Future of finance: how to excel in talent management

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Your people are your most valuable asset. However, the rapidly evolving business landscape has made it more challenging to find, engage, and retain top-performing talent.

Protiviti invited Robert Half Executive Director Clive Davis to share expert insights on talent management strategy as part of a 30-minute lunchtime series, Navigating the Future of Finance.

Together, Protiviti and Robert Half dig into new survey data to shed light on employee concerns, how (and if) they’re being addressed by business leaders, and what the ideal ‘layered’ employee experience looks like.

Watch now: Navigating the Future of Finance: People - Your Most Valuable Asset with Clive Davis

so so welcome everybody to uh another another session of the navigating the future of Finance series the second session uh that that that that we are running uh so this is a series hosted by privity uh the global business consulting firm and its sister company Robert ha the Global Talent Solutions firm and we operate as one Enterprise globally that gives us a really unique perspective on client problems and solutions um in that we have particular strength in the Finance and Accounting function and Community uh and because of that we are incredibly well connected into CFOs and uh Financial directors across the globe and very strong in particular here in the UK Marketplace um with that with that connection gives us some real insights into some of the challenges uh your colleagues are facing but also some of the some of the solutions that uh they're seeing success with uh and and in our industry it's it's good to share so we're happy to bring some of those some of those insights to you today um as I said this is the second session in the series the first one uh about a month ago now was was Michael Mose who led who led the uh the session on building the resilient Finance function uh so some great feedback on that so so thank you to everybody that shared uh I'm super pleased today to be moving on to our second section which is all about uh the opportunities and challenges around people um and I would say as ever we're going to take questions at the end uh so please so do please do use the chat facility where I'll I'll I'll um I I'll gather all the questions and where I can I might not be able to but where I can I will ask as many as possible uh and clearly There's an opportunity to reach out to us separately but but but without further Ado it gives me great pleasure to uh hand over to my colleague Clive Davis Clive over to you thanks very much Scott and uh welcome welcome everybody really excited to have uh you with us today and if you're listening to the recording uh thank you for tuning into the recording as well uh it's an exciting series it's great to be presenting the Robert Half research alongside protiv research obviously we are sister organizations and um the power of the two together gives us some really in interesting insights in terms of what's happening with regard to people uh which is what this session is all about we wanted to start with a bit of a framework uh workplace structure if you will uh some of you may recognize this it was developed by an organizational um behavioral psychologist Charles handy and uh he predicted this is where many years ago he predicted this is where companies will evolve to in terms of their workplace structure uh crucially the professional core uh these are the individuals that you want on your team each and every day the individuals where you can build from which you can build your company having the right individual ual in place as well to onboard um new people as you look to grow your organization and then the flexible labor force obviously anybody who's a customer of Robert Half will probably know all about this uh this is uh additional resources that can be turned on or turned off uh to assist with dealing with the Peaks and troughs uh that take place throughout the business year and then there's been the rise of what's referred to here Charles handy referred to as The contractural Fringe um this is these are essential services that companies need uh to help them exist and obviously to ensure they can grow meet their goals uh but they're outsourced uh they're handed on to Professional Services companies and the supervision crucially is handed on as well but the benefit as Charles looked at it was this sort of structure enables companies to be agile it enables them to take advantage of opportunities that exist in their Marketplace quickly and it also enables them to handle adversity and crisis as well because they've got these this flexible setup uh to their organization whilst protecting uh their professional core and this is what uh today's discussion and some of the figures will present focuses on people because that is that's core to Growing uh businesses uh today just as a little bit of a an icebreaker as such what we wanted to uh do uh now we have some people on board is take a little bit of a poll because I'm going to be presenting some research findings but it's always good to get a live uh view uh from the people that have joined us today some of whom will be uh productivity clients um from V coming from various perspectives some will be Robert Half clients or candidates um and again anybody who's responsible for staff would like uh to launch a poll which I think aushi is about to do and we'd like you to click on the responses to these questions so Scott I see the main screen can you just check as the uh is the is the poll launched the poll is launched and I can see it and I've just um I've just provided my own feedback and hit the button that seems to work so excent go for it so it should be pretty straightforward just click uh where possible and click on on the right sponsor this is about your current people priorities today um attracting talents improving your employee value proposition um if it's a priority to deal with reducing staff turnover levels if it's a priority to really secure the if you like the the approval uh for unscheduled counter offers to retain key staff improving paying benefits or developing internal talent and succession planning that looks pretty St now and hopefully Clive can you see the the results or do you need me to sort of summarize yeah if you can just quickly summarize the results before we go into our of research so really interesting in terms of where the where the focus is for this group compared to some of the the stats you're on the show but some uh really right at the top on a level par is attracting Talent strengthening Company employee value proposition with around 30% of the responses and actually really interestingly for me because it's it's reflective of our own client you know our own client work and what we're doing at the moment developing internal Talent skills and succession planning uh and we're doing an awful lot of work with our clients around that and that's coming at the top with 33% Clive so so your first item and your last item there are definitely the strongest okay well that's good to know because uh the there's only so much that can be done uh with regard to uh benefits and remuneration so we'll talk about what characterizes that employee experience that employee value proposition so I'm very pleased