Eric Cramlet, Director of HR from Australia’s winner of Great Places to Work, global medical tech company Stryker, shares tips and advice to help Aussies find the perfect job.

Automation and robotics are changing the nature of work everywhere and transforming job roles. Companies on the precipice of technological disruption will increasingly face the challenge of hiring people for jobs that do not even exist yet. 

New technologies will reduce repetitive tasks undertaken by people but are unlikely to deliver a competitive advantage unless accompanied by a focus on developing human skills. As organisations continue to introduce technology into the workforce, there needs to be a shift from “using” to “interacting” with technology to realise its full potential. 

As a medical technology company with a focus on innovating to make healthcare better, we have years of experience overcoming the challenge of integrating technology and human behaviour. 

While there’s no secret recipe for success, having recently received the award of Australia’s best place to work, we wanted to share some of our own learnings to help both individuals and organisations create environments where people and technology can flourish working side-by-side.

Make it meaningful 

Creating a great place to work hinges on making work meaningful and giving people a sense of belonging, trust and relationship. Regardless of the role our people play, they can connect what they do day-to-day to our bigger purpose: to make healthcare better for our customers and their patients. It’s about doing work that matters and having fun while doing it. 

Some companies use ‘work perks’ to engage employees, but we believe in focusing on the experience our people have every day. We support employee led initiatives to build inclusive workforces and encourage connections to be made within our network, and to the work we do. 

Focus on an individual’s strengths 

As individuals continue to spend less time in any one job, we believe it is important to invest in getting to know potential candidates as individuals. When we find the right person, regardless of experience, we help candidates identify their strengths and adapt roles to fit the individual. Once on-boarded, we focus on engaging and developing people based on their natural talents. 

For example, four years ago, we brought new technology into the Australian market, which assists with joint replacement surgery. Since then, over 50 people are now working in roles that did not exist four years ago. When we started looking for people to fill the newly created Mako Product Specialist role, we had great success in hiring driven physiotherapists who understood anatomy, but more importantly, were agile individuals committed to life-long learning. 

Prepare for the unknown 

We recently took a long-term and creative look at what an employee of the future might look like. Using publicly available research, we identified the most important human qualities needed for people to succeed in a technologically advanced world. 

The qualities, some of which include agility and adaptability, active listener, purpose-driven, life-long learner, good under pressure and an entrepreneurial spirit, were brought to life by Australian illustrator, Anthony Calvert. Meet Jamie.

Moving into the future, as people look to stand-out in interviews and ultimately succeed in roles that do not yet exist, they should focus on identifying strengths that can be cultivated and harnessed to apply to a number of job roles. For organisations, the focus should away from traditional competency-based assessments and consider people who are curious, adaptable, flexible, willing to learn. 

I believe, for people and organisations to be successful in the future, it is paramount to not only recognise the potential of technology but understand the human behaviour needed to create a competitive advantage within the business landscape. For those looking to lead the integration of human and technological potential, providing meaningful work and focusing on individuals’ strengths is key to preparing for the unknown in the future of work.

WomenLoveTech would like to thank Erin Cramlet for her article.

Erin Cramlet, Senior Director, Human Resources, Stryker South Pacific