Building the right culture for a brighter tomorrow

The talent sector is currently undergoing what is arguably the biggest change it has ever faced. In a post-pandemic world, the emphasis is not so much on finding talent that can adapt to the roles available. It’s about finding the right person and adapting the roles to make the most of their skills.

That suits me just fine.

As a business leader, I have always considered attributes like authenticity, empathy, transparency, inclusivity and democracy to be fundamental to the hiring environment. Gentis means human in Latin.

Being very much a people person, I launched Gentis alongside three former colleagues out of a shared desire to bring more humanity to the recruitment sphere.

That’s how we started, just the four of us in an office in Brussels. It was our dream to build a recruitment company that could put its employees first, without risking sales and performance. We wanted to make a real impact in the lives of our clients, colleagues and candidates; focusing on genuine fit over speed when matching people with roles. 

 Culture has always been extremely important to us as an organisation. An important example of this, the events of the past year and the necessary evolution of the Black Lives Matter movement have pushed social justice to the fore around the world, prompting companies to put their money where their mouths are when it comes to embracing diversity and inclusion.

This crucial conversation has long been a part of life at Gentis; I’m proud to say we were already well ahead of the curve on this hugely important topic. Of 100 employees we have 33 nationalities represented and importantly, a variety of genders and nationalities represented at board level.

Diversity and inclusion is something we care about deeply.

I find it a huge source of satisfaction that the values we have long held dear underpin many of the structural changes seen in the recruitment industry over the past 12 months. Speaking to that, I’d like to take this opportunity to share my top tips for building a strong, honest culture in virtually any company…

 In it together

Involving all employees regardless of seniority or experience in the decision-making process is integral to developing a strong culture. In the past, we have struggled to know how to help people who were not performing.

We had a team of ten - at some stage, if they didn’t perform, we would simply have to let them go. But we knew we had to do everything in power to stop it from reaching that stage.

We discussed the issue with the entire team and asked everyone for feedback. There were many different opinions, but after two hours we reached an agreement. When you have ten people with the same idea, it’s much easier for everyone to get on board and that helps to harness a company’s identity.

 Likewise, two years ago, we wanted to change our commission scheme. Rather than making decisions alone at board level, we had a group meeting where everyone had the chance to make their voices heard. There was joined-up thinking in every step of the journey and that’s conducive to building strong cultures.

 Of course, nice incentives like team-building trips and bonuses, can help. But what strikes me as paramount is the feeling that people want to be part of something and want to have an impact on decisions, even as juniors starting out. From day one they want to believe they can make a difference - and we encourage that progressive mentality.

 Compassion at the heart of people management

For me, the first step towards a happy and successful workforce is to find the right balance between control and empathy. Empathy is very important. To achieve your goals and financial objectives, you must understand what your team needs to perform.

Linked to that is recognition. Sometimes just giving high fives to someone makes a big difference. Not forgetting birthdays and celebrating small things.

If someone has just had a child asking on a regular basis ‘how is it going with your wife?’ and caring about the other person. Especially over the past 12 months we know that giving recognition from a distance is very important because it says ‘I haven’t forgotten you’.

When people are used to that level of morale-boosting interaction they miss it when it’s not there.

 Lead by example

I think workers really respond well to positive leadership. The alpha male way of leading is, for most people, over. Employees are not expecting this from their employer anymore. They expect more tasks to be delegated, participative leadership and they need a lot of energy from their managers, which isn’t always easy.

I have had to manage and inspire people even when I’ve been tired myself and short on drive. It’s important to transfer your energy outwardly to others because being behind a screen is difficult enough. For me, my biggest responsibility today is to keep everyone healthy psychologically.

Before home working was not really seen as an option, everyone had to be in the office from 9am to 6pm in the open space. Some people loved it, some hated it. Working from home has certainly added a major new dynamic. Some people are more productive from home, some less so. We’re really adapting ourselves.

 We’re evolving in our careers and in our environment and understand that what got us to where we are today won’t necessarily allow us to progress on the same trajectory. Ten years ago, there was a specific way of working within companies.

Today is completely different.

The needs of the people we are hiring are completely different. There are two options. You move on with your own way and close off everything else or you start listening to what people want and need. We were very much focused at the beginning about external needs. What our clients and candidates needed. But I think the first step is to know what your employee actually wants and needs to perform and to stay in the long run.

Whilst the world is moving fast and there is unprecedented change, the skills and attributes required in the recruitment space are as old as time. Speak less, listen more, empathise and be transparent.

We’re very proud that we haven’t had to let anyone go since Covid arrived, but there were times when we faced some really concerning situations.

We’ve let our people know and said ‘now is the time to stick together and to give a big push because we want to protect each other’. If you want to build a brighter future, start listening to what’s going on in your company and environment because you will learn a lot. 

Listen right here and now – that would be my message.