today I'm going to be pulling some uh statistics some data from uh protiv Global Finance Trends uh survey so uh really excited to share that that gives uh feedback taken from CFOs Finance directors um and Senior vice presidents of finance and also the Robert Half salary guide which is in media launch at the moment um so it's it's being briefed out to the media uh there there's been some early uh calls I know uh with certain organizations and then the full launch takes place uh towards the end of this month so I'm very excited to preview that information and I would say because I appreciate we'll have people joining today from HR teams we'll have people uh joining I believe also who run it teams and um I'm sure just in this space of the next 20 25 minutes some of the trends some of the things we refer to will be of equal value uh to you because it is all about that employee exper exp erience so I I'll just say Clive that uh go the salary guide is essential reading for the consultant sector intivity believe me we're all we're all straight to it to work out what everybody's being paid excellent okay all right so picking up on productivity's global Finance Trend survey uh we spoke to CFOs senior Finance leaders and asked them about their top people concerns and here's the data that came back so obviously an inflationary environment that we have at the moment is no surprise to see the rising cost of wages being a top concern um coming in straight after that the ability to retain people and recruit qualified candidates so what's particularly interesting about this Marketplace at the moment is whilst we do have a tricky economy um in place at the moment of in Times Gone by that could shift power uh to the employer if you will um but what we're seeing now is the war for talent continues uh there's position plenty of positions are available the on surveys in the UK I think detail uh just under a million vacancies at present so it is a different economy from that point of view in terms of um it's challenging for businesses but similarly uh business continuity is also a challenge because our senior Finance lead leaders are telling about telling us about their difficulty in terms of retaining and uh recruiting qualified candidates next up we have building and maintaining culture and a hybrid working model so so probably no surprise to see that there uh what companies are telling us there is challenges are really beginning to hit the line managers because uh most organizations have got to some form of structure with regard to their hybrid working model however a lot of the day-to-day responsibility sits with the line manager and line managers may have had great investment in their careers and training um over the last four or five years but are catching up with regard to how to lead in a hybrid workplace and picking up training there so again we see that as a that's been reported back as a concern the resources for recruiting interns of the materials required to attract um individuals and also detail the employee experience is a key concern getting that message across the rising cost of benefits benefits have changed over the last couple of years as more organizations move to a hybrid model there is that much more in terms of and I'll detail some of them in a couple of slides time there's that much more uh that needs to be spent to make sure that an organization appears attractive and offers the right Suite of benefits in today's uh hybrid Working World managing staff turnover and obtaining staff buying uh for in-office work comes in um at the end then these are still picking up high scores so genuine day-to-day concerns companies are telling us that they can't just put things in place everything has to be managed dayto day um and monitored day to day and if if there isn't that form of connection it's giving it's it does create challenges in forms of in terms of creating Innovation uh that that takes place typically when individuals do come into the office and can be creative together so wide Suite of concerns there CL what what I would add as you flip into the next slide is that last one is one that's very has become very pronounced postco that you know almost that that buy in by staff to be into the office and having to justify it and that's causing some real challenges with our clients and whilst it's at the bottom of the list today I think we'll we'll see that move up the list you know if we were to to re repo the candidates you know next year or or whenever so that's certainly a growing risk from my perspective thanks Scott so let's shift okay so this is brand new data um that we've got on the screen now so let's look at the situation from the view of the employee um so this comes from Robert half's 2024 salary guide uh that will be available to everybody probably in about two three weeks time um but let's look at this so we spoke to Finance and Accounting candidates and asked them how they felt about their company's ability to attract skill Talent going into 2024 so these are people in place and just thinking okay you're in place how do you feel about your company's ability to add to that professional core that we've touched on earlier again we see remuneration coming out at the top um understandable with uh the inflationary Market or life that we we lead we're living in at the moment but I would caution uh there that there's only so much that can be done with regard to remuneration but either you can do it as a company or you can't or you'll do what you can um and then it's a case of them what um and this is where the employee experience the employee value proposition really has to mean something for people to uh stay where they are to that they are they will stay with an organization so let look at what we've got here limited career progression opportunities so it's good that just in our live poll we heard uh we heard we saw numbers that said there is investment there and sometimes this is about the employee experience in terms of detailing what that is uh often when we speak to companies that are experiencing challenges in this regard uh what comes out of it is there's not enough communication of where individuals work contributes to the success of a company um as a company grows where they could go within that and therefore detailing the career progression it's interesting to see the pace of the hiring process also come up very surprising from a cat from a employee perspective this is something you'd expect to hear from recruiters really um but they this is interesting they are working today in organizations where they know there are vacancies people to join them on that professional be part of that professional core but they're concerned about their company's ability to hire quickly the pay of that hiring process so um that's i' I've not seen that before come up in this form of research are particularly interesting poor work life balance and many people thought that that wouldn't be a concern now that many organizations have some form of hybrid model in place but it's interesting speaking to candidates there is feedback that sometimes that even if they're working remotely the day starts earlier it finishes later there isn't that demarcation that time where people begin to end their days the break in the day even by way of the commute home so interesting to note that that is what's coming