Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) is hugely important to everything we do at AMS.
Recently our DEI EMEA Committee hosted a session on Belonging and the Strengths of Diverse Societies. I was joined by EMEA DEI co-leaders Zuzanna Ananiew and Beejal Pattni as we explored themes on belonging, multiculturalism and how wider societal trends impact our sense of belonging in the workplace.
Belonging and the Strengths of Diverse Societies focused on the importance of fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment at AMS. We are conscious that as a global community, many of our colleagues have diverse and immigrant backgrounds, myself included being based in Germany. We explored various dimensions of belonging, shared insights from our leaders into building inclusive forums, and discussed approaches to leverage the diversity within our workplace for our collective growth and development.
Our session builds upon the past years where EMEA DEI has celebrated UN World Day for Cultural Diversity highlighting the importance of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and development. Over the past 2 years we have hosted very well attended webinar sessions exploring Intercultural Communication and Awareness and Enhancing Cultural Competencies.
I truly believe that diversity makes us all stronger, driving more innovation and engagement, that flows through to great solutions for our clients. One area of strong encouragement is how engaged our people are with our Employee Resource Groups, based on what our people are passionate about. Our ERGs act as critical friends to the business, are hugely committed to driving change and creating a culture of inclusivity for all employees with an engaging calendar of events to which their reach and influence is growing all the time.
All this contributes to enabling us to collectively build a genuine sense of belonging and bring our true, bold, authentic selves to work.
Our on-going success as a global leader in Talent Acquisition will be powered by the life experiences, diverse opinions, and unique skills of all our people across the globe. Importantly, if we cannot individually bring our whole selves to work, then we are only just collectively being present.
Self-awareness is a powerful tool. It is an essential aspect of personal growth and understanding oneself. For neurodivergent individuals, developing self-awareness holds even greater significance. Neurodivergence encompasses a diverse range of neurological conditions, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more, which can impact how a person perceives and interacts with the world. In this article, we explore the process of becoming more self-aware and how it can benefit individuals in navigating their lives more effectively.
Before delving into the significance of self-awareness, it is incredibly useful to understand how your brain tends to work. Each of our brains provides us with unique strengths and challenges, and neurodivergence can affect cognitive functions, communication, social interactions, and sensory perceptions. By recognizing our way of being, individuals can embrace their differences and better understand how it influences their experiences and perspectives.
Self-awareness begins with self-reflection – the process of examining one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors objectively. Taking time to reflect on experiences, triggers, and responses helps individuals identify patterns and gain insight into their emotional and cognitive reactions.
Embracing your unique traits is important. Many neurodivergent traits are assets, offering unique ways of processing information and solving problems. Learning about and embracing these strengths can boost self-esteem and provide a foundation for building self-awareness.
While celebrating strengths, acknowledging challenges is equally important. By being honest about areas of difficulty, individuals can seek support, develop coping strategies, and find adaptive solutions to navigate life more effectively. Self-awareness isn’t solely about internal reflection. Seeking feedback from trusted friends, family, or professionals can provide valuable insights into blind spots and hidden strengths. It can also foster better communication and understanding in relationships. This can be a tricky one, finding someone who’s opinion you trust and value, but the search is worth it. I personally have learned that feedback from anyone is a gift, whether you accept what is being said of you, or understand it as a perception, both types of feedback are equally important, and neither should be ignored.
Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and grounding techniques, can be beneficial for individuals to stay present, manage anxiety, and develop a deeper connection with their thoughts and emotions. I don’t personally enjoy traditional mindfulness practices, as my mind tends to race around, however, I find exercise, listening to loud music, and reflecting on things I’m grateful for (sometimes all at the same time), are hugely beneficial for me to stay grounded.
Keeping a journal, even for a short while, can aid individuals in tracking their emotional and cognitive experiences over time. Writing things down allows for self-analysis and the identification of growth areas. Try things and search out what works for you.
Sensory processing challenges are common among neurodivergent individuals. Being aware of triggers and practicing self-care when overwhelmed can help regulate emotions and prevent burnout. It is valuable to learn how to explain to others about the sensory experiences that won’t allow you to be at your best, it will encourage understanding, even if not immediately. If you would like to, you can practice these explanations with a trusted person to get the words you need and find the best way to explain your experience and needs.
