We have been made aware that someone using the name ‘Scarlett from Hudson RPO’ has been contacting individuals about job opportunities.  This is a scam and does not emanate from any employee within our company.  Please refer to Scam Warning – Hudson RPO to learn more.

Archives for August 2022

The Great Resignation, should HR have seen it coming?

The Great Resignation, should HR have seen it coming?

Content Team

Future Talent Learning held a thought leadership event for senior HR professionals, in partnership with Hudson RPO.

Saïd Business School’s Jonathan Trevor and Ericsson’s Emma Birchall explored the lessons from ‘the Great Resignation’ – the ongoing economic trend in which employees are voluntarily resigning from their roles.

Headlines about spiralling job vacancies, plus employee anecdotes and social media posts sharing resignation stories, suggest that there is a huge churn in the talent market.

There have certainly been seismic changes in the employer/employee relationship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we explore some key questions from our event and learnings from the discussion, sharing the collective wisdom of academics and senior HR leaders who attended.

What are the current pressures on HR professionals?

With stark financial challenges in the wake of COVID-19 (and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis), many HR professionals currently feel that their voices are being drowned out by the need to employ crisis management tactics and appease short-term performance pressures.

However, if (as has been argued) the pandemic was no more than a catalyst for mass resignations, is it fair to say that HR could have listened more closely to employees in the past – and responded better to their needs – thus pre-empting some of today’s problems?

Jonathan Trevor, associate professor of management practice at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, argued that it could – though he added that the influence of HR professionals hit its peak in the 1990s and has been slowly declining ever since.

This could now be changing in the aftermath of the pandemic with talent shortages coming to the fore, plus a new focus from investors on ‘environmental, social and governance’ (ESG) reporting.

ESG encompasses a range of criteria that ‘responsible’ companies use. The ‘S’ focuses on a company’s relationship with people (in other words, its employees, customers and suppliers) and its reputation in the communities in which it operates. These are all the domain of HR – and bring opportunities for renewed influence.

How has the pandemic changed the role of HR within organisations?

“There is the saying ‘never waste a good crisis’. And actually, this is the time when HR’s voice can be amplified.” – Emma Birchall, global head of diversity & inclusion at Ericsson.

HR professionals are now able to steer ‘people conversations’ at a strategic level as c-suite contemplates how to address talent shortages, the overnight move towards remote working and the shift in the balance of power from employer to employee.

But what ‘good’ looks like will differ between sectors, organisations – and even teams. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ model to draw on. HR’s role is to help develop a consensus on best practice within their organisation.

“I think there needs to be a degree of honesty, we also need to have solutions, we need to have a position, we need to have values and principles and beliefs about what good looks like and what it looks like on a case-by-case basis.” – Jonathan Trevor, associate professor of management practice at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

Can HR help c-suite to develop the new ‘management playbook’?

“I’ve never met a manager or a leader in an organisation who isn’t deeply worried and deeply thoughtful about, ‘Am I a good boss? Am I doing this really well.’…. This crisis has provided an opportunity for HR to really get in the forefront for some of these issues.” – Emma Birchall, global head of diversity & inclusion at Ericsson.

Managers at all levels are finding that the traditional playbook for leadership no longer exists as workplace norms and employee expectations change.

Managing people in a virtual or hybrid workplace is harder than within a traditional 9-5 office-based model. For example:

  • While the technology that enables virtual working has been around for years, its widespread adoption is relatively new. Managers have had to improve their IT skills and adapt and develop their leadership for the fourth industrial revolution – with varying success.
  • Managers who were promoted during the pandemic have only ever managed people remotely. How do they develop face-to-face/in-person management skills
  • How do managers develop that feeling of connectedness and belonging when their employees are not working a traditional 9-5 day in the office? In the ‘new normal’ there are various different working models, from five days back in the office to fully remote or hybrid working.

All these issues have an impact on retention and wellbeing and are relevant to the role of HR professionals.

How can HR professionals respond to an increasingly transactional work model?

HR professionals have to balance c-suite’s need to respond to investor demands with a shifting relationship with employees.