out uh from the employee experience and linked to that hybrid piece is the lack of flexibility around remote working which to Scott's point just just before details that companies are still having to get to grips with the the optimum model that works for them or review their model on a regular basis sticking with the employee perspective this is and it's quite High here 71% of Finance and Accounting employees feel concerned about their company's ability to retain valued employees so we've spoken about the attraction challenges this is all from the perspective of the employee uh and they're they're concerned about well okay how's my company going to hang on to the people uh that we want heavy workloads um comes up right at the top and think back to that model which relates the professional core the flexible Workforce and the contract uh uh the managed service if you will this perhaps suggests those that respond in this way are perhaps concerned about how the work is being distributed um and I appreciate a lot of people be tuned in today thinking well yeah it costs to bring in flexible resource it costs to Outsource it does but companies will need to measure up what could be the cost in their business if their Prof professional core continues to experience turnover if it weakens lack of competitive remuneration I think I've we've spoken enough about that um in the last couple of sides the high rates of burnout which would Link in with uh the workload challenges that people have and I'd also highlight that is where some companies now beginning to invest more in terms of benefits uh in terms of uh well-being Employee Assistance programs to handle that people lead complex lives now and uh if this is what the research is telling us that employees are concerned about colleagues uh burning out which links in with uh the the next one which is poor work life balance I should add uh the respondents were allowed to click more than one uh concern here the war for talent obviously this is evidence I've touched on before it's it's a tricky economy nonetheless um the sources of of jobs are are busy uh with opportunity and people are aware of that so they also feel that concern in terms of the War uh for talent as well Okay so we've spoken about a number of concerns we've seen concerns from the uh the CFO Suite if you will the finance director Suite uh we've seen concerns from the employees in terms of what how they feel what they're seeing so flipping back to Pro's Global Finance Trends uh survey let's let's take a look at what some of the tactics that are in place uh to deal with those concerns so review of overall staff benefits coming in right at the top which is good to see because that can impact workplace culture that impacts everybody and uh there are plenty of uh benefits we're all used to things such as pension Health Care Healthcare can get deeper with dental um there can be additional time given for individuals to take a day to spend with a child charity of their choice for example there are cycle to work schemes which can help with uh individuals well-being there is more enhanced more attractive sabatical opportunities uh as well so share save schemes um even the smaller organizations can incentivize their professional core um by enabling to be part of the company in terms of how it grows be it via a share skit shave scheme or um sharing in company profits there's there's that's really interesting to see that right at the top flexible work work arrangements so this is good to see because the research is telling us that employees are concerned here about flexibility and how Hybrid Works it's good to see that leadership if you will is focused on make optimizing that making that as good as possible for um for their workers plans for individual career growth and upskilling this is exciting to see uh people want to see where their job contributes to the success of a company how they will be invested in uh to to be more successful and help their company uh be more successful as it grows this really is important for improving uh overall corporate culture company culture with so that's great to see highlighted there compensation and pay adjustments go ahead Scott I was about say can I jump in there partly to give you give you a pause to breath because I know you've been going for a couple of slides but partly also because that's particularly important point for me the plans around individual career growth and upskilling if if I look back to the live poll we had there was uh a real interest in developing internal talents skills and succession planning so those two very closely aligned not only in terms of the individual development but also reflective of what we're actually helping organizations with and therefore what our organizations are helping us to support with so so how do we you know so it's not about the business consultancy firm coming in and delivering at you know an organiz ation it's about actually if we're going to build automation into a finance what can we just go on to mute um so it's not only about you know the organiz delivering say automation Solutions into a finance function the challenge we're being set as a consulting firm is how do we transfer that knowledge how do I build capability in my finance function to allow my finance Community to build automation skills analytics skills technology skills in some of the key areas as well as their normal professional skills and our clients AR only asking that that from a a sustainability perspective because clearly building that capability internally is important from that but also because they really recognize the need to retain Talent the the graduates the ACA candidates the post-qualified they're looking for organizations that allow them to develop and build skills it's a CLE it's a clear part of the attraction of a company your your second poll Point as a key part of the retention strategy so looking to build skills also hugely encouraged to see because a lot of our clients are asking us about well what is our people experience about what do they actually experience a lot of organizations very focused on Recruitment and onboarding and then they sort of forget that there's an ongoing you know employee experience to understand and quantify and assess in some way so so for me Clive I just wanted to jump on that number three because it aligns very very strongly with the internal poll from the community that we've got on the call good to see thanks for that Scott um we spoke about compensation uh there are more with reference to the bonus piece there are more interesting bonus uh routes being taken by companies now be they thank oneof thank you bonuses be they specific performance bonuses that are shared across wider groups within an organization I think the next one's particularly interesting as well and this is increased participation in Key Management decisions so that's what leadership that we've pulled are looking to give their employees which is really really important this really is core to creating a strong employee experience uh individuals want to know they have a voice and they will be listened to and some of the things we're seeing take place there were probably a few years ago there were the the prevalence of once a year surveys begun to come into play with many many organizations what we're seeing now and the feedback