For a company in the fast-moving consumer goods sector facing challenges in attracting and retaining talent, we explored the needs of current employees and young candidates: what they are looking for in a company, what type of organisational culture can attract them, and what values and aspirations drive them.

How have their expectations about the work environment and working hours evolved? How do they envision their professional development? What can keep them engaged and make them feel part of a successful and dynamic team?

We began with a meeting with the HR team to discuss needs and analyse data on resignations and new hires. Then, we conducted interviews with employees from different departments to understand their career development needs and listened to candidates to gather their expectations. Finally, we launched a large-scale survey, to define the key points for an attraction and retention campaign and design "Employee Personas" to pinpoint the values of the talent to attract and retain.

We have confirmed the existence of generational differences in expectations regarding the workplace and working hours: younger employees (Gen Z and Millennials) are more determined to look for organisations that offer hybrid working arrangements. They are dynamic but tend to develop a strong sense of belonging to a company, seeking relationships and shared experiences.