The Key Takeaways from Forward, Our Global Event for Talent Leaders

Seismic shifts are happening in the world of work. In the midst of the Great Reshuffle, employees made it clear they want workplaces that are more flexible, equitable, and fulfilling. They want to work for companies that put people first. 

But what would that look like? To find out, LinkedIn hosted Forward, our second annual global virtual event for talent leaders, which took place on March 29 (March 30 in Asia Pacific). We were honored to hear industry experts share their insights on two key topics: strengthening company culture and building skills for the future. Best-selling author Angela Duckworth and award-winning podcaster Guy Raz hosted the one-hour event, which featured panels, story segments, and interviews with talent leaders. 

For those of you who tuned in, thank you for participating in the live chat, asking questions, and furthering the conversation. We were thrilled to see so many participants from around the globe, from Albania to Zimbabwe, Sweden to Sudan, India to Mexico. Your comments showed that you’re already thinking deeply about the future of work and how to place people first. 

If you missed the livestream, you can check out the highlights here. Among the many valuable insights shared during the event, here are two of the biggest: 

1. Strengthen your company culture by putting people first

If there’s one thing all the HR leaders on our first panel emphasized, it’s that companies that want to create strong, healthy cultures need to put workers first. That includes offering employees the flexibility to have fulfilling lives outside of work. Jen Fisher, chief well-being officer at Deloitte, said the reason so many people have left their jobs during the Great Reshuffle is because they felt like they haven’t had a say over the way they work. 

“The key for every organization,” Jen said, “is you have to involve the workforce in these decisions. They don’t want things to be decided without them or for them.” Instead, she said, people want to work for companies that care about who their workers are and what they think. LinkedIn research backs that up — according to Global Talent Trends 2022, employees who feel cared for at work are 3.7 times more likely to recommend working for their company.

Lars Schmidt, founder of Amplify, an HR consultancy and executive search firm, added that as people head back to the office, employers should become very intentional about what kind of work needs to happen in the office and what can take place at home. “For this year and next, the focus is going to be on Hybrid 2.0,” Lars said. “We’re definitely going to see more companies having four-day workweeks, and I think that will continue to increase over the next couple of years.” 

But for all these flexible options to work, added Crystal Gaskin, chief people and culture officer at Mailchimp, there needs to be trust. “Productivity and accountability should never be at odds with trust,” she said. In other words, companies need to trust that employees will do their jobs, where and when they want, as they also balance other responsibilities. Crystal pointed out that over the past two years, employee productivity has actually increased, an idea echoed in December’s Employee Well-Being Report. The report found that three out of five employees say they’re as productive at home as in the office.

To illustrate what a strong company culture looks like, Forward highlighted LinkedIn’s LiftUp! program, launched after the company asked a simple question of its employees — “How are you?” That single question prompted 8,000 comments, in which workers described burnout, anxiety, and the weight of family responsibilities. So LinkedIn created LiftUp!, a well-being program that encouraged time away from work (including a weeklong company-wide shutdown and summertime half-day Fridays) and lighter moments during the workday (such as a virtual music festival and wellness seminars). The idea, said Nina McQueen, vice president of benefits and employee experience, was for employees to “lift their heads up, look to brighter days ahead, and have some fun along the way.” 

2. Drive more internal mobility and equitable outcomes with skill building

For a growing number of organizations, skills-first hiring and skill development have become dual ambitions without a clear path to success. Our panel took a deeper dive into the subject, envisioning what a skills-first talent strategy would look like and what it would bring to companies.

The consensus: Skills are more important than ever. They drive equity for historically underrepresented groups and the chance to master new ones boosts employee retention and engagement. And according to the just-released Workplace Learning Report, employees who don’t feel their skills are being put to good use in their current job are 10 times more likely to be looking for a new job than those who do.

Daisy Auger-Dominguez, chief people officer at Vice Media Group, kicked off the discussion by saying that “skills-first hiring is really just effective hiring.” She emphasized that this is how companies should be hiring: by asking what skills are necessary for a role and by making those skills the centerpiece of your job posts. Employers can then use a similar process to create clear and structured standards for conducting interviews and making hiring decisions, all of which will lead to more equitable outcomes. As an example, she highlighted a “No Friends and Family” practice for hiring interns that she has put in place at several companies. Internship candidates are considered based on their skills — and not on whom they know in the organization.  

The panelists also agreed that a skills-first approach was crucial to supporting your current workforce. According to LinkedIn’s Economic Graph: The Future of Skills, the average LinkedIn member could see their skills change anywhere from 39% to 44% by 2025. Companies that want to retain top talent will need to help them acquire those skills. Placid Jover, vice president of HR Latin America at Unilever, said this is central to how his company does business. “Learning, scaling, upskilling, reskilling,” he said. “The development of our people is central to who we are, what we do, and how we do business. Our future of work agenda has learning at its heart.” 

That’s true of many organizations now. According to LinkedIn’s 2022 Workplace Learning Report, 46% of companies consider upskilling and reskilling employees to be one of their top priorities.

Sean Hudson, vice president of learning and development at Pfizer, added that his company has a concept of “zigzag growth,” in which employees can make nontraditional moves to acquire new skills. He pointed to his own life as an example of this kind of career path. He was a banker, marketer, and strategist, and now he’s leading learning at Pfizer.

That concept is in line with a story the event highlighted about Atlassian, a collaborative software company. Internal mobility is such a priority for Atlassian that the company encourages employees to even acquire skills they may not need in their current roles. The approach has paid off. “One of the great benefits for Atlassian,” said Andy Mountney, the company’s global head of talent acquisition, “is that we get to retain amazing people, who have continued their career journeys with us, rather than losing them to new opportunities with other employers.” 

The way forward

To learn more about strengthening company culture and developing a skills-first talent strategy, check out the Forward highlight videos and other resources and join the global conversation at #LinkedInForward. 

To go even further, we’ve unlocked two LinkedIn Learning classes until June 30, 2022: Sophie Wade’s The Future of Work: The Necessary Skills of Your Future Workforce and Aaron Marshall’s Creating a Culture that Inspires Your Employees. We hope you’ll gain new skills and perspectives, as the world of work continues to move forward.

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