Self-awareness is an ongoing journey, and growth comes with both successes and setbacks. Embracing the process and accepting oneself with compassion is key to developing a stronger sense of self-awareness. Over the years, the feedback I have received has always been useful, but noticing myself and self-reflection have been the most useful way for me to understand myself better and to grow as an individual, a mum, a friend, a daughter, a sister, an employee, and a leader.
As well as listening to feedback and noticing how other people respond to me day to day, I also like to learn through reading. Below are some of the books that I have found most useful in my journey towards self-awareness over the years, it’s not an exhaustive list and I think that the journey will never end, but these have all in some way contributed to my understanding of myself and of others to date.
The Chimp Paradox, by Prof. Steve Peters
– Provided me with lessons in understanding the natural responses of my mind and the power there is to control one’s own emotions.
The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
– Enjoyed by both me and my 14-year-old Son. Although this is a book about the strategies of war, it encourages you to analyze your character and not to sabotage yourself and to be strategic about where you put your energies.
Neurotribes (the legacy of autism), by Steve Silberman
–This book chronicles autism research over the years and the author ‘maps out a path towards a more humane world for people with learning differences.’ It’s a long one and may be of interest to those who are interested in neurodiversity and ‘how to think smarter about people who think differently’.
The things you can see only when you slow down, by Haemin Sunim
– A favorite I still dip into often and have given copies as gifts to friends. It offers wise words and affirmations about ‘How to be calm in a busy world’.
The rules of work, by Richard Templar
– I read this early in my career and always remember its believable usefulness. I reflect now, over 20 years later, and I have to say it’s accurate!
Self-awareness is a powerful tool that enables you to better understand your unique strengths and challenges. By embracing how your mind works, practicing self-reflection, seeking feedback, and learning, individuals can lead more fulfilling and empowered lives. Ultimately, self-awareness serves as a foundation for personal growth, allowing individuals to navigate an often busy and sometimes confusing world with more confidence and authenticity.
Accepting oneself with compassion is key to developing a stronger sense of self-awareness.
I was invited recently by our Global Property Consultant, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) together with our industry leaders to talk about the interesting topic nowadays, Flexible Working. It was an interesting panel discussion that focused on best practice sharing and business considerations based on the pulse of the people and the evolving demands of our clients.
Panel speakers shared their experiences on how behavior has shifted coming out of the pandemic and what each organization had to implement to adjust and support these changing needs. Whilst we assume that we are now operating on a BAU mode, we must be cognizant of what is good for our people and the clients that we serve.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when implementing a hybrid set-up. The use of office space should provide collaborative spaces that foster continued learning, a stronger sense of community and belonging. Working from home is not just about being able to get the job done and having that sense of flexibility when and where we choose to work but having a sense of fulfilment and pride that as employees, we remain to be an integral part of a company’s culture.
Interaction through the screen or even when it through done face-to-face meetings generate different outcomes. We can still be productive and perform our tasks by staying virtual. But often, it is the human and personal interaction that becomes de-prioritized in lieu of being flexible. But can we stay engaged with reduced face-to-face socialization? Is it sustainable?
Engagement is not about being in the office and participating in team activities. It is about what motivates a person to perform well and start with understanding what sustains employee satisfaction. But how do we balance driving engagement with onsite initiatives and keeping meaningful connections regardless of where we work?
Gone are the days when it is acceptable to embrace what skills we currently have. The business is ever evolving, our mindsets should be forward-thinking and open to keep up with the changing times. This type of growth mindset thrives when we encourage continued learning. While online training remains accessible, surely, learning together with other colleagues through workshops, role-plays, face-to-face and in-classroom trainings also offers a different impact. To re-skill and to upskill enables our teams to increase their confidence in facing challenges head-on. Paired with the support of line managers who partner with our teams has grown more essential in making hybrid working to succeed.
What is great about how AMS drives the new ways of working is that it continues to promote the meaningful connection and achieving the balance of what is right for our employees and our clients. We do what we think is best, whenever and wherever we are working.
