'I think the rise of quiet quitting comes from a sense of disengagement'
This article was produced in partnership with 365Talents.
Quiet quitting is the HR nightmare on everyone’s mind right now. But while TikTok may have made this silent company culture killer virally loud, the imperative to offer a talent experience where your people can find meaning in their work and feel empowered to own their own career development is nothing new.
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“I think the rise of quiet quitting comes from a sense of disengagement,” says Loic Michel, CEO and co-founder of 365Talents. “There’s a misalignment between what an organization can offer employees in terms of career, and what the employee expects. This is really when employers need to ask their people what they can do for them – ask them what they want – and see how to bridge that gap.”
This is where talent experience comes in. Talent experience is a way of engaging your employees in a particular way, so that they’re fully aware of all the different opportunities on offer and get a sense of what they can achieve in your company. The end result is not only a boost in productivity and morale, but ultimately loyalty – something of a golden commodity in the Canadian Great Resignation.
“It all forms this positive loop,” says Michel. “It begins with awareness, interest and consideration, then there’s the conversion to loyalty and advocacy. This is where HR plays a role. They have a great opportunity here to work on the employee experience cycle and focus it towards engagement and awareness.”
In order to really dig deep and feel the benefits of talent experience on retention, employers need to look closer at their marketing tactics. According to Michel, there’s three techniques that HR leaders can deploy here – the first being building a strong mission.
“Mission and purpose are critical,” he says. “If you want to be impactful you need to begin by looking at the “why”. If you want to be an effective leader, if you want to engage your teams, you need to ask yourself “why am I here?”.”
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After this, Michel suggests employers look at personalization in marketing. In the marketing world, leaders know what their consumers are buying and what they’re interested in – it’s the same in HR. What works for Gen Z won’t work for Baby Boomers, and vice versa. By understanding the different wants and needs of your workforce, you can elevate your talent experience.
“Finally, employers need to understand their campaigns – what topics they want to talk about and the domain they’re situated in,” he says. “One topic that stands out to me right now is sustainability and corporate responsibility. Employees and candidates only want to work for companies that invest in ESG – that showcase ethical values. By targeting that part of the market, you not only enhance the talent experience for your existing employees, you make yourself a more attractive employer to jobseekers too – a win-win for HR.”