Sometimes our local Business Journals have some stunning articles. This one certainly offers quick, thoughtful advice on one of every business’s chief problems: TALENT!

Have you asked yourself, WHERE IS ALL THE TALENT? How are these individuals who worked at restaurants, FedEx, Amazon Fulfillment Centers, Walmart, and Lowes stores making a living today? And, what about IT Help Desks? What will it take to get them back to the jobs we can’t fill in IT, Starbucks, American Airlines, and your favorite restaurant that is now closed on Sunday and Monday?

This is certainly a sobering reality for many HR executives. “Most employers are continuing to rely on things like compensation, titles, and opportunities for advancement, but the Covid-19 pandemic has led more and more people to reevaluate what they want from a job — and from life — which is creating a large pool of active and potential workers who are shunning the traditionalist path,” according to the McKinsey report.” It’s astonishing that “while the biggest reasons employees quit their jobs was because of lack of career development and advancement and inadequate total compensation, McKinsey’s research found it will take a different set of perks to lure back the nontraditional workers.”

Guess what? “When asked what would make returning to a traditional job worth it, nontraditional workers listed “employee flexibility” ahead of total compensation. Career advancement, which ranked at the top for traditional workers, was only the seventh-most important factor for nontraditional workers.”

Not surprisingly, flexibility is a core requirement. When asked what it would take to get them to return to a traditional job, “[a] survey from Prudential Financial Inc. found 70% of workers say they have prioritized, or are considering prioritizing their personal lives over their jobs and careers, while 20% said they were willing to take pay cuts if it means they could have a better balance with their personal life.”

There you have it: Flexibility over Total Comp. Work Life balance has finally scored a win. Maybe before you know it, we’ll be like Northern Europeans who have struck a deal to live a whole life balancing family and work, including the grand, long summer vacations. So, what is your company doing today that is working to bring people back to your company? And I’m curious: Is this seen by your Leadership Team as a temporary trend post-COVID, or is this going to be the “real deal” from now on?