Virus fast-tracks organisations' digital transformation
Published on: Saturday, April 25, 2020
File photo from Bernama.
Kota Kinabalu: The Covid-19 pandemic has fast-tracked digital transformation in organisations, said JobStreet Malaysia Country Manager Gan Bock Herm.The current situation, he said, has rapidly re-shaped the way organisation and employees communicate and work as well as the deployment of technologies such as Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Robotics to cope with the pandemic’s onset.
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“These changes also impact the skills that are required in the workforce as well as how recruitment processes are done,” he said in a statement, Tuesday.
“Almost overnight, organisations not only had to speed up their digital transformation but more importantly, maintain a humanised recruitment process.”
He added, JobStreet Malaysia’s Laws of Attraction study found that 34 per cent of Gen Z find it acceptable to have interviews through video calls than other generations, as compared to Gen Y at 32 per cent and Gen X at 30 per cent.
“For contrast, just 19 per cent of Baby Boomers found video interviews acceptable. This further signifies the importance of organisations humanising the whole recruitment process.
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“For example, a smart organisation would adapt to provide an immersive experience and making the session feel more like a two-way conversation.
“Talents, in turn, can get a real feel for the company values, culture or even team members as they would be ‘there in person’,” he said.
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The Laws of Attraction recruitment study, he said, offered an insightful data from more than 10,000 local candidates, cutting across over 25 industries.
“The study is especially timely for organisations seeking to build and retain teams that agilely combine skills and mindsets needed in the path toward post-Covid economic recovery.
“For Malaysian organisations seeking to navigate their way forward after the lifting of Movement Control Order (MCO), these findings go hand in hand with the government stimulus package which is designed to help retain existing workforce and secure new talents toward rebuilding.”
The study reveals thinking driving four generations of job seekers from Gen Z: aged 18-23, Gen Y: aged 24-34, Gen X: aged 35-54 up to Baby Boomers aged: 55-65.
Gan further said, work-life balance is the second most common factor across all generations and an important sub-driver for work-life balance is the ability to work from home or remotely.
“This has proven particularly important and relevant to the current situation as the Malaysian Government enforces social distancing and the MCO to contain Covid-19.
“It is shaping to be a requirement, rather than an option, at a time when organisations in non-essential industries to operate remotely to ensure business continuity.
“The Laws of Attraction findings further assist organisations to understand the perception of working from home from the four generations.
“It reveals 72 per cent of Gen X prefer to work from home, closely followed by Gen Y with 71 per cent, Gen Z trails with 64 per cent and Baby Boomers at 66 per cent,” he said.
Malaysians, he added, are receptive toward working from home or remotely, given the higher than 50 per cent approval rating from all generations.
Gan said, the two major factors of driving changes in the multigeneration workforce are demographic and technological transformation.
“In terms of demographics, each generation has different ways of communicating, different ways of working, and each with different expectations for employers.
“It is necessary to manage such an expectation in order to be able to work efficiently.”
The Laws of Attraction, he said, gave detail for organisations to understand these generational characteristics and enable them to effectively attract, building teamwork while adapting to economic changes.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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