The EQ Advantage: Building Smarter Teams

[00:00:00] Mo Fathelbab: Welcome to today's episode of People and Strategy. I'm your host, Mo Fathelbab, president of International Facilitators Organization. We are here at SHRM 25, the largest HR conference in the world. People and Strategy is a podcast from the SHRM Executive Network, the premier network of executives in the field of human resources.

Each week we bring you in-depth conversations with the country's top HR executives and thought leaders. I'm excited to be joined by Jordan Quigley, North American VP at Robert Half. For today's episode, we'll be discussing skills gaps for internal talent pools, and Robert ha's recent hiring research.

Welcome, Jordan. Thank you, Mo. It's great to be with you. Great to have you with us. So Jordan, I wanna start with. Your career journey. Tell us a bit about that and how you got into the field of hr.

[00:00:54] Jordan Quigley: Absolutely, Mo. Well, it's great to be here this weekend with such an inspiring group of HR leaders and I think anytime we can get, a group together like this that put people first and love developing, individuals, it's a huge win for us all.

So good to be with you this week. great to have you. Yeah. been with Robert Half for going on 13 years. always been very passionate about people, developing people, putting people first. you might be aware of Robert Half is the world's largest specialized talent agency. been in business for over 75 years.

we currently have over 300 branches in, various countries around the world. And, we specialize in, introducing, top tier talent to organizations, both on a direct hire contract to permanent consulting and contract basis. And so it, it always aligned really well with my passion and my strengths.

Today I have the privilege of serving as our North American Vice President, for our administrative customer support practice group. That also includes HR and also Robert Half Healthcare as well. And so it's just great to be here this weekend with not only colleagues, but you know, leaders alike and, to spend some time, Collaborating, specifically around hr.

[00:02:02] Mo Fathelbab: It's contagious to be here because it is an incredible group of people. And thank you again for being with us. So, before you got to Robert Half, tell us about your career journey there.

[00:02:12] Jordan Quigley: Absolutely. Well, actually it wasn't too long, before I came to Robert.

Half, I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Moved down to Southern California, to attend at Chapman University. And upon graduating it happened to be, 2009, it wasn't maybe the best time to graduate, right. For a lot of folks. And so. I did get a, a couple actually administrative roles right off the bat, because I wanted to stay in Southern California and explore, which departments in an organization I might want to eventually work in.

I come from a family of small business owners and also HR professionals. And, so, working around HR and people was always of interest to me, but I also love going out and, developing relationships with organizations as well. And so, like a lot of us at Robert Half, we came, searching potentially for a new opportunity and, They invited me to interview and, start my career journey there. before Robert Half, I worked briefly for a couple, marketing advertising agencies, and, but primarily spent the majority of my career at Robert Half.

[00:03:11] Mo Fathelbab: So Jordan, I'm curious, what are some of the things you've learned in talking to other CHROs here at SHRM 25?

[00:03:17] Jordan Quigley: Certainly, it's, been great to have, collaborative conversations around, what's, top of mind for them. One of the most interesting conversations I've had recently was with, it was actually after our executive director, Rob Hosking, delivered a, presentation this afternoon, specifically around managing the generational workforce, and the, complexities that go with that.

today, as I've talked with HR leaders here, specifically one I'm, thinking of after that presentation, she was very curious to learn more about that. something that she, had not investigated that much previously. not just, what, how, best practices for managing different generations within an organization.

but what motivates, those individuals as well? For instance, as an example, one of our, one of our recent surveys that Robert Half said that 75% of Gen Z is very interested in looking at organizations that invest in professional certifications and professional development. And I think that's important, right?

to know what motivates a baby boomer today might not necessarily be the same of course for a, Gen Z or a millennial.

[00:04:32] Mo Fathelbab: So Gen Zs have a higher propensity to pick a place of work where they're gonna get education and upscaling and training.

[00:04:40] Jordan Quigley: Absolutely. It's not just about compensation for Gen Z today.

and that was something that our global executive director, Rob Hosing, did a great job, at delivering in his message today. whereas almost every other generation is. Maybe more motivated or still motivated by, compensation. it's interesting how a, genzer today might be much more interested in the culture of the organization.

Of course, still on compensation, but, other things might matter quite, quite a bit more.

[00:05:09] Mo Fathelbab: I'm curious, as you mentioned, the culture of an organization, when you all, provide candidates for your clients, how do you ensure cultural alignment?