we're getting for a lot of these uh a lot of the leaders in finances their companies are doing more pulse surveys which is asking fewer questions but more frequently throughout the year and that's giving them an opportunity to take a pulse of exactly where they're at take live feedback and then make a change and it's important that organizations detail uh those changes and how they've been based upon feedback taken from their employees that is real really really cool uh to a good employee experience um once you take some of the other boxes in terms of pay and benefits then we're looking at well okay um what's my voice um how can I contribute and how can I be heard so good to see there um commitment to individual promotion tracks I think Scott links in with what you were just discussing uh people want to see those opportunities and companies are having to be more distinct in terms of what can happen to ensure there greater attention um because if they're not specific if they're not giving the training and development of towards the professional core then that's when people get itchy feet so um good to see that make uh the list as well so that's the end of the statistics everybody U we've only got a couple more slides for you but we we started with a framework uh about uh how companies are set up today and we appreciate it's not always perfect to get the balance uh between those three things we touched on at the beginning um but it's important to look at the employee experience and often this is something that's referred to a lot when individuals join a company or when they're being attracted into an organization from a retention point of view which is what's C to this particular uh section of our webinar series is the is the employee experience is the people um not A lot's going to happen um in organizations without having the right people engaged so let's look at this employee experience so yeah that has five pillars Total Rewards the material benefits the material gains that come by way of salary and all the benefits uh that we've detailed The Wider uh scope of benefits that can be offered to individuals and and the choices they have the work um so obviously people come to work what we meant what we mean by this particular pillar is how the work gets done where the work gets done and when the work gets done so we have seen Oran organizations become more Dynamic there um perhaps having condensed hours um in a particular part of the week um windowed work uh can exist in certain departments certainly can in finance uh which may require people starting earlier finishing later or doing two different shifts uh during the day um how the work gets done particularly interesting because that relates to the fifth pillar which is technology um I know that Harrison will touch on that in the next uh webinar that takes place next month because organizations you get the people part right you get the employee experience right what's key to that is uh having the right technology to do the job culture gets spoken about much more these days which is really really good to see again going back to previous surveys it it didn't feature um and now it's a central part of the employee experience uh individuals come to work uh to collaborate as part of the hybrid working model they can innovate when they're together um companies can invest more on certain Community Days when everyone is together it also ensures everyone understands what the shared values of an organization are so in culture spoken about shared values core values are referred to people so that is the employee value proposition and it's interesting here we have spoken to organizations who struggled with that because sometimes the employee value proposition shifts to what might be said to a customer and um customer are important but again today's working individual is saying well I'm very important too what's the value proposition for me how will I how will I be invested in um How will I see how do I contribute to the company's success and that's something as we said it's it's an everyday thing it's it's something that gets heightened attention maybe when people are going into companies and being attracted but to maintain that professional core uh the employee value proposition really has to be worked on it should be something that feels really unique uh to your company uh for the for for everyone uh who's joined today technology I spoke around um that's a key part of uh the proposition in today our our world is surround we are surrounded by technology in the office and again whilst there's a cost there getting the technology piece right ensures less burnouts um enjoys ensures happier individuals um who can get their work done and get a better work life balance um and contribute to company's success so Scott I'm just going to wrap up uh with uh a promotion of the uh the salary guide and the um Global Finance Trend survey um just for everybody's note here uh I think it's really exciting uh what we have in protiv a Global Management consultancy I'm sure there'll be people on the webinar today will be thinking well okay I want to go up a level uh who do I speak to about about that protiv can assist with regard to uh the the detailed part of uh people and the employee uh experience similarly Robert Half uh we're excited to support many companies with technology HR administrative roles and obviously we has we have done finance and the finance the salary guide that's coming soon on the 18th of October it's I believe it's the longest running uh tracker of salary and finance information in the UK so we uh look forward to uh sharing that with you you uh very very soon um last before I pass to Scott to wrap up big thank you to Luke edcom from our reading office who conceived this series uh so Luke we really appreciate uh what you've done there and if anybody wants me to run through these slides perhaps joining uh one of our clients uh remotely to just give these slides as a bit of a kickoff for a management meeting very very happy to do so as you can see it only takes 30 minutes so thanks for your time it's been a pleasure to uh speak to you all today today Scott C that's that's wonderful and bang on time I really appreciate it look for me I think with all of these you know what what would be the call to action I think Clive talked about taking a pulse understanding where you are today uh letting the employees have a voice is so important and if that's already in place trying to interpret that information and seem to be reacting is is hugely important uh coming to the bottom of the hour so uh hopefully that was enjoyable that is available and do reach to Clive or myself if you've got any further questions or you believe uh some of your own uh client Community or organization would benefit from that presentation uh just to signpost next month's session uh we we talked about a lot about technology doing more with less a concept that everybody in finance is you know incredibly familiar with um so next session is we're going to be in the automation space next session how we build automation how we leverage technology how we build capability thinking about that employ your attention point so thank you everyone I'll let you get back to your your day jobs uh wonderful to see so many of you on the call and we'll see you all again next month thank you very much

