The Game Has Changed: How to Recruit Top Talent in 2016

In 2015, we learned that the way we do work is changing—and fast. Companies continue to increase their investment in remote workplace technology, as the predominance of gig-based work rises to new levels.

Over the last year, we've seen companies of all sizes and industries focus conversations around increasing employee engagement as a customer experience and business growth strategy. But that's not the only benefit of an engaged workforce. Showcasing an innovative culture of engaged, connected workers is also a highly effective recruiting tool.

Talented individuals want to work for companies that provide the best enterprise tools and technologies available. Why? In a world of remote and global workers, the latest tech streamlines collaboration and makes jobs more efficient.

In 2015, HR professionals reported a noticeable increase in workers desiring mobile access for work. As such, companies must embrace mobile and make sure systems like customer relationship management, human capital management, learning management systems and expense reimbursement programs are mobile-friendly. While it may not be feasible to implement mobile accessibility for all technologies at once, it's important that talent management professionals push ahead with the best strategy to get there.

The vision of the typical workday being at an office desk from 9-to-5, Monday through Friday is now a thing of the past—and it's not a bad change. The rise of gig-based, freelance and contract work has empowered employees to pursue job opportunities and learning experiences they may not have had access to in the past. It has also changed how workers and HR leaders alike view what work .

In fact, recent survey data from Appirio and Wakefield found that 83 percent of business executives believe that by 2050 the economy will shift toward gig-based work over full-time employees. Workers are happier with increased flexibility and work-life balance, while employers receive greater creativity and productivity. To reap these benefits, old HR strategies must be amended and new standards should be put into place that ensure recruitment of today's top talent.

With new technologies and structures of work in play, identifying an employee as a person—not just a worker—improves the health of a company's culture. One of the biggest reasons employees feel engaged at work is that they feel their growth and career is personally cared for by others. Making connections in the workplace with managers, peers and social groups can help employees feel more satisfied in their jobs.

Human interaction within an organization is the most important driver of organizational success and long-term retention; benefiting not only the individual employee, but the organization as a whole. Employees who are engaged in their jobs and have positive relationships with their peers and managers will be powerful promoters of the organization and key to recruiting top talent.

Photo: Twenty20