We were really excited about our Talent in Tech Webinar as we navigated what this sector might look like after lockdown. We had a stellar panel of leading experts from the industry and we had the pleasure of listening to Natasha Corbin, Head of Talent at Magic Lab, Natalie Brock, Director of Recruiting at Thought Machine and Sean Moriarty, Head of Talent at graze.com all whilst being facilitated by HR interim specialist Derren Young.

What was covered

– The social and economic effects of lock down on the Tech talent acquisition market.

– The changing face of the recruitment and on boarding process.

– The reaction by the industry and Talent professionals to increased pressure around D&I.

– Re-evaluating Culture and Engagement with a more remote workforce.

‘Now harder than ever to attract the best talent; there will be inevitable pressures to manage cost, possibly reducing headcount and office space.  Now whilst many leaders have improved communication and demonstrations of support; building on the strength of existing cultures, all employers should take this opportunity to reflect on the right behaviours and policies going forward.  Rebuilding productivity, adopting more flexible ways of working and helping teams re-engage will take time and will be very visible to new people joining.

On that, there are signs that the mobility of the employment marketplace is starting to move again, but the strange-ness of virtual selection and on-boarding may deter people from leaving the security of their current role.  Forming relationships with colleagues, managers and teams will be strained, and thought must be given if this will be our new normal.  For example, looking at policies like trial periods, retention payments, buddy systems.

Finally, trust will have been challenged and we as people leaders must continue to guide managers and executives to not revert to old ways but to embrace this opportunity to reinforce the care and compassion many have shown.  The nature of work and the needs of individuals has never been so important’. Derren Young, HR interim Expert and facilitator

Key insights we took away from our speakers

Natasha Corbin from Magic Lab on the importance of inclusivity.

‘One thing that has been something to be proud of is I work for a business whose ethos is all about inclusion, that is all about female empowerment and that is all about raising the voices of marginalised people. When your product or your business embodies that, then I think culture and ways of working is what follow. 

One thing that I want to stress is that culture is by definition shared experiences, shared ethos’ and a shared way of living. I have seen in my career, when trying to make diverse hires; whether it is females, minorities etcetera culture being used as an excuse to not hire someone. But that is the reason why the culture stays the same. If you went to a similar type of school, watched the same things growing up, that lends itself to a westernised culture and that won’t change otherwise. That word culture actually red lines a lot of people. So, making sure that the culture is actually inclusiveness in itself. Because the great thing about being inclusive is by its nature its infectious. Just by thinking about inclusion and what you could in every part of where you are in your business actually makes change… Do not fall back on the word culture and really challenge what that means and really make sure that there are people from all spectrums in the decision-making process…’

​Sean Moriarty from Graze, on the importance of listening to create a more agile and unique workplace. 

‘…the people at Graze have the ability to flex, adapt, challenge and accept things quickly in a really grown up and mature way. We respect each other and allow you to express your opinions without the fear of being shot down! It’s what makes us pretty unique in my opinion and it allows us to try new things, accept different ways of working, listen to different views and adapt to changing environments. It makes us agile, it makes us feel like we all ‘belong’. And when we’re hiring or managing our people’s development we encourage these ways of working which as mentioned, really allows us to work in a mature, grown up but also fun environment!’

​Natalie Brock from Thought Machine on the importance of culture and engagement.

Thought Machine have on boarded 85 people during lockdown. It has been pretty rapid and our HR team has been amazing. We have learnt communication is key and we have kept in frequent contact with all our candidates in the lead up to them joining us. 

We do a lot of internal events for new joiners to make our employees feel a part of the culture and think it is important for our staff to not only just engage with us but to have fun too. We have a lot of different clubs at work; you can either join an existing club or make a new one, dependent on your interests. Maintaining our ethos around keeping people engaged, whilst having fun during lockdown has been paramount to us, which is why we have kept initiatives such as Thought Machine Fridays or and our virtual breakfast clubs. Recently we all got £20 transferred into our bank accounts for a lunch roulette, where you are matched up with new people in the company to get to know them whilst enjoying a Deliveroo. It is initiatives like this that make for a happier and more united workforce. 

​If you would like to join us at our next webinar on ‘The changing face of Reward: innovation & impact’ register here to guarantee a place