In today’s uncertain talent climate, both employees and employers are seeking ways to improve job satisfaction and well-being. ‘Job crafting’ has emerged as a powerful tool that empowers individuals to reshape and customize their work experiences, fostering a positive and fulfilling work-life balance. By recognizing the benefits of job crafting, employees can enhance their engagement and productivity, while employers can enjoy the advantages of a motivated and resilient workforce. In this article, we consider the concept of job crafting and explore how it can be leveraged to create a mutually beneficial workplace ecosystem.
Job crafting is a proactive approach that enables employees to restructure their job tasks, relationships, and perceptions to align with their skills, interests, and values. It involves employees taking the initiative to shape their work environment and responsibilities, transforming their roles into more meaningful and fulfilling experiences. Where individuals are able to personalize their work, they will achieve more autonomy and be more creative.
Whilst an employee displaying self-awareness is pre-requisite to succeeding at job crafting, harnessing it means leads to the following benefits for them:
Increased Job Satisfaction:
Job crafting allows employees to align their roles with their strengths and passions, resulting in a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. By focusing on tasks that energize them and leveraging their unique skills, employees can experience a greater sense of purpose and engagement.
Enhanced Well-being:
When employees have the autonomy to shape their work, it leads to reduced stress levels and improved psychological well-being. Job crafting enables individuals to reduce or eliminate tasks that cause excessive strain while increasing opportunities for growth and personal development.
Improved Work-Life Balance:
Job crafting offers flexibility in tailoring work responsibilities to better suit personal circumstances. By aligning their work with their personal values and priorities, employees can strike a healthier work-life balance, leading to increased overall happiness and reduced burnout.
Benefits for Employers:
Improved job performance:
Engaged employees who are able to customize their work tend to be more motivated and committed. Job crafting empowers individuals to focus on areas where they excel, resulting in higher productivity and better quality of work.
Enhanced retention:
When employees have the freedom to craft their jobs, they develop a stronger sense of ownership and commitment to their roles. This increased autonomy and job satisfaction can significantly reduce turnover rates, saving employers time and resources associated with recruitment and training.
Innovation:
Job crafting encourages employees to explore new ideas, experiment with different approaches, and take calculated risks. This increased creativity and innovation can have a profound impact on an organization’s growth and competitiveness.
To foster job crafting within an organization, employers can consider the following strategies:
Encourage Open Communication:
Establish a culture of open dialogue, where employees feel comfortable discussing their work preferences, strengths, and aspirations. Regular feedback sessions can help identify opportunities for job crafting.
Provide Autonomy:
Empower employees with the autonomy to make decisions regarding their work processes, schedules, and task allocation. Offering flexibility and trust encourages job crafting and empowers individuals to take ownership of their roles.
Support Skills Development:
Offer training and development opportunities that enable employees to expand their skill sets and explore new areas of interest. This will provide them with the tools to craft their jobs effectively.
Recognize and Reward Job Crafting Efforts:
Acknowledge and reward employees who actively engage in job crafting. This reinforces the importance of personalization and encourages others to follow suit.
Assuming employers and employees have good alignment on expected goals and outputs, job crafting has the potential to revolutionize the way individuals perceive and experience their work. By empowering employees to shape their roles according to their strengths, interests, and values, organizations can foster a more engaged, productive, and satisfied workforce. Employers who embrace job crafting create an environment that encourages personal growth, diversity of thought, innovation, and improved well-being.
External Links with more on Job Crafting and on becoming more self-aware.
Where individuals are able to personalize their work, they will achieve more autonomy and be more creative.
By Richard Clough, Media Strategy Manager – Employer Brand Advisory
When things are going well, everything seems easy. From the phone calls you make to every interaction, they all feel positive. For many, this is how it was for years, yet what we didn’t know at the time was this was just ‘normal’. Hitting targets, being rewarded, taking holidays – it’s what we did. Then in 2019 Covid struck, and everything changed. Fast forward three years, and we’re all paying a heavy price.
