As we enter the new year, businesses are better prepared than ever to meet the challenges of the post-covid era. However, the Great Resignation continued in 2022 due to a competitive labour market, with between 4.1 million and 4.5 million people quitting their jobs each month as of September 2022. Though a recession of resignations in 2023 is likely due to tougher economic conditions and uncertainty, businesses must remain vigilant in order to retain valuable employees while also attracting new talent.

HR leaders and team managers have a responsibility to help workers feel supported, engaged, and achieve job satisfaction. Furthermore, increased competition for talent means that employers will have to provide more attractive offers. But what do our HR leaders at Volaris have to say about attracting and retaining talent?

Changing Attitudes Require New Strategies

Sarah Davie, HR Director for Volaris in the UK and Ireland, claims that the labour market is becoming more competitive, particularly in the UK. The increased demand for technical staff inspired her HR teams to rethink the hiring process. They decided to implement a new strategy that reemphasized the fundamental elements of what makes a great employee. For example, attitudes, cultural fit, and success orientation. Employers could then train new hires in the necessary technical skills.

Graduate programmes continue to maintain a strong pipeline of new talent. Davie’s teams use LinkedIn and other channels to spread the word about the benefits of working for Volaris businesses.

In terms of current employee retention, HR teams are ensuring that their onboarding procedures are effective for assisting people in getting settled in new jobs while in a remote work environment. In sharing a recent success story about a remote recruitment, Gordon Riebe, HR Director for the DACH region, said: “The flexibility to hire from multiple European countries is a big plus for a company as big as we are,” he shares. “People don’t have to give up where they live in order to move to another country for work.”

Retaining Talent in a Post-Pandemic Era

Numerous industries have noted the shifts in workplace attitudes and goals that have occurred since the pandemic began. The goal of HR teams at Volaris is to maintain an engaged and happy workforce. Many of the Volaris portfolio companies offer flexible working hours and locations, and employees are encouraged to collaborate with co-workers from various teams, skill sets, and countries.

“An outstanding part of Volaris is that you can work across cultures, share knowledge, and widen your horizons,” said Riebe.

Leigh Roberts, Primetics’ General Manager, has pushed his team in recent years to view employees in terms of what they can do for the company in the future, rather than boxing them into a specific type of role. This has required him to shift from “A developer is a developer” to “A developer could someday run the business” perspective.

All Volaris HR leaders who work with team managers to provide support and foster the development of dependable relationships with employees place a high value on coaching, mentoring, and identifying opportunities to try new HR approaches.

Talent Management Remains Pivotal to Career Satisfaction

Volaris business leaders frequently advocate for internal promotion. The leaders agreed that this HR best practise has been an effective selling point for attracting new hires because it helps people develop their skills. Although it provides structure, this process is adaptable enough to change over time.

“When people understand the role they play and understand what they can contribute, that goes a long way for job satisfaction,” she said.

Every year, HR leaders from across Volaris come together to discuss each employee’s performance, contributions, and future potential within the company. From this, leaders are able to gain a thorough understanding of opportunities across teams rather than focusing solely on their own team.

If you’d like more thought leadership on the future of work you can access our full webinar panel on this topic by watching the recording here.