“It becomes very easy to change jobs, because what are you really giving up? You’re giving up one platform for another. The difference between the work experience was the difference between zoom and teams.” – Jonathan Trevor, associate professor of management practice at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

For many employees working fully remotely or partly from home, work has become more transactional. It becomes easier for people to move jobs because when they have less investment in their organisation and feel less connected to colleagues.

Workers hold most of the cards in the post-COVID-19 workplace, with power shifting from employer to employee. One school of thought is that we should treat employees as customers, but is this realistic – or desirable?

“The employment relationship is undeniably more individualistic, more diverse and more complex than it’s ever been. Gone are the days of having industry-level collective agreements. Now, it’s, it’s become much more of a personal affair. But that is both a challenge and an opportunity.” – Jonathan Trevor, associate professor of management practice at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

HR can learn from colleagues in marketing to segment employees to gain a better understanding of what their employees want, what they value and their aspirations, and they’re able to craft a message and align behind it a proposition. Build your employee brand on what your talent wants and needs so attract and retain the very people.

This year, Future Talent Learning and Hudson RPO are collaborating on a series of white papers supported by seminars. Each of these will explore the changing nature of work and how this impacts the talent agenda, with a view to helping senior HR leaders like you consider how they can strategically invest in their people proposition for long-term success. Click here to download our whitepaper: Surviving the Great Resignation, and here for the whitepaper: Purpose, Culture and Belonging.

This article originally appeared on the website of our partners, Future Talent Learning, find it here.

Hudson RPO

Content Team

The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

Related articles

The Great Resignation or the Great Re-engagement?

The Great Resignation or the Great Re-engagement?

Content Team
Hudson RPO held a thought leadership event for senior HR professionals, in partnership with Future Talent Learning. Saïd Business School’s Jonathan Trevor and Ericsson’s Emma Birchall explored the lessons from ‘the Great Resignation’ – the ongoing economic trend in which employees are voluntarily resigning from their roles.

We explore some key learnings from the discussion, sharing the collective wisdom of academics and senior HR leaders who attended. If you are interested in reading more, download our whitepaper ‘Surviving The Great Resignation’ here.

Employee anecdotes and social media posts sharing resignation stories and headlines about unfilled job vacancies suggest that there is a crisis in the talent market.

The data lag makes it difficult to understand the demographics of who is leaving and the resulting skills shortages which is unnerving for leaders. If we don’t understand who is leaving, how are we are going to retain or replace them? Questions like these are why we should do the following:

1. Listen to why people are leaving (and why they are staying)

During the pandemic, employees looked to their employers for certainty in an uncertain world and many leaders demonstrated increased levels of listening and empathy.

As society returns to a ‘new normal’, employers need to continue listening to get to the root of the role employment plays in people’s lives.

“Continuous dialogue will be the differentiating factor for companies that manage to maintain engagement. This means going beyond traditional surveys and ensuring the behaviours we learned during COVID – regular check-ins, empathy, humanness – become ingrained in how we do things.” – Emma Birchall, global head of diversity & inclusion at Ericsson.

HR can learn from colleagues in marketing to segment employees, gaining a better understanding of ‘age and stage’; for example, employees’ motivations for working from home or in the office and the challenges they face. Demographic similarities exist.

Generally, young people value the exposure to the tacit learning opportunities that come from being in an office, while older and more experienced staff ­– who may have space for a home office and childcare or caring commitments – value being able to work from home.

The debate about whether employees should work from home is not binary. It raises questions about the flexibility of working in different locations, the role of trust and whether working from home would work for the whole business.

Line managers play a crucial role in this dialogue, but they need support and ‘permission’ from the business to prioritise having these conversations with staff. These interactions can provide insights that can help develop an employer brand that appeals to current employees and will attract new talent.

2. Develop a clear connection between purpose and strategy

Trying to get organisational purpose onto c-suite’s agenda is difficult as it can be seen as a ‘fluffy’ or non-essential issue – particularly in light of immediate financial challenges. However, organisations aren’t born accidentally. Whether or not their purpose is clearly stated, there is a reason for their existence – above and beyond generating profit. It is often the external context that shapes and defines organisations’ value.

