PRE Conference TALENT TALK
TALENT TALK WITH SMILEY POSWOLSKY
Recruitment is Personal : Attracting Top Talent in Challenging Times
“ THERE ’ S ONE WORD — ONE THING I want you to take away today ,” Smiley Poswolsky said as the word BELONGING appeared on the digital display behind him . “ We know it when we see it . We know it when we give it .”
Smiley then shared an alarming statistic : 70 percent of Americans are disengaged with their jobs today . Some , he said , are so disengaged they actively work against their company .
“ We are in the middle of a loneliness epidemic ,” he continued .“ Fifty percent of Americans are lonely .” Smiley identified the challenge of forming friendships , both in personal life and at the office .“ It takes 90 hours with someone to build a friendship . It takes 200 hours WITH that person to become a close friend .”
Why does that matter to spas ? “ The business costs of loneliness are enormous ,” Smiley said , citing missed days ( lonely people use twice the number of sick days as their
more connected colleagues ) as well as loss of productivity and initiative .
“ The business case for employee belonging is sound ,” he concluded . n
“ YOUR BEST RECRUITMENT TOOL MIGHT BE SOMETHING YOU ALREADY HAVE . WHAT IS
IT ? OUR CULTURE . OUR PEOPLE . IF THAT IS NOT TRUE , YOU HAVE A PROBLEM .”
— SMILEY POSWOLSKY
Attracting “ Gen-Z ” Talent
MORE THAN ANY OTHER GENERATION , GEN-Z PRIORITIZES belonging in the workplace . Members of this younger generation consider company culture and acceptance on the same level as salary when they evaluate where they want to work .
SMILEY POSWOLSKY IDENTIFIES FIVE TRAITS OF A GEN-Z-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE :
1 Frequent communication . During the hiring process , that means timely responses , fast decision-making and personalized updates .
2 Flexibility . Gen-Z workers are not impressed by position titles and do not want to be constrained by traditional schedules .
3 Accountability . From “ open books ” practices to proactive DEI initiatives and diversity policies , young workers demand accountability .
4 Ability to thrive . Gen-Z expects their employers to care about their professional and personal growth . Mentorship is expected .
5 Mental health and wellness . Forget “ work / life balance .” Young workers seek true “ life / work balance ”— because life comes first !
EDITOR ’ S NOTE : Scot T . Gillies , executive editor at ISPA , sat in on Smiley Poswolsky ’ s Talent Talk and chose the above highlight to share .
JULY 2023 n PULSE 21