Cheers to 50 Years Patron Thank you

thinking and innovation; active learning and learning strategies; complex problem-solving; critical thinking and analysis; and creativity, originality and initiative. “The most successful companies we work with really know how to engage their employees, because it is an emotion that they drive,” O’Connell said. “They care about their employee experience. They care about their employees’ families. There is authenticity in the way that they have shifted their roles as employers. While we still have goals and deliverables to meet, in the way we meet them has to be considered. “The refocus is in response to the fact that people have begun to shift their thought process. Going back, Baby Boomers were conditioned in a different way to work hard and remain loyal to the company until they reached retirement. Now, multiple revenue streams have become very acceptable allowing creativity on how you generate income.

‘It will change how they feel about going to work’

O’Connell said that a show-and-tell example of the need for modern businesses to place more emphasis on their employees can be found in a simple job description. “It usually starts off with everything that the employer needs, wants and desires, and at the bottom is the information about the employee benefits,” she said. “Employers have to consider flipping that. It has to be all about the employee. If leaders do that, the return on investment will improve engagement, it will improve the way employees feel about the company. It will then resonate out to customers and suppliers who use the company’s products and services. “That to me is fundamentally how the future of work is going to be redefined, and for employees, it will change how they feel about going to work.”

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In Chester County, the numbers begin to tell the story of an economy emerging through the recession of a worldwide pandemic. As of May, the county’s unemployment rate stood at 2.8 percent in a labor force that stands at 293,000 – a significant drop from the 11 percent unemployment rate in the county during the height of COVID-19. While that is good news to the region’s economic outlook, the reality is that for those seeking employees, it’s a competitive environment. Using the resources of a job placement partner to fill that next position can open a candidate’s credentials to a possible employer, O’Connell said.

“My team is really good at determining which applicants are qualified for which positions,” she said. “We do that by simply having conversations. We hear their stories and explore their references. We look at what they are good at and what they want to do and match it against what employers need. Recruiters are able to help crosswalk candidate skills and experience into the next opportunity. We partner with applicants through the entire process. “The future trends in business hiring will all boil down to the leadership of those who respond to the changing needs of our workforce,” O’Connell added. “Will their focus be on retention? Will it be attracting new talent and recruiting? To me, those are tactics, but the real way that employers will become the ones who hire the right candidates is how the candidate feels about the company and how the company feels about them.”

Express Employment Professionals is located at 215 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern, Pa. 19355. Tel.: 484-329-7930. www.expresspros.com/ chestercountymainlinepa

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