Does Your Recruiting And Culture Meet The New Candidate’s High Expectations?

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Does Your Recruiting And Culture Meet The New Candidate’s High Expectations?

March 5th, 2022 Kathleen Quinn Votaw Leave a comment

“The Great Resignation” in 2021 created a talent shortage and prompted company leaders to re-evaluate their perspective on hiring and culture. Amid job candidates’ shifting demands and higher expectations, some businesses are learning they’ll need to adapt their recruiting strategies to hire the right workers in 2022.

But while most leaders understand that a positive work culture is critical to successful recruitment and retention, too few know how to build and sustain the human-centric workplaces employees look for from employers today, says Kathleen Quinn Votaw, the author of DARE to CARE IN THE WORKPLACE: A Guide to the New Way We Work.

“The pace of change and challenge over the past few years will continue to define us in 2022, as will the fluctuations of the job market,” says Quinn Votaw, CEO of TalenTrust, a strategic recruiting and human capital consulting firm. “This shared experience of COVID-19 has taught us that what propels growth today is putting employees first and creating cultures around well-being and resilience.

“Employees will refuse to work in any culture that lacks humanity. Far from our history of top-down management practices, we’ve learned that kind, empathetic leaders attract and retain the best talent and achieve the highest levels of success. As we wade into another year of unknowns, 2022 gives us a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rethink work.”

Quinn Votaw offers these tips for leaders to consider for their recruiting and retention strategies in 2022:

Know what job candidates want and deliver. “People choose you because you’ve created a powerful candidate or employee experience,” Quinn Votaw says. “It’s time to untie your culture from the past and focus on what people want from employers today.” She says the employer’s brand and being authentic to it will become more crucial in attracting candidates. “LinkedIn research shows that 75% of job seekers check out your brand and reputation before they apply,” she says. “People want specifics about how you’re handling change and how flexible your policies are.” Further, the offering of remote work, she says, will show those companies are serious about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and new tech tools will help businesses leverage each stage of recruitment.

Build a sense of community in your culture. Employees today experience their companies in different ways: some onsite, some from home, and others in hybrid situations. It can be a dramatic work-life evolution, and Quinn Votaw says leaders and employees alike can find themselves confused and uncomfortable. “A successful forward path begins with being purposeful about what employees experience working for you,” she says. “Recognize that even small changes to your policies can make a big impact on employees’ day-to-day experience. View every individual holistically; work and personal lives should not be seen as ‘either-or.’ Build a community where everyone feels safe being themselves. Appreciate, celebrate and support your employees as the valuable assets they are.”

Practice hands-off management, hands-on feelings. Quinn Votaw says today’s more demanding candidate desires empathetic leadership that doesn’t micromanage and disrespect them. “Fewer employees will put up with the poor management practices of the past,” she says. “The most effective managers recognize that when they lead with humanity first, they empower others to be more authentic, kind, and attuned to feelings. Coach them rather than boss them. And in the interview process, let candidates know in detail what you’re doing to lead virtually as well as in the office. Overall, leaders need to dare to care for their people.”

“Over the past two years we’ve realized that we all fail or thrive together,” Quinn Votaw says. “In this pivotal moment, we have the opportunity to rethink our recruiting and workplaces and break the status quo that has kept us from reaching our full potential.”

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Kathleen Quinn Votaw (www.talentrust.com) is the CEO of TalenTrust, a strategic recruiting and human capital consulting firm. She is the author of DARE to CARE IN THE WORKPLACE: A Guide to the New Way We Work. Regarded as a key disruptor in her industry, Quinn Votaw has helped thousands of companies across multiple industries develop purpose-based, inclusive communities that inspire employees to come to work. Her company has been recognized in the Inc. 5000. Kathleen also speaks nationally on recruitment, culture and leading with empathy in the workplace.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, Special Reports

An American Businessperson in a Global World: Rethinking Your Cultural Business Etiquette

November 5th, 2021 Susanne Evens Leave a comment

In the American business world, there is a generally accepted, and often unspoken, etiquette that most businesspeople follow. Be on time, dress professionally, use a firm handshake, make eye contact, show initiative, be respectful of your superiors and so on. Take a look around the world, however, and you will find widely diverse protocols that can quickly lead to cultural barriers, misunderstandings, and possibly lost revenue.

