Recapping our workforce sustainability virtual roundtable: 6 key insights from experts

Workforce sustainability is a major topic for leaders seeking long-term resiliency for both their people and their businesses. During our recent virtual roundtable "How to build and maintain a sustainable workforce," panelists discussed the essential components of workforce sustainability, the role internal talent plays, the impact of tech, and more. Featuring Wilson's Managing Director Janine Chidlow as a moderator, COO Kim Pope, EVP of global strategic talent solutions Craig Sweeney, as well as Partner Arkadev Basak from Everest Group, we've summarized the key takeaways from the event below (and you can watch the on-demand recording here).

Robust, big-picture workforce strategies are mission critical to withstand volatility

What we heard: The whole point of workforce sustainability is the ability to maintain a balanced and adaptable workforce for the long term. Panelists spoke about avoiding the cycle of excessive hiring and layoffs – especially due to the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, where market conditions continue to shift rapidly.

What we understood: Leaning into a sustainable workforce strategy goes beyond hiring practices and extends to fostering internal talent mobility, data-driven insights to inform decision-making and employee well-being.

What is required: Talent leaders must have a comprehensive understanding of the external economic landscape, not just the talent market. Having this holistic view allows leaders to build resiliency through the business and its people.

Apply levers of adaptability for short and long-term needs

What we heard: Organizations often struggle to balance immediate operational demands with future workforce planning. The panelists emphasized the necessity of regularly revisiting workforce strategies to respond to external and internal changes.

What we understood: Balancing short-term wins and long-term strategy will help take on disruptions while keeping overall objectives top of mind. 

What is required: Long-term frameworks should be revisited frequently, ideally on a monthly or quarterly basis. This involves leaders aligning across departments and functions regularly to ensure everyone's working toward the same business goals. It also means ensuring access to data analytics to see real-time needs and anticipate future opportunities for growth is available.

Ongoing skills and learning play a pivotal role

What we heard: By 2030, 78 million new jobs will need to be created due to shifting global trends and the acceleration of technology, according to the World Economic Forum. Prioritizing skills development and ongoing learning is critical and will ensure workforces are equipped to handle new challenges and technologies.

What we understood: A skills-first approach is key to building sustainable workforces. Both technical and soft skills are equally valuable to help foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and flexibility among employees.

What is required: Building lifelong learning into your organization – and fostering a culture that values both upskilling and re-skilling – is vital. This means developing skills frameworks that support employees' ongoing growth through GIG work and reimagining career paths to retain great people and fill future skills gaps.

There's no one perfect technology platform that does it all (yet!)

What we heard: There's no silver bullet out there when it comes to technology – and no platform for AI that does it all (yet!).

What we understood: To build sustainability from the inside out, organizations must understand what they're trying to achieve as well as what roles they need – only then will they effectively find fit for purpose technology that will accelerate results.

What is required: Invest in the right technology platforms for your unique business needs. Real-time labor market data and analysis is super important as well in this VUCA-era. There are countless recruitment tools to make recruiters' lives easier, but maintaining a human-centric connection during the hiring process is critical. Examples included using platforms like Workday to build a skills taxonomy and talent marketplace that does real-time talent mobility matching.

Foster employee well-being and engagement

What we heard: Panelists emphasized that employee well-being and engagement are key to retaining talent and maintaining productivity.

What we understood: A focus on well-being involves creating a supportive work environment where employees feel valued and empowered. This includes providing resources for mental health, promoting work-life balance, and encouraging open communication throughout the business.

What is required: Implementing policies that promote flexibility help immensely with overall psychological and physical well-being, such as remote working options and flexible hours. Additionally, investing in well-being programs (for example, Wilson's well-being program includes access to the Calm app for all employees) and creating a culture of support and trust will contribute to a more engaged and sustainable workforce.

Break down silos to succeed through change

What we heard: Panelists discussed the challenges that arise from departmental silos, which can hinder the development and execution of cohesive workforce strategies. Collaboration between HR, talent acquisition, and learning and development is crucial.

What we understood: Creating a unified approach to workforce planning helps leaders aligns with broader business goals that trickle down across all levels of the organization. This requires open communication and collaboration.

What is required: Breaking down silos involves regular cross-departmental meetings, joint project initiatives and GIG projects, and creating integrated systems that facilitate information sharing and alignment on strategic objectives.