Alignment for me means where you have a clear connection between the purpose of an organisation why it exists and why it matters, why you should care why somebody should want to work for it and its strategy, how it’s going about fulfilling that purpose at any given point in time.

“The research we’ve been doing absolutely indicates that organisations that were highly aligned pre-pandemic, fared much better in the pandemic than those that, frankly, were getting away with it because times were good.” – Jonathan Trevor, associate professor of management practice at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

Asking the question “who are we?” and developing a coherent and consistent employer brand is vital to creating a narrative about purpose, values and vision. In a competitive labour market, being able to explain and differentiate yourself as an employer is key to retaining and attracting sought-after talent.

Employers also need to be conscious of external trends that impact how their organisations are perceived. For example, as a major pilot of the four-day working week gets underway in the UK, how might that impact your narrative on wellbeing and work-life balance?

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many people to reflect on personal purpose and their desire to align their personal values and motivations with their work. In addition, during restrictions, employees increasingly looked to their workplaces for a sense of purpose and connection. Today, employees expect a clear articulation of how their role contributes to their organisation’s overall purpose, along with opportunities for learning, development, and progression. HR has a vital role in facilitating the conversations that enable purpose to be explored and developed.

3. Develop cultures of belonging

“We know that having friends at work is critical to belonging and feeling engaged. We need to enable people to build friendships in an increasingly hybrid and virtual set up.” – Emma Birchall, global head of diversity & inclusion at Ericsson.

Employers can role model dependability through consistency of purpose and building cultures of belonging. Achieving a sense of belonging can be particularly challenging for those who self-identify as non-white or multiracial. According to a 2021 McKinsey & Company survey, these employees are more likely than their white colleagues to leave an organisation because they feel they do not belong at their company.

During COVID-19, maintaining a sense of belonging became more complicated as the relationship between employer and employee moved into adult/child mode. As we come out of the pandemic, there is a need for this relationship to shift back to adult/adult interactions.

In addition, people who were hired during the pandemic may have struggled to connect with colleagues and make workplace friends. As many organisations continue with remote working, employers must consider how they might re-create the informal face-to-face interactions on Teams or Zoom. Employers are having to consider how they ensure that people feel safe and welcome during virtual onboarding sessions.

4. Invest in upskilling

The World Economic Forum has predicted that 50% of people will need reskilling by 2025 to address the changing economies and customer needs. Upskilling your existing employees will help you retain your workforce and future-proof your organisation.

Being explicit about learning and development opportunities is also vital to developing an appealing employer brand. Employees expect these: for example, 87% of millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) consider learning and development opportunities as a key factor in deciding whether to accept a new position.

Use your Apprenticeship Levy to get your employees to develop new skills in a way that is tailored towards individual jobs and individual companies. Advanced apprenticeships can be used for both new hires and existing employees, so they are a great way to build new capability in your business.

This article originally appeared on the website of our partners, Future Talent Learning, find it here.

Hudson RPO

Content Team

The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

Related articles

Nathan Machholz: building long-term partnerships

Nathan Machholz: building long-term partnerships

Content Team

As a talent expert, your goal is always to find the best talent for your clients. But what if you could find top talent while building long-term partnerships with clients in the process? Focusing on talent acquisition across the full recruitment cycle, Nathan has found great success in his RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) career. Based on site, Nathan is an expert in fostering long-term relationships and building complete recruitment strategies for our clients. He shares what it was like to join Hudson RPO, and what sets a career in RPO apart in the world of recruitment.

Starting in RPO: a seat at the table

“Coming into Hudson RPO was very exciting, I was surprised how well-organized the onboarding process was and how everyone involved in my recruitment process was there for me and kept me up to date on what was happening. This has translated into my positive experience working in an RPO model,” says Nathan.

Nathan supports one of our client accounts on-site, meaning he is part of the Hudson RPO team but is also fully embedded as a trusted member of our client’s team. This gives him access to the support and knowledge of the experts at Hudson RPO, as well as the expertise and knowledge of our client.

