between the professional and the leadership. Accessibility is, in this module, the aspect most praised by employees, since, being available on mobile devices, it allows the execution of training at the time and place chosen by the trainee.

Know more about GFoundry’s eLearning and Training here.

Onboarding

“Bringing people together as they enter the company”. This simple principle, stated by Woitek Szymankiewicz, guides the onboarding and the tools for its good execution, in which the platform created by GFoundry stands out. It was decisive in the most acute phases of the pandemic – a period during which Closer continued to grow strongly – and continues to play an important role, mainly because of the gamification that it imprints on the entire onboarding process. “Having an onboarding game that shows my progress through the various stages of getting to know the company is very helpful. GFoundry supports this whole process in a fun way, through quizzes, completing missions. In the palm of your hand”, says the Partner of the technological company.

In a global assessment of Stay Closer, Woitek Szymankiewicz considers it an “innovative platform to support engagement initiatives”, underlining the importance of the three pillars already mentioned.

João Carvalho, Co-Founder & CEO of GFoundry, emphasizes the challenge found and the joint manner in which it was met: “Closer operates in a highly competitive sector and is formed by highly qualified employees, with an average age below 30 years old, therefore, with a high level of demand in attracting and retaining talent. They found in GFoundry the solution to manage their talents, and it was very important the mutual trust relationship we established to adjust some details of our platform to the exact measure of what they needed.”

Know more about GFoundry’s Onboarding Solutions here.

The thermometer that measures satisfaction

The evaluation and feedback that Stay Closer allows is not one-way. Employees are invited to give their opinion both on the assessments in which they participate and on more general aspects of the functioning of their company.

“Engagement Thermometer” serves to do just that, to measure the employee’s feeling towards the company, in a totally anonymous way. The “temperature” is measured monthly through a pop-up survey (a much praised format internally) of five simple questions, on a wide variety of topics about life in the organization.

Know more about GFoundry’s Pulse Surveys Solution here.

A business rooted in tradition makes a strong bet on innovation. And why?

5 solutions to help you meet the new challenges of remote work:

GFoundry is a leading digital solution for improving the performance and connection of employees with your organization. Through an integrated solution and a holistic view on the management of the Talent Cycle, we impact the engagement of employees, having available several gamification tools that make the user experience more interactive and dynamic. With a multi-platform solution, you can address a number of challenges that the pandemic may have brought to your business.

Challenge 1: How to recruit from a distance?

During the most critical period of the pandemic, many companies moved their recruitment processes to a remote format, or at least the first phases of the processes.

Many were the recognised advantages of moving some phases to a remote model – more agility, less logistical effort, greater cost savings, as well as giving candidates the opportunity to go through the first phases of the process remotely, where the uncertainty is greater.

However, it is challenging to engage candidates for the position within the organisation when the process starts (or concludes) in a remote format. With GFoundry, you can have all your candidates registered on the platform, where they can go through a Recruitment Journey.

This Journey could include filling in forms (with CV or Video Presentation submission), reading or viewing company content, or even taking quizzes on the role you are applying for. You can read more about the impact of the EVP in Talent Attraction here.

The advantage of having all the candidates on a platform like GFoundry allows them, right from recruitment, to have access to the organisation’s working environment, and a bridge to the company.

Not only can they have access to real-time information about the phase of the process they are in, but they can also access information provided, such as generic training content or articles and news.

Challenge 2: How to ensure a successful Onboarding?

If a company has implemented a remote (or hybrid) working policy, it is natural that the onboarding process itself is also hybrid. The onboarding process may contain several types of activities.

Not only training moments, but also interaction with other colleagues, interaction with the company’s physical environment, and also the connection to platforms used by the company. With GFoundry, you can create a top layer that encompasses all these activities, and adds dynamism to this experience for employees.

Through the Missions, you can create Onboarding Journeys, where employees can go through activities as they earn points and virtual currencies.

These rewards are part of the gamification engine developed by GFoundry with the objective of making these Journeys more interactive for users.

In this way, any employee who joins the organisation will know exactly what they have to do to have an effective onboarding process that prepares them for the challenges of their new role. You can read more about how to build Onboarding missions with GFoundry here.

Challenge 3: How to disseminate relevant content?

As well as it is important to get messages across to people, it is also important to make sure we disseminate relevant content correctly.

Unlike shorter messages (mentioned above), sometimes it is necessary to share more dense content, either for the whole organisation or just for a certain group of people.

Through the Learn Module, you can share video, PDF or quiz content with your entire community, or part of it. This content does not necessarily have to be training content, but could be more generalised content like guidelines for employee roles, internal newsletters, or even benefits manuals.

You can use this module in any way you like. By dividing the content into categories, it is simple and intuitive for anyone to find the information they are looking for – whether it is skills information, benefits information, or just the weekly newsletter.

Finally, you can also, if it is part of the organisation’s strategy, integrate external content from other platforms that the company already has into GFoundry.

Some examples are content from Cornerstone, SharePoint, Vimeo, Coursera, or even Youtube.  You can read more about how to create an impactful Learning Journey for your employees here.

Challenge 4: How to get messages to people in a simple way?

Given that people are no longer together in the same physical space, working at the same times, it is challenging for leaders to get messages across to their people.

There are various types of messages, just as there are various communication channels within an organisation. However, it is important to understand that each communication channel should be used for certain messages, and not for everything – a basic principle in Corporate Communication.

With GFoundry, having employees access to an application on their mobile phones, they can receive messages from your company in a simple and fast way.

Whether through push notifications, or through the news available on the homepage, a direct contact bridge can be established between the organization and its people.

This way, you will be able to send the desired messages – can be informative messages, alerts, or even good morning messages and positive reinforcement for the organisational culture. All in a simple and fast way!

Challenge 5: How to manage and develop my teams?

In any organisation, managing people is one of the most complex challenges we can face. Not only because each person is unique, with their own interests, goals and motivations, in addition to the various stakeholders that may impact their performance, such as their colleagues, leaders and/or subordinates.

Allied to all the already existing variables, the flexibilisation of work has added greater complexity to these processes. If, by themselves, people management and development processes are already complex processes, the fact that these processes happen at a distance increases their challenge. GFoundry can meet these new challenges, being the key platform for reaching people in a simple way, and managing these processes in an agile way – even at a distance.

With the Feedback Module, you can manage internal feedback processes, which may be related to Project Feedback, Situational Feedback or with other predefined scopes. Any user can ask for or assign feedback in a simple way, based on variables related to their role. In the end, a manager/team leader can access the results of their elements’ feedback.

This information is crucial to complement the Performance Evaluation. With the Evaluation and Careers Module, you can manage the entire Performance Evaluation process of your organisation. Not only is it possible to make the entire assessment related to the employee’s performance, through his skills and objectives, but you can also manage the next steps, such as the Individual Development Plan (IDP) or the management of Potential.

The IDPs may be defined at the moment of the Performance Evaluation, in which the employee may suggest which skills he intends to acquire, being able to relate them directly to contents available in the Learn Module.

Furthermore, managers may also evaluate the potential of their team members, recognising which employees may be prepared to take on other challenges, according to their individual objectives.

At the end, the HR Manager will have access to crucial information about their organisation:

• Which profiles are performing best?
• Which employees have the highest potential?
• Which people are meeting their objectives?
• Which employees are most likely to leave the company?

Read more: Overcoming Remote Work Challenges