Thailand Talent Trends: In today’s competitive landscape, attracting and retaining top talent requires organisations to prioritise the Employee Experience Talent Strategy like never before. It’s evident that companies in Thailand need to start developing strategies to enhance the employee experience to foster a positive workplace culture and drive long-term success.
This is the initial segment of a 3-part series summarising the findings of the 2022 Michael Page Talent Trends Report in Thailand. The data suggests a notable transformation in the perception of work environments and company cultures among the scarce and sought-after talent pool, shaping preferences for ideal workplaces.
For organisations striving to cultivate an employee experience that captivates top talent, showcasing genuine care for their workforce is super important.
Key Learnings on Talent Trends in Thailand
- A people-first approach for developing the employee experience that attracts the Best Talent requires redesigning working models to be more human-centric, emphasising the importance of employee experience in shaping company culture.
- Traditional factors like salaries are not sufficient to attract and retain talent, with employees and candidates prioritising policies around flexible work arrangements and career development opportunities.
- The preference for hybrid work arrangements has become prevalent, with a majority of employees seeking a balance between working from home and the office.
- Upskilling and reskilling are crucial for future-proofing organisations, with employees taking a proactive approach to their own learning and development.
Priorities: Aligning with Thailand Talent Trends
Prioritise the employee experience
In today’s competitive landscape, organisations must prioritise the employee experience more than ever to attract and retain top talent. It’s evident, based on the data collected, that developing strategies to enhance the employee experience is crucial for fostering a positive workplace culture and driving long-term success.
Have a Focus on Employee Well-being & Advancement Opportunities
One of the key insights from the 2022 Michael Page Talent Trends Report is the need for organizations to adopt a people-first approach. This entails prioritising employee well-being, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) policies, and providing opportunities for career advancement. By demonstrating a genuine commitment to caring for their employees, organizations can cultivate a culture of trust, loyalty, and productivity.
It’s not just about salaries any more
Salaries, while important, are no longer the sole motivator for employees. With the economic impact of COVID-19 gradually waning, companies are realising the need to offer more than just competitive salaries to attract and retain talent. Employees and candidates are increasingly seeking workplaces that offer flexible work arrangements, opportunities for upskilling and reskilling, and a supportive company culture that prioritises their well-being.
Work At Home Models
The rise of hybrid work models has further emphasised the importance of flexibility in the workplace. A majority of employees now prefer a hybrid work arrangement, allowing them to strike a balance between remote work and office-based collaboration. Organizations need to adapt by implementing strategies to support remote work, enhance employee engagement, and provide the necessary tools and resources for remote collaboration.
Don’t Forget to Risk Assess
Furthermore, organisations need to take into consideration the ergonomic risks associated with “work from home” programs. In the upcoming new law, companies will have the same responsibilities for remote working employees, as they do with employees working at the company offices. Ensure that you have properly Risk Assessed or provide employees with a Self Risk Assessment they can carry out at home and submit to the company for review.
Offer Training and Opportunities to Learn
Upskilling and reskilling have also become critical priorities for organizations looking to future-proof their workforce. Employees actively pursue learning, acquiring skills to stay relevant in a changing job market. Organisations support by offering online learning, social communities, and flexible upskilling.
TIP: Select training partners that offer real value to employees. Don’t just train for the sake of training or to meet with regulatory compliance. Leadership training is especially important to Supervisor level personnel.
Incorporating key learnings into health, safety, and HR policies and procedures to align with Thailand Talent Trends.
Prioritise Employee Well-being:
Encourage leaders to recognise and appreciate employee contributions both internally and on social media platforms. Create action-oriented, short-term goals that allow for measurable output and boost productivity.
Embrace Flexibility:
Offer flexible work arrangements and support remote work initiatives. Provide employees with the necessary tools and resources to work effectively from anywhere.
Risk Assess:
Make sure that you Risk Assess their home working environment and have programs to support them. Not paying attention to ergonomics can lead to some expensive and long lasting health issues for your employees. Also pay keen attention to the potential for mental health issues rising as well. You may need a program to monitor mental health.
Invest in Learning and Development:
Provide opportunities for upskilling and reskilling through online learning platforms and social communities. Encourage employees to take ownership of their own learning journey and provide support where needed.
Listen to Employee Feedback:
Avoid one-size-fits-all approaches and be open to feedback from employees. Adapt policies and procedures based on employee input to create a more inclusive and supportive work environment. See point 2 above about mental health feedback as well.
Empower HR Departments:
Recognise the pivotal role of HR in driving organisational success. Invest in training, development, and talent mapping initiatives to support career advancement for every employee.
Using these strategies, organisations can create an employee experience that attracts the best talent and drives long-term growth and success. In today’s job market, prioritising employee experience is vital for organisations to thrive in the future of work.
Lacking in-house the expertise? Call us to discuss strategies to improve the Employee Experience, reach out to Ashlar for a discussion. Our expertise in Occupational Health and Safety can compliment your Human Resources team with actionable ideas for improvement. The results of this study are clear. Compliance with Thai Labour Laws isn’t enough to attract the best employees.
What you can Do to Align to Thailand Talent Trends
- Review your employee Turnover Rates and if you use Exit Interviews, pay careful attention to what people are saying. Sometimes, giving no reason for quitting tells you more than giving a long response. Encourage HR to track reasons for leaving and have those details analysed and presented to the MD.
- Establish what it costs you to hire, on-board and train new employees.
- Make a metric or KPI aiming to reduce that cost of turnover.
How Ashlar can Help
- Talk to Ashlar about developing programs like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In the next few articles, you will see just how important that is to Thailand’s talent pool.
- Talk to Ashlar about developing safe systems of work for Hybrid Employees working from home. Reducing ergonomic injury should be a priority of any company. Work From Home, falls under the responsibility of employers to risk assess and provide employees with safe workspaces. We can also provide guidance and other support to reduce illness & injury while working at home.
- If your company develops Sustainability Reports, we can help develop more robust Social Sustainability metrics and programs. Take it beyond “Business as Usual”.
Get in touch using the form below. Let’s have a discussion on how you can make improvements with just a few small changes. We can help you Risk Assess and develop practical workplace solutions.
Be sure to read our next segment in this series where we dive deeper into the subject.