“Having worked in agency recruitment for four years before joining Hudson RPO, the biggest difference was having a seat at the table. You are sitting right there in the room with managers. You have a constant line of communication with them about what their challenges are and what is happening in the business. This gives me a well-rounded and better understanding of the organisation that I can also share with my candidates,” he explains.

Nathan standing near tractor
Being on-site means Nathan is part of the Hudson RPO team but is also fully embedded in our client’s team.

Career progression as a trusted partner

Working for an RPO has provided Nathan with opportunities he would not have had elsewhere, allowing him to look at recruitment as part of a business strategy long-term.

“I am not just looking for the next hire, I am looking at how we can optimise our proposition as an employer, or what events we should attend in order to reach the talent we are looking for. I would say part of my role is also being a brand ambassador for my client. A career in RPO is great for those who are looking to go about recruitment from a strategic perspective with long-term networks and relationships rather than on rapid hires and KPIs alone.”

Another benefit of a career in RPO is the many opportunities for career progression. Many of our recruiters have worked in a variety of positions. Whether you want to become an expert in a specific industry or aspire to be more of a generalist, there is an opportunity for you within the business in one of our accounts or regions. That goes beyond recruitment too, with some of our recruiters stepping into marketing, sales, or business analysis.

Nathan at group meeting
Nathan and the team at the quarterly aspire awards in Perth, WA.

“There are a lot of opportunities when you work for an RPO. While staying in the same company, you get to experience many different industries, companies, teams, and technologies,” explains Nathan.

For Nathan, the best thing about working at Hudson RPO is the supportive environment.

“There is a lot of support from senior leadership at Hudson RPO. They really care about the people that work here; look at the Aspire Awards for example. I enjoy working with my client and colleagues in an inclusive company, so I look forward to seeing where it takes me, and I feel excited about the future!” says Nathan.

Is RPO your next career move?

Are you interested in a career in RPO? Click here to read more about life at Hudson RPO or find all our open roles here.

Hudson RPO

Content Team

The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

Related articles

Hudson RPO certified to meet the requirements of ISO 27001

We are proud to announce that the Information Security Management Systems for Hudson RPO and Coit have been certified to meet the requirements of ISO 27001:2013.

ISO 27001 is the leading international standard for information security management systems (ISMS) and one of the most important frameworks addressing cyber security. It certifies the responsible and secure handling of sensitive information at Hudson RPO and Coit, as well as reflecting the extreme importance we attach to our client’s information security.

ukas logo
Certificate number:
20853 ISO 27001

As a company entrusted with significant personal data, we are constantly challenging our operating models to improve our services and ensure the highest standards of security and data protection that meet or exceed the needs and expectations of our customers, while always complying with data privacy requirements such as GDPR and other specifications and regulations.

ISO 27001 certification is the result of an enormous effort.  It will provide an additional assurance to our valued customers when evaluating the quality, breadth, and strength of our security practices.

About Hudson RPO

Hudson Global, Inc. is a leading total talent solutions provider operating under the brand name Hudson RPO. We deliver innovative, customised recruitment outsourcing and total talent solutions to organisations worldwide. Through our consultative approach, we design tailored solutions to meet our clients’ strategic growth initiatives. As a trusted advisor, we meet our commitments, deliver quality and value, and strive to exceed expectations.

Balancing It All, with Burg

Balancing It All, with Burg

Content Team

It's one big happy family

Burg joined our Manila team in 2017 and is one of the longest serving members of our Centre of Excellence where he has been a Sourcing Specialist and most recently, promoted to a Team Leader.

When describing what he enjoys about working at Hudson RPO, what stands out for Burg is the working relationship he has with his colleagues, clients and managers.

‘Hudson RPO feels like a family, we’re really close. It’s very different from previous companies because it’s more than just being supported to do your job – the people here genuinely care,’ he says.

Managing the family business

Something that Burg believes sets Hudson RPO apart from his previous employers is that he now feels like he has a genuine balance between work and home.

