Video: 10 Minute IT Jams - An update from D2L

Australian and New Zealand organisations are struggling to recruit and retain talent. That is the blunt assessment from Tony Maguire, regional director for Australia and New Zealand at leading educational technology provider D2L, who says fundamental shifts in employee expectations and workplace dynamics are now shaping the way employers approach recruitment, training, and staff development.

Speaking on 10 Minute IT Jams, Maguire explained that the pressures facing businesses in the region reflect broader social changes accelerated by the pandemic. "Changing expectations essentially - COVID had people reflecting on their work-life balance, what was really meaningful to them," he said. "So I think that's been sticking in people's minds for quite some time."

High employment levels and an increased sense of agency among workers have also contributed to the competitive landscape. "Currently we're experiencing a period of really high employment. If you've got less than four percent unemployment then people who want a job have a job, and people who are normally at the fringes - maybe don't typically find the job market easy to enter, people with disability, older workers, young Australians looking for their first job, perhaps the long-term unemployed - they're now able to access opportunities that would have been closed to them," Maguire explained.

However, he warned that while there is abundance of choice, uncertainty looms, particularly with emerging signs of downsizing in the technology sector. "We haven't really experienced as an economy a period of downsizing," he said. "I think over the last two, three weeks people started to see that downsizing through other platforms, particularly in tech, but we're starting to see a downsizing. There's a resistance now - whilst we've had lots of choice our innocence, really, to look around too much if you're starting to be concerned about your role, so the market is tight but also people are tending to stick with what they've got."

In such a climate, Maguire believes it is no longer workplace perks like office snacks that set employers apart. "Those, obviously, as people are less active in the actual workplace, in the office, have kind of been watered down a bit," he said. Instead, the real differentiators are genuine investment in staff, a strong focus on well-being, and the creation of environments where employees feel valued and empowered.

He said, "Proof that you're investing in your staff - that's what sets employers apart. During the recruitment process: how do you invest in us? What can we expect coming into the workplace?"

According to Maguire, three core areas have become key to attracting and retaining talent: employee well-being, community building, and the use of effective digital tools. "Someone embracing your staff and their agency in the process is really, really important," he noted. "Probably that's the word I would see as most applicable through all the kinds of conversations I've heard: agency, choice, and staff agency. A broader understanding of what well-being is and how fundamental that is to supporting staff because that builds resilience and helps bridge that gap between emotional and mental health support."

Community, he argues, can no longer be built around the watercooler or M&M's bar. "If we're not going to be around the M&Ms bar, how do we build community in meaningful ways? How do we do that authentically? How do we listen?"

For Maguire, technology has become central to delivering on these ambitions - but it must be deployed thoughtfully. "How do you actually set clearer expectations with staff around how they'll be supported, the tools that they will use, and simplifying those tools? That's really critical as well," he said. "The concept of co-creating that working environment is really attractive to employees and I think that sets you apart."

Learning and development, he argues, can no longer be a one-off or compliance-driven exercise. "Has anyone been comfortable with and happy with the compliance training that you typically do when you walk into a job?" Maguire asked. "It is mind-numbing and you typically do the same thing so many different times. Learning development has to be more focused around the development journey, the trajectory of the employee."

He highlighted D2L's own internal programme, which gives staff the opportunity to invest in credentials that support their careers. "We actually offer our employees about four and a half thousand dollars per year to invest in credentials where they see value, and that's with universities and businesses that provide highly recognised, highly valuable credentials that plug into our employees' career aspirations and journey," he said.

For organisations eager to remain competitive, underpinning recruitment and development activities with strong technology and data is essential. "If you don't have those pieces in place you can't attract the right candidates, you can't be seen as an employer of choice, and you certainly don't have the ability to understand the improved skills that your employees have got and then apply them to the business problems that you've got," Maguire asserted.

But the recruitment landscape remains challenging, with rival organisations keen to poach top talent. "Competitors are trying to grab a hold of resources from companies where they see there's a quick win, so how do you buttress your employees against that kind of activity?" Maguire said. He pointed back to well-being, agency, and community as vital protections, supported by rapid and responsive processes when recruiting. "If you don't respond within eight hours, you've probably lost that candidate. That speed has been one of the biggest changes I've seen in the last probably 12, 18 months."

When it comes to learning management systems and other digital learning and training technologies, Maguire stressed the importance of accessibility and personalised experiences. "It's about providing a variety of experiences for your employees, so whether it's compliance, onboarding, yep, we get that, that needs to be done, but how do you do that in a way which is less onerous and more engaging?" he said. "Having the technology that allows full accessibility so that any employee, irrespective of physical, emotional challenges, is able to participate fully in the process and then also be able to contribute effectively."

Ultimately, Maguire believes that lifelong learning is the linchpin of a strong workplace culture and sustained competitiveness. "The culture that you engender, build and have within your business is absolutely critical," he said. "Lifelong learning speaks to employee stickiness, lifelong learning gives you a chance to build deeper and broader understandings of workforce productivity opportunities, because you can see where the skills are being nurtured and developed."

Concluding, Maguire underlined that a properly structured learning programme not only improves staff satisfaction, but also gives organisations the data they need for robust strategic planning and long-term viability. "It supports your business viability long term because you know where the gaps are," he said.