Top people concerns for employers

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37% – Rising cost of wages

36% – Ability to retain our people

33% – Ability to recruit qualified candidates

33% – Building a culture in a hybrid working model

33% – Resources for recruiting (external and internal)

32% – Rising cost of benefits

32% – Managing staff turnover

25% – Obtaining staff ‘buy-in’ for in-person/in-office work

*Data source: Protiviti’s Global Finance Trends Survey

Given the inflationary environment we’re currently in, it’s no surprise to see the rising cost of wages sitting as a top concern for CFOs and senior finance leaders. This is closely followed by concerns around retaining people and recruiting qualified candidates. Historically, a ‘tricky’ economic situation would tip the power in favour of the employer, but that’s not the case here.

“As the war for talent continues, there are still plenty of positions available — the ONS surveys in the UK still details just under a million vacancies at present,” says Clive. “So, it is a different economy from that point of view in terms of, it's challenging for businesses, but similarly business continuity is also a challenge. Senior finance leaders are telling us they’re having difficulty retaining and recruiting qualified candidates.”

Hybrid working is also a top employer concern, especially for line managers. Where most organisations have reached some form of hybrid work structure, the day-to-day responsibility sits with line managers, who—in most cases—are still learning how to lead in a hybrid environment.

Employers are also still reporting difficulty in obtaining staff buy-in for office-based work, which continues to impact their ability to build workplace cultures and foster creative environments. Clive says:

“Companies are telling us they can't just put things in place. Everything has to be managed day-to-day and monitored day-to-day. If there isn't that form of connection, it creates challenges in terms of creating innovation that typically takes place when individuals do come into the office and can be creative together."

Employee perspectives: attraction and retention

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Attracting talent: top 5 employee concerns

28% – Lack of competitive remuneration

25% – Limited career progression opportunities

24% – Pace of hiring process

23% – Poor work/life balance

22% – Lack of flexibility (flexible/remote working)

*Source: Robert Half Salary Guide 2024

Remuneration is understandably a top employee concern, given the inflationary market we're in. However, Clive warns that, without a genuine commitment to the employee experience and employee value proposition, it may prove difficult to hold onto quality talent in the long term. This is also true regarding communication around career progression opportunities.

