The CXR Community gathered recently to discuss what trends we see as taking primary importance for 2021. Our discussion was guided by some of the key changes business and talent teams went through in 2020. We wanted to know how our members think those changes might influence priorities for 2021. The discussion ranged from Transformation to — no surprise here — Diversity. A full recording of the discussion is available for CXR Members in the Library. Here are some interesting highlights for everyone.
What were the biggest changes from 2020 that will continue to influence your focus in 2021?
Remote work was the change with the largest impact across the board. At first it was a logistics challenge and learning curve for many organizations. As soon as those issues were sorted out, it became clear that new challenges related to a remote workforce are focused on internal mobility, inclusion, and learning and development (upskilling). Early career hiring – something that was dramatically impacted by the pandemic – is another initiative that is continuing to see changes and shifts due to the remote work environment.
“I would foresee a lot of conversation, action, and commitment around diversity and inclusion. And I think that that’ll have a really big impact on our recruiting, especially, because we’ve moved to more of a remote environment than we have historically. And how do we really ensure and encourage diversity and inclusion in a more remote type of workforce?”
While some recruiters were busier than ever – others experienced a big slow down in hiring. In those cases, talent teams worked hard to focus on key projects – implementing new technologies for example – to keep the team working and help talent move forward during a time when hiring volume was low. While this was an excellent opportunity for some teams in 2020, all agree that 2021 is likely to see more of an uptick in hiring.
Social justice issues took such importance in 2020 that many teams needed to take time to be prepared to have challenging and transparent conversations with candidates, hiring managers and each other. Meaningful conversations around diversity, equity & inclusion efforts took more precedence last year and likely will continue to do so moving into 2021. (As they should.) Talent leaders have been talking “diversity” for years but 2020 brought it home in a much different – and long overdue – way. We anticipate the impacts of 2020 in this area are still coming, particularly in breaking down geographic barriers to reach diverse talent, revamping inclusion efforts and more.
We want to know – what challenges do you think will take center stage this year? Take this quick survey & instantly see results.
Is improving Candidate Experience a priority for you in 2021?
As you can see by the live poll results, candidate experience continues to be a top priority for many CXR members. We would be surprised to hear that Candidate Experience is not a priority. Even in an employment market that has dramatically changed in the past 12 months, companies are recognizing the importance of treating candidates well during – and after – the recruiting experience. We are encouraged by discussions that are coming up more and more about internal candidate experience, extending EVPs internally and ways to educate the internal workforce about opportunities and benefits.
One tip from the CXR Community: Participate in the CandE process. Just the process itself teaches an organization many things about their candidate experience efforts while also highlighting areas that need more work.
Is Gender Parity a priority for you in 2021?
Research shows that there wasn’t a lot of progress in gender parity in 2020. In fact, 2020 has seen a gender recession that shows no sign of letting up. While some organizations do have specific gender parity goals, by and large these seem to have fallen under a broader umbrella of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts. As one member put it “Our efforts around gender parity are now diversity parity.”
We know there are other issues that are likely top of mind for you and your organization. Campus Recruiting? Tech Stack? What do you see as your top priorities for the coming year? Head over to the Talent Talks eXchange to share your thoughts.