[00:05:20] Jordan Quigley: Well, that's a really great question actually. Right. And I, I feel that culture can best be understood when we can meet on site at the organization, not just with the leaders, but to walk the halls, right, to get to know, some of the other departments that they'll be collaborating with.

what is that culture of not just that department, but the overall organization. And so the more people that we can meet that they'll be associating with and supporting at that organization. The better match that we can make, with, a contract talent professional.

[00:05:52] Mo Fathelbab: So, onto our topic, what are some of the common skills gaps you're seeing in internal, talent pools?

[00:05:58] Jordan Quigley: Absolutely. Well, thanks Mo. I mean, this is a great topic to kick off on. it's a topic that, we've been, as I speak with business leaders today, and I have the privilege of, mentoring teams internally, it's a topic that it's, hard to turn a corner without talking about. In fact, I've probably had the conversation three or four times with HR leaders here just in the last day and a half.

according to Robert ha's most recent data, 72% of organizations are deeply concerned about critical skills gaps on their teams. and when we specifically look at hr, I believe our data says 52% of HR leaders are, equally as concerned about critical skills gaps. Some of those skills gaps are specifically pertaining to hr, seem to really center around advancing learning and development programs.

leveraging AI compensation reviews, data analysis. But it's interesting when you zoom out and look at some of the, broader trends, outside of just hr. there's some, common themes or, or critical thinking, time management, digital fluency, cross-functional fluency. and so it's definitely a topic that we're talking a lot about today.

[00:07:10] Mo Fathelbab: How does data drive your decision making and your work?

[00:07:14] Jordan Quigley: Absolutely. Well, the more that we can actually, survey and understand, right, what's in the minds of, our employees today, of the, of, our workforce, the more that we can make informed decisions, right? we can certainly, leverage cognitive AI to help verify some of that and help encourage us as leaders to, to maybe identify what we're missing and where we're not looking.

Leaders too have critical skill gaps. Right. And why do you think these skill gaps exist in the first place? Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, there's definitely a lot of pieces to that puzzle. but a couple common ingredients seem to center around, as far as the digital transformation and the evolution of the technologies that we're using today, or certainly outpacing the ability of organizations to upskill and re-skill their employees.

When you couple that with a lot of the post pandemic hybrid work, I think we can both admit there's a lot of individuals that still might feel a bit isolated or siloed. Right. in fact, according to some of our recent research, only 45% of organizations are currently are investing in, professional certifications and professional development.

And so it's a huge opportunity across the board.

[00:08:27] Mo Fathelbab: Do you think that's a downturn in terms of that investment? is it a sign of the economy and concerns in those companies?

[00:08:34] Jordan Quigley: I'm sure there's a bit of that playing in there, but, I think at the end of the day, it's just more about all of us waking up, to see that, hey, this is a huge area of opportunity for us, especially as, organizations begin to, welcome more employees back.

Right. and, focus less on hybrid work. How can leaders address, these challenges? As I talk with business leaders, there's a few different things that I've noticed that seem to work very well, right now. one is the more that we can slow down as HR leaders, as leaders in inside of organizations, even outside of hr, to build an inventory of those skills, not only where we might have an abundance of them.

But based off our goals for the year ahead, the second half of this year, or the fiscal year ahead, what are those critical skills that we're lacking as an organization and how can we focus more on upskilling and reskilling our employees internally? I think that, according to our research, most recent research, 52% of organizations plan to upskill their employees this year.

And, I believe 47% plan to re-skill. So, good news is there's momentum out there in the market around that right now. as I also talk with business leaders and coach teams internally, the more that we can invite individuals to focus on cross-functional training, and mentorship, that seems to be a huge win as well.

And then, last but not least, anytime I get the opportunity to recommend to an organization or a leader. To, explore using and leveraging, contract talent professionals. That's always a great win as well. At Robert Half, we specialize in proactively building relationships with highly qualified talent, that we thoroughly vet, reference, check, skill, test, interview, and then introduce to our clients, to either help fill those critical skills gaps or, help address where organizations might have more work than headcount.

actually according to our research, I believe 63% of HR professionals plan to leverage contract professionals in the second half of 2025. so those are a couple strategies that seem to be working pretty well right now. So, Jordan, how can leaders build that inventory of skills that you've talked about?

Sure. Mo I, as I've been talking with HR leaders here at SHRM this weekend, yeah. As we, as I talk with our clients that are in the HR industry as well. several of them have, actually, focused on either, whether it's employee surveys, internally, to really listen, to their, employees and, how their role's evolving.

what they would like to see, more creative aspects in their day-to-day life.

[00:11:17] Mo Fathelbab: So you mentioned, technology and AI outpacing. The skills that are needed. let's focus specifically on ai. What impact is AI having on the skills gap?

