The Under-Represented Brain Drain.

Brain Drain of the Under-Represented

When you see the term “brain drain” what does that mean to you?

Most likely you think of highly skilled people moving abroad. That’s not surprising, the dictionary definitions of brain drain include:

• The movement of a large number of scientists or academics away from their own country to other countries where the conditions and salaries are better.
• The departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another usually for better pay or living conditions
• The situation in which large numbers of educated and very skilled people leave their own country to live and work in another one where pay and conditions are better

However, there is another brain drain occurring before our eyes which we don’t even see. It’s been there for years and is growing in number.

Why haven’t you heard of it?  Because it doesn’t fit the above definitions and because it’s become an unspoken and accepted part of life. 

It is the brain drain of highly skilled, highly knowledgeable and experienced professionals who find themselves dropping out of the workforce due to a lack of flexibility.  The chances are you know someone who falls into this net

• the parent (usually mum) who would like to balance work with parenting
• the caregiver in the prime of their career who needs to reduce their work hours to allow them to care for loved one
• people with disabilities or those who have developed a health issue requiring accommodations at work
• the older worker who now craves a healthier work/life balance
• the person who’s burnt out and taking a career break only to find re-entering the workforce is full of hurdles.

What they all have in common is the need to find a role outside of the working norms of 5 days a week and 9-5, or fulltime employment and the eventual realisation that it is nigh on impossible at a mid or senior level.

Look at the job boards, talk to recruiters and you’ll quickly notice that there are very few truly flexible roles out there that would cater to these demographics.  Take a peek at the part-time jobs advertised and you’ll see a trend of these being predominantly junior roles. 

 

With the current concerns around skills shortages (especially in the tech sector) and the exodus of over 50s from the workforce we simply cannot afford to stick to outdated and exclusive “norms” of working.  

The care-givers and over 50s groups largely represent Generation X, the generation who has experienced working life pre and post the tech revolution and who now make up the highest percentage in management. Imagine the amount of tacit knowledge being lost, rarely will you see this key asset being quantified.

Many working mums are also leaving organisations and turning to self-employment in search of that elusive flexibility.

As businesses continue to wring their hands while wondering why there remains a gender and minorities imbalance in senior management roles, more women are speaking with their feet and leaving companies at the highest rate ever. for reasons including burnout and lack of flexibility

Now, more than ever, we must shift towards more inclusive flexible working options.  Not the token flexible working which allows the occasional Friday working from home, or where the hybrid days are rigidly set by management. 

 

True flexibility comes from asking the individual what their working preferences/needs are and finding a way to balance that with the organisation’s needs. The one size fits all “flexible working” is essentially tokenism. By taking the time to understand each individual’s working needs and preferences we will be better able to create working environments that are more inclusive, more diverse and more productive.  In doing so we can retain and harness valuable talent and gain from the resulting improvements in diversity and creativity. 

The barriers when it comes to this brain drain are time and location, and it’s high time we listen, learn and adapt.

We know we have the technology to make these healthier working practices the norm, the pandemic showed us that not only were remote and flexible working easily possible, but they also resulted in greater productivity and happier employees.  Many adopted non-linear patterns around their personal lives, allowing them to break up their workdays to balance their personal lives around their productive working rhythms. Alongside these changes the focus has started to shift away from presenteeism towards outputs-based models, and it is this shift which is critical for the brain drain to be addressed.

Honestly, it’s a no-brainer!