From punctuality to attire to physical contact and personal space, the code of behavior varies wildly across different cultures. When doing business in a global, geo-political world, these differences can be tricky to navigate, especially in virtual meetings. But the broad representation of different cultures goes a long way toward making businesses more competitive. Culturally inclusive and diverse companies are shown to see higher profits. Diverse teams are more innovative, better at making decisions, and are more likely to capture new markets.

Cultural awareness can have a big impact on the growth of your business. More importantly, though, it is a matter of showing respect and earning the trust of your international partners and colleagues. It is about establishing common ground so that decisions, deals, and relationships start from the same foundation. And to build that foundation, you may have to make some adjustments in how you do business.

Below we will look at 8 changes you can make to foster cross-cultural intelligence and improve the way you conduct international business.

Do Your Research & Be Prepared

Over 80% of CEOs recognize empathy as a key to success. Before meeting with any international business associates, invest time in learning how they act, speak, dress, and conduct business. Even if everyone speaks English, make the effort to learn how to say “hello” and “thank you” in their language. Be aware of what titles, if any, should be used. The simple awareness and empathy of what they do and why it helps you better adapt to their needs. Also, the planning you do before the meeting is often more important than what you do in the actual meeting. In many cultures, meetings are not where the decisions are made; they are an opportunity for asking questions and exploring possibilities. Therefore, distributing all necessary information prior to the meeting gives everyone involved time to review so that they can comment on it intelligently. In an ideal world, the materials should also be translated into their language to make things easier.

Hire your own Interpreter

Even when you have all materials translated, if you are not fluent in each other’s languages the potential for miscommunication is high. To prevent any misunderstandings, it is a good idea to have an interpreter on hand. This gives everyone an equal opportunity to comprehend everything that is discussed. Even if the other party has an interpreter in the meeting, always have your own interpreter on hand, as you never know what the other side may discuss!

Tone Down the Assertiveness

Americans are known for being direct, assertive, and loud. Some countries, like Germany, share this quality when sharing ideas and doing business. In other countries like Japan, however, people tend to speak softly and are not as forthcoming when making suggestions or sharing their ideas. Doing your research will help you know if being assertive is appropriate or if you are coming across as pushy and aggressive. When in doubt, use a neutral tone and be considerate of everyone’s input, even if they communicate in a way you are not accustomed to.

Beware of Nonverbals

A mere 7% of what we communicate is expressed with words. The remaining 93% is conveyed with body language. Nonverbal communication can be complicated in any setting, but with so much business taking place virtually these days, it is more important than ever to be aware of what you are saying with your body language. From intense eye contact to large hand gestures to loosening your tie in a meeting, there is a minefield of ways you could inadvertently insult an international colleague. Learning and practicing nonverbal cues that are common in your associate’s culture will be worth the effort to avoid coming across as rude and offensive.

Watch What You Say

Avoid using slang, local idioms, or “Americanisms”. For example, sports metaphors like “that came out of left field” or “can you pinch-hit this one for me” are not universally understood. Your associate may not understand what you’re talking about, and it is unlikely they will tell you, which can make them feel isolated and unaccepted. Be careful making jokes as well. While a good sense of humor is an asset in any potentially awkward cultural situation, jokes can lead to misunderstandings and possibly be offensive.

Don’t Try to Multi-Task

According to a survey from Intercall, the largest international conference call company, “65 percent of people do unrelated work during a meeting, 60 percent read or send e-mails, and 43 percent admit to checking social media.” While it may be easy to slyly multi-task in a virtual meeting, if it’s noticed, you’ll come across as rude. In addition, when meeting with an international client or colleague, whether virtually or in person, there’s a lot going on. From considering their cultural norms to understanding the interpreter in the background, to making important business decisions, you don’t want to get distracted from your main objectives. Save yourself a lot of trouble and keep your attention on the task at hand.