Costs are rising, wages are static, our mental health has been compromised and what once came easily to us feels like a distant memory. This, coupled with the exponential amount of pressure on everyone, means people’s behaviour can quickly change.
Previously high-performing and cohesive teams can become fragmented. Dissatisfaction can become an all-consuming focus, and a constant distraction. In isolation, these things might not appear to matter and could simply be misconstrued as ‘people being people’. But it’s not the case. Do not underestimate the power of the grapevine; once an actual ‘chat’ during breaks, is now something that only takes place on Teams.
At times of uncertainty, employee engagement must be carefully nurtured. It’s important to be aware of and focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t. Here, we explore six ways you can easily achieve better employee engagement:
Gratitude – Whether collectively or individually, you can thank everyone for their contribution, reminding them of how valued they are. It might seem trite, but the underused word ‘thank you’ goes a long way to making people feel differently towards their work.
Openness – Give your teams an open forum for discussion where nothing is off-limits, and nothing is recorded. Where they can share their concerns and opinions in a group environment. We’ve done this at AMS, calling it ‘Frank Fridays’, where the whole team is invited and encouraged to be frank. It’s fun, but sometimes there’s a serious undertone: ‘If we’re doing well against our budget, how come we aren’t backfilling Dave’s role?’, for example. But it’s these kinds of conversations that, if left, can breed anxiety. So, open the debate.
Recognition – When the opportunity for hiring comes, always aim to promote from within. Recognising and rewarding existing talent sends a clear and positive message, which exalts the values of the business.
Development – For those who have unsuccessfully applied for internal roles, it sets up the perfect opportunity to create a development plan based on a tangible outcome. By identifying gaps in an individual’s skillset and providing targeted training, it will close the gap and increase their chance of success for future applications.
Training – At AMS, we have a dedicated training resource platform we can draw upon at any time. But for those that don’t, the web has a wealth of training material (some accredited) that can be tapped into, providing employees with skills to be even better at their jobs. Employees often need these resources to be signposted and given ‘permission’ to pursue the training as part of their working week. My team have recently upskilled and improved their outputs after completing LinkedIn accredited training courses in running successful paid media campaigns.
Flexibility – We all like a bit of flex, but is everyone aware of the extent of flexibility existing within your organisation? At AMS, we’re fortunate to be able to work almost anywhere. For most, this means working at home or being around for school pick-up and not having a commute home. But what if you took it further? You could ‘Air BnB’ your home for a month in the summer, leaving to ‘live’ overseas. Or, with a global footprint, you could encourage staff to do a house-swap. Australia anyone?! There’s nothing particularly ground-breaking here but getting people to think differently about the benefits they enjoy can help them re-evaluate their feelings towards them, and how important they are.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but rather an example of just some of the things we can all do as managers to help people feel more engaged. There is no financial investment required, only time, which is something we’re all short of but that we all have. It’s just a case of carving out some of it for your people, and their engagement.
Ultimately, it’s about creating a deeper sense of belonging. Helping your teams to feel that they are part of a thriving community. A place where their contribution really matters, and where they feel truly valued for the work that they do.
If you are a high- achiever, constantly challenging your own comfort zone and striving for growth continuously chances are that you are often wracked by anxiety. The world around us with looming economic headwinds, war, layoffs definitnely add to that anxiety as well.
In this article published by the Harward Business Review, the author talks about ways to harness the anxiety for personal and professional growth. Read on….
Anxiety can be a benefit: it fuels their drive, hard work, and achievement. They’re prized employees precisely because they go the extra mile and are satisfied with nothing less than the best.
Why is everything seemingly about doing things quietly these days? We seem to have moved on in 2023 from “Quiet Quitting” to “Quiet Firing” and now to “Quiet Hiring”… The silence is deafening…..
But what’s the story about Quiet Hiring? Is it a good or bad thing? Is it a new thing, or just a trendy badge for something that’s always been there?
Quiet Hiring, for those unfamiliar, is the practice of assigning additional tasks and responsibilities to current employees, rather than hiring new staff. This approach has grown in popularity in recent times, particularly in 2023 with today’s economic uncertainties as businesses look for ways to optimise their workforce and minimise costs.