[00:11:31] Jordan Quigley: In several ways across the board, that we've observed.

and, I, AI at the end of the day, I know can be a bit daunting, a bit scary if we haven't used it right. So I always encourage business leaders to explore it, download it on your own, right? and try using chat GPT or co-pilot, right, to explore and help build your, skills around building prompts, right?

but at the end of the day, it's revolutionizing the HR industry, specifically around, I mentioned earlier, how we're analyzing, compensation benefits, how, it's, certainly helping improve processes. At the end of the day, actually limit maybe some of the more redundant work that leaders might have to focus on to free up more time to focus on strategic initiatives.

[00:12:16] Mo Fathelbab: So SHRM is currently focused on, skills first initiatives. And, are you seeing more companies focus on skills over degrees?

[00:12:25] Jordan Quigley: Yes, actually, there's definitely been a shift that we've observed from pedigree to potential in the market. pedigree to potential. I love that. I love that. And, and it.

and the more that organizations can focus on, like we talked about before, right? But building an inventory of skills and upskilling and reskilling their employees seems to be a tie that raises all ships for organizations.

[00:12:44] Mo Fathelbab: Yeah. And when it comes to nurturing, rising talent, what makes or breaks high potential leaders and their ability to succeed in terms of what you've seen?

[00:12:55] Jordan Quigley: Absolutely. Well, yeah, I've observed personally, there doesn't appear to be one size fits all when it comes to that. But as I've coached leaders and met with leaders, I've asked this question a lot and, the more I talk with them, the more I realize that, whether it be through creative curiosity or their job requires it.

leaders seem to be fairly proficient when it comes to technology adoption. but the biggest area of opportunity appears to be outside of some of those harder skill sets, specifically around such as emotional intelligence, right? Or the ability to, not just motivate, but inspire a team, creative thinking, and, developing people.

And so, those are some of the things I think that make some of the best leaders, that I've worked with personally.

[00:13:43] Mo Fathelbab: In my view, I think emotional intelligence has been, recognized certainly and has been on the rise in terms of being recognized compared to where it was 13 years ago. When you started that Robert Half, would you agree with that?

[00:13:56] Jordan Quigley: Couldn't agree more. Couldn't agree more. it's definitely a, mix of IQ and EQ today. but at times that's something I'm sure you might agree with that it's hard to teach somebody. Right. That's my next question. How do we teach eq? That's a great question as well. I mean, I, I, believe that it's something that we can help, in inspire individuals to be inspire To be more aware of. but ultimately it's up to the individual if they want to develop their emotional intelligence a bit more. for their own accord.

[00:14:27] Mo Fathelbab: Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's certainly something that, that makes a big difference because we get to see people, we get to empathize with them.

We can make more meaningful connections if we're willing to lean into some vulnerability. Absolutely. Absolutely. so what are some of the best practices you've tested at Robert Haaf that have helped you successfully cultivate leadership skills in rising town?

[00:14:49] Jordan Quigley: Sure thing, Mo you know what I'm very proud about Robert Haaf, is that a lot of the strategies that we've adopted, I've observed other enterprise level organizations adopt as well.

And knowing that, again, there's not one size of fits all when it comes to leadership development. customization is key. And the more that organizations can invest in customized, learning and development programs, that, encourage, leaders to develop their EQ and iq. Right. And one other thing too is that, I'm always been a huge fan of, re-interviewing or, stay interviews.

Some people call it re-recruiting. Individuals. And if you take a look at leaders today, and, top producers inside of an organization, what might have motivated them originally when they were just getting a start with their career is certainly not maybe what motivates them today. Right?

And so, taking opportunity five to eight years into their career to, sit down and better understand how their role has evolved, can produce better leaders, within the organization ultimately. I love that. I haven't heard of that concept before. I think that's lovely.

Absolutely. Absolutely. and then, of course, there's always an opportunity as well, when we notice that there's potential gaps in leadership, to help bridge those gaps. Leveraging skilled talent professionals to step in as interim, solutions, appears to help really kind of glue the organization together and, keep that workflow moving.

[00:16:19] Mo Fathelbab: Love it. And, you all are working on some current, research, that I think speaks to hiring, being slower than usual? Dig into that data for us a little bit.

[00:16:30] Jordan Quigley: Yeah, you, that's definitely what we've observed, through our research is that hiring is slowed. recently we've found that taking on average for HR professionals around five weeks, and when you look outside of just hr, it could be up to seven weeks, to hire somebody on a full-time basis.