Consider How Other Cultures View Time

Many countries place a high level of importance on starting meetings on time and keeping to strict schedules. On the other hand, punctuality is treated casually in countries like France or Argentina. This fluctuation can affect how much relevant information you have time to share. Understanding your client’s culture can help you prepare and organize the meeting agenda accordingly.

Time is also a consideration in the decision-making process. For example, the UK has a slower process than the US. Germany also takes its time, being very thorough in early stages, but once they have made a decision, things move quickly. Understanding and managing your time expectations is critical.

Recognize Hierarchical Structures

Hierarchical structure can impact the way business meetings are handled. In many East Asian, Latin, and African cultures, decision-making authority varies according to age, gender, family background, etc., and team roles are allocated accordingly. Even the way the meeting is conducted in these countries is affected. For example, in China, you should always allow the host to leave the meeting first. Virtual meetings may minimize these issues since there are no seating arrangements, but because the rules and protocols can be complicated, it’s a good idea to explicitly outline the expected formalities ahead of time so everyone knows how to interact.

Cultural Awareness is Your Competitive Advantage

Embracing cultural awareness and diversity is a crucial part of doing business in an ever-expanding world. Cross-cultural intelligence inspires creativity, encourages inventive thinking, and fosters better problem-solving. The local market insight you get makes your business more competitive and profitable. It allows you to better adapt your products and services to be more meaningful and valuable to all your customers.

A study done by McKinsey and Company showed that companies with more culturally and ethnically diverse executive teams were 33% more likely to see better-than-average profits. When you make a genuine and concerted effort to understand cultural dimensions, you can build a greater understanding between the different cultures in your organization. This ultimately leads to understanding, trust, respect—and competitive advantages— in a very complex world.

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Susanne Evens is the Founder and CEO of the St. Louis-based AAA Translation (founded in 1994), the President of St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities (since 2006), and a board member of the World Trade Center St. Louis. Susanne is also a board member of the German-American Heritage Society (since 2007), a member of the St. Louis Mosaic Project Immigrant Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and a member of Explore St. Louis Multicultural Committee. Her advice regarding global business development and communications has been featured by national media outlets that include BusinessWeek, National Public Radio (NPR), BrandChannel.com, and more. Under her leadership, AAA Translation has grown to serve business clients the world over, working in more than 300 languages, to provide translation, interpretation, and cultural consulting services. For more, please visit aaatranslation.com.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, International Trade

Diversity Makes Firms More Productive

May 15th, 2020 Mostafa Sayyadi Leave a comment

This article raises a vital question as to how executives can successfully improve financial performance at all levels of the organization and might be the answer executives need but may also lack the fundamental fortitude necessary to be an all-encompassing model to predict financial performance. This article has started a mindset that encourages executives to investigate scholarly work to increase financial performance, enhance profitability and sales, and improve shareholder value. A new managerial approach may be necessary as the new business environment demands are increasingly difficult to adapt and sustain profitability.

Drawing from the existing literature, this article suggests new insights to identify workplace diversity as a primary driver of sales, profitability and financial performance for companies. Executives will see that improving financial performance and sales requires developing diversity and inclusion within organizations—not only at the higher echelons of the organization but at every level.

The global markets represent require top management executives who can adapt to various environments successfully. Executives can contribute to meet dynamic market needs, through adopting a diversity and inclusion strategy to meet the needs of customers in the marketplace. This article presents executives with diversity and inclusion strategies to improve financial performance and become more profitable. Executives can see that I expand upon the subject matter of a diversity and inclusion strategy.