On one hand, Quiet Hiring can offer significant benefits for employers. By leveraging the existing workforce, companies can avoid the costs associated with recruiting, onboarding, and training new hires. It can help to create more agile and adaptable teams, as employees become familiar with a broader range of tasks and responsibilities.
Rebecca Knight, correspondent on all things HR and Talent said “Quiet Hiring can be an excellent way for companies to maximise the potential of their existing workforce. By doing so, they can unlock hidden talents within their team and foster a sense of ownership and commitment among employees.”
However, quiet hiring is not without its drawbacks. As employees take on additional tasks, there is a risk of skill gaps emerging within the organisation – because not every skill is easily developed. Companies may find that employees lack the necessary expertise or resources to perform their new responsibilities effectively, resulting in a decrease in overall productivity and efficiency.
Lou Adler emphasises the importance of addressing these skill gaps: “While quiet hiring can be a cost-effective solution, organisations must be careful not to stretch their employees too thin. Investing in training and development can help ensure that employees have the skills they need to succeed in their expanded roles.”
For employees, quiet hiring can provide opportunities for personal and professional growth. Taking on additional tasks allows employees to develop new skills, expand their knowledge, and gain a deeper understanding of the business. This can lead to increased engagement and a stronger sense of loyalty to the company. Easy access to developmental or career mobility opportunities is key here, as well as a culture that supports that more entrepreneurial approach to talent mobility.
On the other hand, quiet hiring can also be tough for employees if it’s not managed well or is implemented poorly. Additional workload and responsibilities can obviously lead to increased stress and burnout, affecting work-life balance and overall job satisfaction. This, in turn, can create low morale and a loss of trust in the company and its leaders. If people feel they are doing multiple jobs for no extra recognition or reward and can see that much needed heads aren’t being recruited, well forget “quiet quitting”, very vocal quitting might become the norm….
Matt Alder, host of the Recruitment Future podcast puts it this way: “Quiet hiring can lead to a decrease in employee morale and engagement. When organisations continually increase the workload without adjusting compensation or providing adequate support, employees may feel overworked and underappreciated.”
Quiet Hiring is definitely a double-edged sword. Organisations really do need to strike a balance between maximising the value of their existing workforce whilst ensuring employee well-being and engagement remain a priority. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the course of this year and which organisations are able to find that balance.
For me, quiet hiring is not inherently good or bad. It is merely a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for better or worse. The key lies in understanding its strengths and weaknesses and utilising it responsibly to achieve desired results. Simply taking a “sink-or-swim” approach is clearly significantly more risky than understanding skills and skills adjacency and then having a framework to support employees in their stretch opportunities….
And is it a new trend? Obviously not. Any organisations looking to retain and develop their people, whilst complimenting overall capability by hiring great talent have been doing this for a long, long time. But will this approach get pushed too far in these uncertain times, will the needle move to too far to the right? Only time will tell, but then who really wants to live a quiet life…..?
Last week, in celebration of International Women’s Day, it pleased me to see social media taken over with posts, images and positive movement in celebration of women. The theme this year centred around #EmbraceEquity and while I can see huge advancements over the last decade I know we still have a long way to go.
Alongside messages of support and awareness on social media, I came across a lot of news items surrounding the challenges that women still experience in the workforce. The following most stood out to me:
Men and women have different perspectives as to whether the workplace is inclusive (with 2022 Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Report finding that 88% of male employees state their workplace is inclusive over 75% female).
Discriminatory behaviour at work still takes place (the same report as in my first point found 1 in 5 women have experienced this).
Women have genuine fear of losing their jobs if they did say something (according to Young Women’s Trust survey finding 25% of 18- to 30-year-olds felt this way).
Women do not get promoted at the same rate as men (McKinsey’s most recent research found that for every 100 men who are promoted from entry level to manager, only 87 women are promoted).