Also, according to our recent, research, over 90% of HR leaders, admit to hiring, taking longer than it might have two years ago, 30% admit that they'd actually made a mishi in the last year, and I believe 93% specifically said that they attribute that to not, there're not being enough available qualified talent in the market.

And so, I think that's important for HR leaders to, to observe and keep top of mind. and the more that they can focus on upskilling, re-skilling their employees, the better results I think we'll see.

[00:17:20] Mo Fathelbab: And when we talk about not enough candidates and not enough potential, folks to, bring on, how are you all seeing that at Robert Half?

Are you also seeing it slower in terms of hiring at Robert Half?

[00:17:34] Jordan Quigley: Well, we have the privilege of Robert Half of partnering with thousands of organizations on any given day and understanding where their skills gaps might be. and helping them expedite that process. we offer various talent solutions to help organizations depending on what it is they might need.

If it's a direct hire, opportunity, we can certainly help scale that process. And we represent individuals that you might not find online, because they're not actively seeking new opportunities. And so through those exclusive relationships, we're able to really help organizations cut down that direct higher time.

We also, offer, solutions, where we can actually hire on experts and, top talent to our payroll and then, actually align them with organizations when continuity is important. That's our full-time, engagement professionals. and, last but not least, we also offer contract talent solutions, for, those shorter term assignments, whether it be.

An interim opportunity or, when organizations might be going through a peak workload, or maybe somebody left them unexpectedly and, we can help 'em in that arena as well.

[00:18:44] Mo Fathelbab: So when we think about the gig economy, are you all seeing data whereby, people are more so hired for interim roles or short term roles as opposed to permanent placement roles?

[00:18:57] Jordan Quigley: It really depends on the area of opportunity within that organization. I would say that I'm noticing a balance of both right now. but you know, I think what one of the, one of the interesting things that, that I've recently observed is that organizations are leveraging more Boomerang hires, actually, according to ADP's research, back in March of this year, they, it was a payroll, report that they offered online, and I believe they said, that 35% of new hires were boomerang hires.

This year, and that's up from 31% last year.

[00:19:31] Mo Fathelbab: 35%.

[00:19:32] Jordan Quigley: 35%. And I had to double check that number. Yeah. when I read it online with our teams internally. And, so, oftentimes keeping those types of individuals in mind as well can be a huge win for any organization. because, these folks have, obviously they, they know the mission, they know the values of the organization.

They've taken a break and they've advanced their skill sets, learned through new industries, new, new, skill sets personally, maybe, in their department that they work in, and can bring that value back to the organization.

[00:20:05] Mo Fathelbab: Yeah. that is great. how do you think CHROs will need to evolve their, talent strategy, to meet the demands of today's workforce?

[00:20:15] Jordan Quigley: I believe that CHROs will benefit from, really focusing on. A few things. leaning into technology, right? embracing technology and, and, how it can enhance the HR function, whether it be around recruiting, making smart choices through applicant tracking systems, helping out with compensation reviews, right?

I think it's also important, for them to, like we had talked about in the beginning, to take a, create an inventory of skills right at the organization. not just what they're having an abundance of, but you know, based off of goals that they have throughout the year ahead, where are those deficits and how can they leverage either, external talent or upskill and re-skill their employees to help fill those gaps?

and so, it's been great to actually talk with several senior HR leaders here, throughout this, the last day and a half. And I know that this is top of mind and we're making progress in, in these areas, but I'm looking forward to the next day and a half to have a few more of those conversations as well.

[00:21:18] Mo Fathelbab: Wonderful. last question. What is one piece of advice that has shaped your personal or work life the most?

[00:21:25] Jordan Quigley: As somebody that's incredibly passionate about people developing people, putting people first. one of my favorite authors, John C. Maxwell, was quoted saying, in one of his books that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Yes. And that's something that I've always, I've always aligned with my personal life, my professional life. And, as someone that loves putting people first, developing people, I know that the more that we can put people first as leaders, the more that they'll turn around and put our organizations and our initiatives first as well.

So, which is so great again about being here this weekend, just to be around a group of like-minded individuals that, love and appreciate people. And let's face it, that's why we're all here this weekend.

[00:22:06] Mo Fathelbab: Jordan, pleasure to have you with us. Thank you so much, much Mo. Appreciate your time. Thank you.

That's where we'll end it for this episode of People and Strategy. A huge thanks to Jordan for your valuable insights. You can follow the People and Strategy podcast wherever you get your podcast. Also, podcast reviews have a real impact on a podcast visibility. So if you enjoyed today's episode, leave a review to help others find the show.

Finally, you could find all our episodes on our website at SHRM dot org slash podcasts. Thank you for listening and have a great day.