It's just 1 thing

If you’re a (semi) regular reader of this newsletter, you know we’ve been on the move a lot lately. This week was no exception, we were at a CHRO conference in Savannah (side note: I could not believe the volume of shipping going through there!).?

You may also have noticed that we’re going to a wide range of events - Employee Experience, Learning & Development, DEI, HR. Why? Because what sits at the center of all it is culture. And that’s where we come in. Kunik is the bow that ties together all the departments across your organization.?

What we’re hearing at these events all boils down to 1 thing: how do we hire and retain the best talent?

Half way through the 2nd day of this latest conference, the reason all these different stakeholders are approaching it so differently became clear - we’ve lost track of the fundamentals. We’re over complicating it. Attracting & retaining talent is simple, but difficult to do well. It comes down to just 3 things. People want to feel:

1. Valued

2. Seen

3. Heard

Employers know this, but they’re not doing it. There are a lot of “reasons” why, but more than anything, they just don’t know where to begin.?

Our answer? Go back to basics. Get your people talking. That’s what we do. We create real, intentional moments of connection that say to your people: "I see you, I hear you, I value you.” It’s the difference between talking to your employees to talking with your people. It’s that simple.?

It’s been rewarding to see how Kunik fits into this puzzle. It’s also pushed our thinking a lot. For those who we’ve spoken with, thank you for sharing. For those we haven’t talked with yet, we want to hear from you. What’s on your mind? How are you solving for these shared goals?

Below are the 5 new themes we heard from CHROs this week:

1. Calendar Culture:?

Reframe and build your culture initiatives by asking “What are the top things we can achieve to improve our culture over the next 6/12/18 months?”??

As you perform this exercise, it’s important to ask yourself what goals you can’t achieve and why

2. Stop asking, start doing

Stop asking your people what they want or need if you’re unable or unwilling to do anything.? It erodes trust and culture.??

Try to recreate the mindset you had in the spring of ‘20: act quickly. Somethings worked. Others failed.? That’s ok. Employees want action

3. Shift Perspective:

HR Execs weren’t shy in sharing the truth: what their (older) execs want and what their employees want are miles apart?

Organizations must adopt the POV of their employees to make DEI, return to work and onboarding initiatives work?

4. Leaky Buckets:

Attrition is (still) on everyone’s mind. Many described hiring as ‘filling a leaky bucket’ - new hires barely cover those leaving.?

To better understand why you’re losing talent, try systematically asking candidates who don’t accept your offers “why not”? You might be surprised…?

5. Onboarding: an ongoing nightmare:

Onboarding challenges were endemic. Most organizations are focused on transferring knowledge but not transferring culture.?

Work to create an ongoing process that makes new hires feel connected to their teams & part of the company. Consider onboarding cohorts across departments & seniority. The goal? Community