I believe it’s important to celebrate the wins and advancement, but equally don’t want this to take away from the situations where work still needs to be done. We need to continue to call out inequity and keep conversations going, beyond International Women’s Day. We need to create safe spaces where people can be brave and boldly honest about real experiences and blockers. And this is why I believe workplace culture is one of many key elements of delivering equity. As while many companies are setting targets of increasing female hires, and the government-backed review has set a voluntary target of 40% women on boards by 2025, the workplace needs to be supportive of these women as they land and progress, ensuring that their culture and understanding of a diverse workforce allows female employees to excel in their roles.
Throughout the past three years, women around the world disproportionately suffered due to economic shutdowns. Their earnings, in many cases, have stalled or fallen relative to mens, and in many pockets of the labour market, women still struggle to climb to critical leadership positions. More women than men are leaving their jobs, unable to navigate corporate structures while balancing commitments outside of paid work.
I’ve been reflecting recently on my upcoming 10-year anniversary at AMS – What does this say about me? What does it say about my employer?
When I first joined the organisation 10 years ago, completely new to the Talent Acquisition sector having been working in Consumer Branding and Marketing, I would never have thought that I would still be here 10 years later. I believe there are a number of factors that have contributed to this:
Having a sense of belonging is so important, and if I’m being honest, the times when I haven’t felt valued, or couldn’t be uniquely me, are the times I considered jumping ship. But by and large I have enjoyed not only being part of such an inclusive culture but also helping the organisation build it. More and more organisations are focusing on creating the psychological safety that will enhance performance and wellbeing and in turn, retention.
I don’t think someone can stay at a company for 10 years if they are not truly engaged and believe in the value that the company delivers to its clients. The authenticity of this is so important (and coincidently one of our values).
I haven’t stopped learning. I learn something new all the time and believe that I am constantly developing my skills and knowledge to provide better outcomes for AMS and our clients.
Internal Mobility has enabled me to hold a number of roles within the organisation, benefiting my own career progression, keeping me engaged and rounding my TA experience.
The benefits of my last point, Internal Mobility, is clearly experienced by my employer too and continues to be a priority for organisations, especially as economic uncertainty continues. It’s also long been a talking point and according to Forbes is the missing piece of 2023 Business Strategy:
When organizations set up structures so employees can pursue their interests within the organization, studies show employees grow happier and retention rises. A 2019 Deloitte report described one organization that saw a nearly 30% increase in employee engagement after introducing an internal career program to help employees learn new skills and seek alternative roles. The same is true for retention. In 2020, LinkedIn found employees stay 41% longer at organizations with high internal hiring than those without. This data furthers the notion that internal mobility is key to navigating the tight talent market.
Today marks World Day of Social Justice – a United Nations event and this year’s theme is “Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice”.
At AMS we are using this day to continue to highlight the importance of social mobility in relation to breaking down barriers and opening up opportunities for all. This is a global issue and the statistics continue to speak loudly:
According to Deloitte research, the UK has one of the poorest rates of social mobility in the developed world.
Goldman Sachs stated in their Briefings letter, 7th April 2022 – “compared with other countries, the most disadvantaged in the UK are less likely to climb the income ladder and the economically advantaged tend to stay at the top”.
“Over half of the UK population think that COVID has increased social inequality” – quoted in the The Bigger Picture, Social Mobility research conducted by Goldman Sachs on Feb 2022
In China, COVID has had a more negative impact on the poorest communities, China’s youth unemployment rate has been at near record levels and the brunt of this impact is felt by those born in to poorer households (quoted FT,com 3rd Jan, 2023)
Social mobility continues to decline in the USA – one of the key reasons is that the ladder of opportunity has become harder to climb. This can be evidenced by rising levels of income and wealth inequality “Currently those in the top 20% of income distribution earn nine times more than those in the bottom 20% (quoted in The Guardian 13th March 2021)
Over the course of this week we have organised a series of events to highlight the importance of social mobility. This continues to be an important issue for AMS, evidenced by our inclusion in the Social Mobility Foundation Employers Index 2022. We are proud of the work that we are doing to progress social mobility, but we know that we have more to do.
Poverty and inequalities within and among countries are on the rise in many parts of the world. The economic and social crises of recent years have been exacerbated by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters due to accelerating climate change, geopolitical tensions and armed conflicts.