Insufficient consideration of the impacts of this significant contributor on financial performance has been exposed and I attempt to address this concern for the first time. Hence, this article can portray a more detailed picture of the effects of diversity and inclusion strategy on financial performance that have been not mentioned in the past. Furthermore, the focus of this article is based upon the critical role of corporate leadership which allows a rich basis to understanding the mechanisms by which diversity in the workplace and financial performance are significantly influenced.

The critical and unanswered question is: How can corporate leaders improve financial performance? There are many academic studies that focus on the organizational and managerial factors that drive sales, profitability and financial performance. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace is one such area that plays a critical role and is a strategic prerequisite for business success in today’s hypercompetitive global environment. In particular, a diversity and inclusion strategy can help companies to improve financial performance in terms of achieving commercial goals and the quality of products and services. This is the reason that this strategy is so popular among practicing managers today.

The ultimate business outcome is financial success which narrows the gap between success and failure and this can be achieved by the commitment of its members and facilitated by an executive acting as a facilitative-leader. In doing this, corporate leaders need to focus on the critical human assets such as commitment and thus help followers to effectively implement organizational changes with both efficiency and effectiveness. They can shed light on the strategic role of follower attitudes and values to accomplish a higher degree of effectiveness, and highlight the importance of employees in implementing changes at the organizational level.

When corporate leaders show concern for the employee’s individual needs, individuals begin to contribute more commitment and they become more inspired them to put extra effort into their work. This extra effort improves the quality of products, customer satisfaction, and impacts the return on assets, sales, shareholder value, and finally improves financial success and operational risk management.

Financial success mentioned above can be only achieved by a diversity and inclusion strategy. Follower’s diversity of skills and interpersonal relations that is based on trust and reciprocity can improve innovation and the performance of group cohesiveness. At this point, you’re probably asking why the diversity of skills is so important. The simple answer is that companies that may lack diversity in the workplace cannot share their knowledge. With an effective diversity and inclusion strategy, global leaders may improve knowledge sharing and learning that can eventually enhance financial performance in global markets through empowering human resources and enabling change at the organizational level.

Executives can increase workplace diversity to facilitate knowledge sharing and build relationships, aiming at improving customer satisfaction through acquiring additional knowledge from customers, developing better relationships with them, and providing a higher quality of service and/or products for them. Furthermore, creating an expert group or steering committee may be shortsighted because such groups may not have sufficient diversity to comprehend knowledge acquired from external sources.

Leadership in some companies has failed to pay attention to this important matter and create a team that makes diversity a priority and represents a variety of ideas and perspectives. A leadership status that is not only a failing platform but one that represents destruction as opposed to innovation and expansion. This leadership gap can provide lessons for CEOs and executives in today’s organizational challenges. The fact remains that leaders that manage diversity and use it as an important driving force for financial success find their companies to be more competitive and on the cutting edge.

In conclusion, the question posited for top management executives and leaders in any and all companies is to accept the challenge of diversity and inclusion strategy implementation in order to address the current gaps in business effectiveness and improve their financial performance and competitiveness in global markets. Thus, I suggest that executives embrace a diversity and inclusion strategy. I attempt to blend scholarly concepts with real world application through thoroughly looking at an effective strategy for maximizing financial performance.

Based on this article, executives can now see that they must be aware that their diversity in the workplace can fundamentally affect the way a corporation performs its functions and can make a fundamental change in the processes by which a company achieves commercial objectives, improves sales and profitability and also increases financial performance. Thus, financial performance is dependent upon how executives formulate their diversity and inclusion strategy. And business success for companies in today’s global business environment can be better achieved when a diversity and inclusion strategy is effectively applied and widely used to achieve a higher degree of effectiveness and financial performance.

Therefore, when companies can have a very diverse employee population, they will secure a foothold in the ever-expansive global business environments.

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Mostafa Sayyadi works with senior business leaders to effectively develop innovation in companies and helps companies—from start-ups to the Fortune 100—succeed by improving the effectiveness of their leaders. He is a business book author and a long-time contributor to business publications and his work has been featured in top-flight business publications.

Does Your Recruiting And Culture Meet The New Candidate’s High Expectations?

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