Reimagining company culture for the new world of work

This article was produced in partnership with LinkedIn Australia & New Zealand.

Rosanne Barrett of HRD Australia caught up with Adam Gregory, Senior Director, LinkedIn Talent & Learning Solutions at LinkedIn to discuss how to reinvent company culture.

Flexibility, employee wellbeing and a more fluid workforce are driving cultural changes across workplaces globally.

Amid shifts exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and “the Great Reshuffle”, employees are prioritising their broader life and lifestyle over other workplace benefits.

LinkedIn Australia and New Zealand’s Senior Director, LinkedIn Talent & Learning Solutions, Adam Gregory said employees were demanding changes to create work-life balance, generate autonomy and gain support from their employers.

“Company culture is having a watershed moment that’s redefining the relationship between employers and employees,” he said. “After enduring the trauma and disruption caused by the pandemic, employees have a new set of expectations.”

A new report from LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Global Talent Trends: The Reinvention of Company Culture, data from the global platform and interviews with global talent leaders found “a caring culture has become the pivotal asset for companies worldwide”.

“For companies to attract, retain, and grow the talent that will bring them sustained success, they need to fine-tune — or overhaul — their culture to meet the expectations of professionals to be seen as human beings first,” the report said.

“Forward-thinking organizations are working with employees to make home an office away from office.”

The Global Talent Trends: Reinvention of Company Culture found that for many prospective employees, culture and their choice of workplace was more important than the salary and other benefits.

Almost two out of three professionals globally (59%) found work-life balance was a top priority when selecting a new job. This exceeded the proportion of people who nominated compensation and benefits (47%) and colleagues and culture (47%).

LinkedIn data also revealed people who are satisfied with the workplace flexibility at their employer are 2.6 times more likely to be happy in their company, and more than twice (2.1 times) more likely to recommend their employer.

This has sparked a revolution in thinking from leading companies, which have introduced and normalised flexible working arrangements and a greater focus on engaging the whole person among their employees.

IBM Chief Human Resources Officer Nickle LaMoreaux said: “Not since the industrial revolution have companies really had to think about work design, about what tasks get done and where do those tasks get done, and when and how do you deconstruct work so that it’s done in an optimal manner.”

Separately, global consumer goods company Unilever is trialling a new model where workers have the flexibility of a contractor in addition to the safety net of security and benefits normally enjoyed by full-timers.

U-Work “hybrid” employees choose project work assignments but also have retainers each month. This model of work has been taken up by 1 per cent of its United Kingdom workforce.

Mr Gregory said it was not enough to have a strong culture; companies had to also be seen to have a strong culture. “Getting your employer brand right is critical to attracting and retaining top talent,” he said.”

He pointed to an increase in Australian and New Zealand employer content on LinkedIn, with a 60 per cent jump in job posts mentioning flexibility since 2019, and 313 per cent more mentions of flexibility in company posts since 2019.

Further, flexibility is emerging as a critical factor for the next generation of employees. When company posts mention flexibility, Gen Z are 77 per cent more likely to engage with it than compared to the company average.

Mr Gregory said the focus on flexibility was a key contributor to the corporate nurturing of worker wellbeing.

“Employees and job seekers are looking for company cultures that prioritise their mental, physical, and emotional well-being,” he said.

“Forced lockdowns broke down the walls between work and home life, giving employers better visibility into their employees’ lives. Today, employee well-being starts with care, compassion, and trust.”

This involves maximising output over presenteeism, setting boundaries for work and meetings, and executives setting an appropriate example to take time off, as well as training managers in empathy and ensuring mental health services are readily available.

Adam Gregory  

Adam Gregory is the ANZ Senior Director of Talent and Learning Solutions at LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network. Adam and his team help organisations think across the full employee lifecycle, transforming the way they plan, hire, and develop talent. This is possible through the disruptive technology and unique data and insights from LinkedIn’s 800 million members and 57 million companies.