Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493016
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 153 The era of the COVID-19 pandemic has pre- cipitated a work-from-home culture, but there has been a recent, noticeable shift in that thinking; many people don't want to be tied to either their home or their workplace. Surveys have shown that most workers want the flexibility of a hybrid environment and competitive wages. Mitchell further explored the two biggest challenges in finding and keeping qualified people by listing a wide range of possible sources for prospects, including those in higher age groups who still have some years of productive work to offer; people from other industries; and people from everyday locations who have particular attributes that could serve them well in a new position. Mitchell also emphasised the need for com- panies to constantly innovate their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies. He com- mented that "new" methods of communica- tion, like LinkedIn, are actually "old" ways in a different format; he observed the need to communicate with individuals differently depending on their generational group: Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, or Generation Z. Finding the right people is important but keeping them is even more important. Mitch- ell explored this topic by considering issues of culture, purpose, impact, compensation, benefits, recognition, and growth, before dis- cussing upskilling and training. "There's never been a time when quality training is more important," he said, "to the success of our industry today." Responsibility was his final topic. "How do we help people understand that we trust them?" was an important issue he examined. One way to achieve trust is with cross-functional teams; Mitchell illustrated this by referring to a project where people from non-leadership positions in every division of IPC became part of a cross- functional group. On this project, each individual had to become the liaison for the rest of their team, represent- ing all of that team's issues to the cross-functional group. Mitchell headed up the group, so that everyone could see that the project had the attention of the president of the organisa- tion. He admitted that, due to his participating in this project,