With a new, multi-generational workforce necessitating an updated approach to acquisition and retention strategies in the igaming industry, CasinoBeats caught up Gillian Taylor, Head of Talent at Glitnor Group, to discuss what companies can do to attract and hold onto the brightest minds in the business.
CasinoBeats: Could you talk us through some of the key challenges Glitnor Group faces in terms of recruitment and what strategies you’ve put in place to overcome them?
Gillian Taylor: From a talent-perspective, Malta is a much harder sell than it used to be. While it was once the place where everybody wanted to come and join the igaming industry, these days there are some attractive emerging market hubs like Spain.
This is obviously a big factor for the younger generations – particularly millennials – we’re finding that it’s becoming harder to bring people in at entry-level positions without offering a really attractive relocation package and career path.
Another key challenge is the acquisition and retention of top tech talent. As the igaming industry is constantly changing, there’s a high demand for skilled professionals and subject matter experts, so the landscape has become a lot more competitive.
Unless you have a strong employee brand coupled with effective career development and retention initiatives in place, securing highly talented hires can be a challenge.
CB: What do you believe are the primary factors that appeal to employees when it comes to choosing a prospective new workplace and what are their biggest turn-offs?
GT: Flexibility! These days people are more focused on work-life balance than they have been in the past, so I think companies have to be really competitive in this respect and make sure they have the right framework in place to give employees the freedom to work from different offices and locations.
Of course, having a good company culture can also make a big difference – and one of the most important parts of that is recognising we have a greater mix of generations in our industry than ever before, so you need values and initiatives that resonate with a broad range of employees.
In terms of turn-offs, organisations that don’t hold strong values, lack internal communications and a positive culture can be very off-putting for candidates.
CB: What attributes does Glitnor Group look for in a potential new employee?
GT: One of the most important things Glitnor Group looks for when bringing in a new potential employee is how well their values mesh with those of the company – and to evaluate that, you first have to understand a little bit more about how we see ourselves. As a business and as a group we are very entrepreneurially-minded with a passion for innovation and collaboration.
We definitely look for employees with characteristics that you’d associate with that. Such as a positive and fluid mindset. Agile, forward thinking, collaborative.
While skills, experience are undoubtedly important, we do put a big focus on character, personality when hiring to align with our team values and culture.
Whether they’re applying for an entry-level position or a senior role within the group, we believe that the candidates who display these traits are usually the ones that add the most value to our business and uphold the values we’ve worked hard to create.
CB: In what ways would you say that the current generation differs from those in the past when it comes to recruitment?
GT: I’d say that millennials and Gen Z have both brought us a really fresh, digital view and that there’s a lot of fluidity in their mindset. They’ve lived through a really unpredictable job market and have taken all the changes they’ve faced in their stride, so they’re more willing to move from one company to the next when they feel their needs are no longer being met.
The older generation, meanwhile, place a bigger value on job security and tend to be more loyal, so it’s two very different dynamics and you need to be able to cater to both of them. I think it’s really important that we understand that and create an environment where everybody can thrive and be successful.
CB: What are some of the best strategies that can be utilised to ensure that a company has a higher retention rate of its employees?
GT: Retaining valuable talent is obviously vital to the success of any business – and while some of the more traditional things like benefits and compensation packages are obviously still very important, these days it’s about more than just money.
As I highlighted earlier, flexibility and a good work-life balance have become an even bigger priority for employees. We have, for example, a four week work from anywhere scheme, enabling employees to do their job from anywhere in the world for up to four weeks per year on approval of their line manager.
On top of that, we have recognition, rewards and employee engagement programmes that encourage staff to celebrate their achievements in and outside of the office and we also place a big focus on our eNPS outcomes. We want our employees to be seen and heard.
CB: Given how much the working world has changed in recent years, are you finding retention to be particularly difficult in the post-COVID market? Is it arguably harder now than it ever has been?
GT: Yes and no. In some areas I haven’t seen too much change, but certain departments like tech have been massively impacted. In my opinion, it’s one of the hardest areas to retain your talent because skilled developers are currently in such high demand.
If they’re working for an innovative company, they’ll likely be upskilling themselves every six months or so because technology is so fluid. I think it then becomes important stay ahead of these observations and have structures/strategies in place to retain good talent.
