As the era of the traditional ‘30-year career’ fades, organizations face a pivotal choice: hold onto outdated structures, or embrace adaptability as the new standard of sustainability. In this new landscape, HR plays a central role in designing people-centric strategies that prioritize agility, resilience, and human connection, argues Julia Hobsbawm.
Clinging to the traditional ‘30-year career’ is no longer a sustainable or realistic model today. Modern sustainability is not just about longevity — it’s about adaptability, resilience, and above all, flexibility. We need a new framework — one in which the ‘30-month career’ is perhaps more fitting. This reflects a reality in which short-term, impactful engagements are becoming the norm and redefining what it means to be retained within an organization.
For decades, talent retention has been about keeping people within the business as long as possible. It’s been about linear career paths, structured around building loyalty and institutional knowledge. But in a world where individuals now engage in portfolio careers, freelance work and gig assignments as standard, it’s time for companies to rethink what retention truly means. It’s not about staving off churn but being ready for it. A sustainable organization does not strive to prevent employee turnover, but embraces it as an expected dynamic.
Sustainability can mean built to last or built to withstand. It can also mean being flexible, robust, and durable, even when there’s inevitable churn in the workforce. We must broaden our definition of sustainability beyond “built to last” to include “built to adapt.” A sustainable workforce doesn’t cling to outdated ideas about permanency, but embraces a flexible relationship with talent. Sometimes, it’s more valuable to have someone contribute 15% of their time effectively than to try and hold them full-time. Mutual value, rather than permanence, should be the new metric.
This conversation extends beyond work models to the very structure of organizations. Leaders today must ask whether it’s better to maintain rigid, rules-based frameworks or adopt more iterative and adaptive systems. This choice is crucial and heavily influenced by shifting employment laws and the demographic makeup of the workforce. For example, the right to request flexible working from day one in the UK has created a new landscape compared to regions like the US, where such provisions don’t exist.
But flexibility shouldn't be standardized. It demands a tailored approach, responsive to the diverse needs of multi-generational workforces. Different demographics and life stages require leaders to prioritize autonomy, motivation, and emotional well-being in ways that are sensitive to each group.
Building sustainable work models requires a mindset of continuous experimentation. This means promoting what I describe as a “mass piloting of projects” and openly sharing the resulting data. Leaders must embrace a trial-and-error approach, recognizing that it’s not about imposing rigid standards, but evolving in sync with the shifting expectations of the workforce.
The core principles of sustainability—loyalty, trust, durability—remain essential. However, they must be applied with greater flexibility and transparency in a context where traditional norms no longer hold sway. We cannot afford to operate under the illusion of a “new normal” when reality continues to shift. We cannot continue clinging to outdated assumptions about what work should look like.
For HR and talent leaders, this new landscape demands a shift in focus. HR must become the central fulcrum of tomorrow’s boardroom. In an era of technological advancements, multi-generational workforces, and persistent uncertainty, the role of HR must evolve from compliance to championing a people-centric strategy and driving change.
It’s got to be all about the human in the machine age. A truly sustainable and innovative approach to the workforce recognizes that employees cannot be treated as indistinct metrics. There is no blanket answer, but the future demands that we embrace a human-centric mindset, even when it feels messy and uncertain.
The organizations that will thrive in this landscape are those willing to experiment and innovate, creating flexible and adaptable systems that can meet the ever-changing needs of their people.
Key considerations for HR and talent leaders:
- Redefine retention: Embrace shorter, impactful engagements over traditional long-term retention. Offer flexible roles like part-time or project-based work to suit varied career goals.
- Expect turnover: View turnover as a natural cycle. Build talent pipelines and maintain alumni networks to enable smooth transitions and rehiring.
- Tailor flexibility: Recognize flexibility isn’t one-size-fits-all. Survey employees to understand their diverse needs, and adjust approaches accordingly.
- Encourage experimentation: Treat work models as pilots; measure outcomes to refine policies. Create an adaptive work culture through continuous improvement.
- Position HR as a strategic driver: Lead the shift to people-centric strategies that align with business goals. Bring workforce insights to the boardroom.
- Stay human-centric: Balance technology use with a focus on well-being, loyalty, and trust. Prioritize regular feedback to make tech-driven workplaces more human.