Where to Look for Hidden Workers

By the end of 2021, the trickledown of resignations became a torrent of departures. ?In the US alone, it came down to about?4.5 million jobs. ?A staggering 44% of the working population indicated that they were looking to move from their current jobs. To retain workers companies have begun to ask hard questions about flex work schedules, enhanced compensation and benefits and a variety of “soft” incentives. The biggest opportunity however may lie within the untapped labor pools of hidden populations of workers that have been overlooked and abandoned by the traditional labor market. ?

A recently published Harvard Business School?report on hidden workers is a game changer in defining the search for the new sources of workers.?The report estimates that about 27 million of “hidden workers” or about 17% of the eligible working population in the US fall into this category.?

Hidden workers are defined as those worker segments that have been earlier screened out of the labor market as a result of the bias in the long-standing management practices and recruitment systems.?The “hidden worker” populations include:

·?????Racially and ethnically diverse groups underrepresented in the workforce

·?????Veterans

·?????Former felons

·?????Neurodiverse groups

·?????Caregivers

·?????Older Workers

The researchers found that there are systemic issues inside legacy HR processes that get in the way of?tapping into this potential talent pool. With these insights comes the opportunity to change and open up the system to include the previously excluded groups. ??The steps that companies are beginning to take to address the issues are the following:

At the Strategy Level:

·?????Conduct Racial Equity Audit to identify systemic issues embedded in the legacy systems ?

At the Talent Acquisition Level:

·?????Rethink job descriptions, move to skills taxonomies

• Shift from “negative” ( filtering out candidates) to “affirmative” ( look for skills adjacencies) ?in the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)
• Establish new metrics for evaluating talent acquisition (not efficiency and speed to diversity and inclusion)

Customized Approach to Diverse “Hidden” Applicant Pools

●?????Shift the hiring of “hidden workers” ?from corporate social responsibility (CSR) to ROI – a core business measure

●?????Target specific segment(s) of hidden workers best suited to the work of a specific organization (i.e. veterans )

●?????Adopt an inclusive onboarding process ( establish peer mentoring)

●?????Ensure authentic leadership commitment and support

Companies that are first to pivot their talent approach and open up the untapped reserves of hidden workers, will not only do good but will also do well.?The first receipts are already in.?According to the Harvard report, the ROI on hidden workers is clear. The new cohorts are ?36% less likely to leave, they have the greater sense of belonging ?compared to the peer group. Companies report that newly discovered ?hidden workers excel on six key evaluative criteria—attitude and work ethic, productivity, quality of work, engagement, attendance, and innovation.?Read the report and get into action.