“Often when we speak to companies that are experiencing challenges in this regard, what comes out of it is there's not enough communication of where individuals’ work contributes to the success of a company as it grows. Where they could go within that and therefore detailing the career progression.”

Poor work/life balance is a lingering concern for employees. Although hybrid working promised to alleviate the issue, employees report earlier starts and later finishes, with little to demarcate work and home time. This, along with concerns around lack of flexibility, suggests that employers still struggle to implement healthy working habits where hybrid models are concerned.

Retaining talent: top 5 employee concerns

71% of finance and accounting professionals feel concerned about their companies’ ability to attract skilled talent in 2024

28% – Heavy workloads

26% – Lack of competitive remuneration

23% – High rates of burnout

22% – Poor work/life balance

18% – War for talent

*Source: Robert Half Salary Guide 2024

The survey responses for talent retention show a clear picture where employee experience is concerned. Most respondents worry about their companies' ability to attract skilled talent to the team's core, which increases workloads and the risk of burnout and poor work/life balance.

Clive recommends investigating contract talent and managed services to ease the pressure on permanent teams. He says, "It costs to bring in flexible resources. It costs to outsource, but companies will need to measure up what could be the cost in their business if their professional core continues to experience turnover and if it weakens."

Some companies are also investing in benefits that support well-being, such as employee assistance programmes designed to help people manage their increasingly complex lives.

Current employer retention tactics

40% – Review of overall staff benefits

38% – Flexible work arrangements

37% – Plans for individual career growth and upskilling

37% – Retention bonuses

34% – Increased participation in key management decisions

34% – Commitment to individual promotion tracks

*Data source: Protiviti’s Global Finance Trends Survey

So, what are employers in finance and accounting currently doing to maximise the employee experience? Besides reviewing overall staff benefits, including new additions that complement hybrid work environments, employers have begun to address those flexible working concerns.

One of the most compelling areas of focus is career growth and upskilling, especially in a marketplace plagued with digital skills shortages. Employees are keen to see where their job contributes to company success, and offering those growth opportunities is crucial for retention and improving company culture overall.

Another interesting retention tactic is the focus on bringing employees into the decision-making process for key management issues. Clive says, “This really is core to creating a strong employee experience. Individuals want to know that they have a voice and will be listened to.”

This process has involved more regular pulse surveys in which employees are asked fewer questions but more frequently throughout the year. Clive says, “That's giving them an opportunity to take a pulse of exactly where they're at, take live feedback, and then make a change.”

He continues, “It's important that organisations detail those changes and how they've been based upon feedback taken from their employees. That is the core of a good employee experience."

Overall, companies are having to be more distinct regarding what can happen to ensure greater retention. Failure to be specific about opportunities for training and development could easily increase the risk of employee discontent.

Building and vocalising a ‘layered’ employee experience

The 'employee experience' is often discussed at the start of an employee's journey with the company, but it's vital to continue to focus on it from a retention point of view.

1. Total rewards

The total rewards portion of the employee experience encompasses the material gains and benefits employees enjoy. This can come via salary and the benefits offered as part of their role.

2. Work

The ‘work’ section of the employee experience encompasses not just how the work gets done but also where and when. Clive says, “We’ve seen organisations become more dynamic there, perhaps having condensed hours and ‘windowed’ work which may require people starting early or finishing later or doing two different shifts during the day.”

3. Culture

Culture has become a huge part of the employee experience in recent years where, historically, it wasn’t featured as often. In a hybrid workplace, individuals come to work to collaborate and innovate as a team. Culture ensures everyone understands an organisation's shared values and that they align with them.

4. People

The fourth pillar of the layered experience is related to the employee value proposition. Clive says, "We've spoken to organisations who've struggled with that because sometimes the employee value proposition shifts to what might be said to a customer."

He encourages employers to shift that focus back to working individuals by creating a unique value proposition that stands out in the hiring market. How will you invest in your employees? How will their contribution be reflected in the company's success?

5. Technology

Technology is a key part of the proposition today, especially with the prevalence of hybrid work models. The right technology can facilitate collaboration, connect teams, keep burnout at bay, and ensure happier individuals who can complete their work faster and contribute to the company's success.

For more insights and guidance on people management, visit the Robert Half advice blog or access the Salary Guide now. If you’re interested in aligning people, processes and technology in the world of finance, join Robert Half and Protiviti at upcoming Future of Finance events here.

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