‘My manager doesn’t like us to do overtime. It’s really important to me because it means I can do what I’m passionate about outside of work hours,’ he explains.

And for Burg, one of his main passions is playing an important role in his family business.

‘My work schedule is 7am to 4pm and I still have a lot of extra time after that.’

Burg working at farm
‘After my work, I handle family business. We have a poultry business and I actually go to the farm and take care of the chickens,’ explains Burg.

Time for the things that matter most

The Hudson RPO culture of work life balance isn’t the only thing that supports Burg’s ability to maintain his family business. Another important aspect is being given the chance to work remotely from his home province.

‘It’s really beneficial for me to work from home. When I was working from Manila, I had limited time to do things after work because the traffic is so heavy – it took up much of my time. I was renting a house away from my family and I didn’t have time to do other things,’ he says.

Since joining Hudson RPO, Burg has found a harmonious balance between work and life, including time for his other passions like donating blood regularly and using social media to advocate for local tourism in his home province.

An exciting future

Four years on from joining the Hudson RPO family, Burg is more excited about his future with the business than ever.

‘I am really excited about the growth of the Manila team and to see people given the chance to excel. Our global team and clients recognise that our roles are very important to the overall success of the business, and I am looking forward to future changes and challenges.’

Hudson RPO

Content Team

The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

Related articles

Working flexibly, bringing families together

Working flexibly, bringing families together

Margot Moore

A unique career

Eugene joined Hudson RPO in Data & Analytics having little knowledge of how RPO’s work. Eugene took on the challenge because he was drawn to the unique work environment offered by Hudson RPO, but soon found that his life was about to change in more ways than simply a new career path.

‘Joining Hudson RPO was something new. I’m a numbers guy and wanted to get a different perspective of data, in this role, I got a new lens when it came to data, customers and clients,’ he says.

A life changing moment

And while the new challenge was a key driver for Eugene, with global clients also a huge draw card, what has really made his experience at Hudson RPO truly unique isn’t his day-to-day responsibilities.

‘The culture is great. In other organisations, I’m always reminded of the levels and hierarchy, but at Hudson RPO, the culture means you are comfortable dealing with colleagues at all levels. Leaders are very approachable and dependable,’ Eugene explains.

But what has profoundly impacted Eugene has been the flexibility at Hudson RPO, allowing him to move away from metro Manila and back to his home province to be with his family full time.

‘For a decade, I only got to see my daughter once a month or 12 times per year. The work from home setup is amazing for me, it’s the most rewarding thing that has happened,’ Eugene says.

Family above all

Hudson RPO is proud of its culture of flexibility and is something that all employees are encouraged to explore to fit their personal and unique circumstances. And that was no different for Eugene.

‘Being able to work and live so that I can spend quality time with my family is very rewarding, very fulfilling. After 10 years, we’re a physical family now, we can do things together and spend time doing all the normal things like watching movies and playing – I don’t have to worry about how they’re doing because now, I am able to see it every day,’ Eugene explains.

Birthday party
‘Being able to work and live so that I can spend quality time with my family is very rewarding, very fulfilling.’

Thriving team spirit

And whilst Eugene works remotely, there is certainly no lack of camaraderie and collaboration with his Manila and global teammates.

‘We still get to know each other. We have a virtual office, our Zoom is on all day so we can see everything, ask questions and update each other. We have team events, celebrate cultural days and my favourite activity – fortnightly bingo. I look forward to it, it helps us unwind from our busy schedule,’ he says.

Despite joining Hudson RPO during a pandemic, Eugene has built great relationships with his colleagues whilst being given the ability to fit his work into his family life.

‘You can really feel that Hudson RPO is about its people – both internally and externally. There is a level of respect given, even if they don’t know much about you. You’ll feel the transparency and the care. I’m really thankful, and I am really enjoying my role,’ says Eugene.

Margot Moore

Global Brand Manager

Margot has worked across recruitment, employer branding and marketing for over 10 years. In her current role, Margot is responsible for the Hudson RPO brand and works closely with the global marketing team to ensure the consistency and quality of our brand.

Related articles

Download our Latest Guide