Transforming Talent Models: Building a Dynamic Workforce

In today's organizational landscape, people – not structures – are driving industry and taking businesses to the next level.

While structures offer guidance, it is individuals who truly power innovation, collaboration, and progress. Employees, from entry-level to executives, catalyse success with their skills, creativity, dedication, and adaptability. They shape structures to meet current needs, not the other way around. A dynamic workforce can navigate complexity and change – crucial in a world of constant disruption.

Prioritizing people over rigid structures fosters empowerment, innovation, and ongoing improvement. Organizations that value their human capital and recognize both individual and collective contributions are best placed to excel in today's ever-evolving, agility-focused landscape.

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Vastly changing work environment

Over the past three decades, the workforce has transformed significantly – concurrently aging and diversifying. Meanwhile, the traditional employer-employee social contract has undergone profound change. Organizations now enjoy a multitude of workforce options, spanning from traditional full-time employees to managed services, outsourcing, independent contractors, gig workers, and crowdsourcing. These emerging workforce categories offer agility and versatile problem-solving abilities, catering to diverse organizational needs.

Simultaneously, artificial intelligence (AI) promises a major industry impact, enabling quicker and more efficient solutions. Coupled with ongoing innovations across the supply chain, we stand on the brink of a revolution spanning all industry sectors, from energy and pharmaceuticals to mega sporting events and fine arts.

In addition, the prevalence of alternative workers is steadily rising, along with those taking on extra work. PWC's Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey 2023 found 21% of workers had more than one job. The same survey found a positive response to AI-driven innovation, with 31% believing the technology will increase their productivity, 27% saying it will help them develop new skills, and 21% believing it will present new job opportunities. These findings are yet more evidence of the need to prioritize human skills across the workforce. Human skills cannot be replaced by an algorithm, and they equip people to adapt to any new technology as it emerges.

A changing approach to talent management

Organizations have traditionally viewed talent management as a strategy for attracting, nurturing, and retaining top talent. However, with the emergence of new and unconventional work arrangements, there is anticipation of a shift in this model towards three key aspects:

• Access: This pertains to the ability to tap into skills and capabilities throughout the organization and its broader network. This includes sourcing talent from both internal and external talent marketplaces and effectively utilizing talent resources, whether they are on or off the balance sheet.
• Curate: This focuses on providing employees, ecosystem talent, and teams with a diverse and meaningful range of developmental opportunities. This encompasses work experiences that seamlessly integrate into their work, career progression, and personal lives.
• Engage: This involves actively engaging and supporting workforces, business teams, and partners to cultivate strong relationships. It includes facilitating multidirectional career paths within, across, and beyond the organization, and offering valuable insights to enhance productivity and effectiveness while embracing new collaborative ways of working.

A culture built on collaboration

In 2004, GWC was established as a small warehousing company with big aspirations. We are now thousands of people strong, yet we've always retained our pioneering spirit. We all pitch in – whatever the challenge. We embrace collaboration and teamwork. GWC is genuinely one big family. Everybody contributes according to their skills and passion.

Our people transcend the constraints of traditional job descriptions and titles. Instead, they possess the freedom to cultivate their skills and chart a path that aligns with both their personal aspirations and GWC's overarching goals. With the right mindset and dedication, our employees enjoy boundless opportunities for growth and development that mutually benefit them and our company.

Committed to training and development

Logistics businesses never stand still – and we apply this mentality to training and development across GWC. There are always opportunities for those keen to further their careers according to their skills and vocation. At GWC, we pride ourselves on giving employees the resources they need to succeed, including training, development, and opportunities for advancement. Whether you work in the warehouse, or as a driver, or in the procurement team, you will not be pigeonholed into one workstream or division. Your career at GWC will be what you make of it. No dream is too small.

Evolving talent management strategies

Our commitment to dedicated employees is central to our talent management and recruitment strategies. New joiners appreciate the possibilities of being at GWC – they quickly understand their role can be shaped to their satisfaction. This is more important than ever in the modern workplace. With people living longer and healthier lives than ever before – and retirement ages being pushed back in countries around the world – the prospect of 60-year careers might soon be upon us. People need to know they will not be stuck in a narrow role for too long. Our commitment to flexibility helps us stand out from the crowd and stay ahead of the curve. It is one of the many reasons we attract and retain top talent in the industry.

A strong customer focus

Another reason we stand out is our commitment to our customers at every stage of the supply chain. At GWC, we pride ourselves on delivering end-to-end solutions – and that means dedicated staff always going the extra mile at various junctions. A complete lifecycle relies on a great many people, meaning outstanding communication and collaboration are vital. It is also imperative that our customers are the focus of every deliverable. A mantra new recruits learn very early in the GWC journey is that we always deliver.