2 min read January 2023 — Jâlie Cohen is the Group SVP and Head of Global Talent for the Adecco Group, the world’s leading talent advisory and solutions company. With its Business Center based in Jacksonville, Cohen sat down with Invest: to discuss how the office is setting the precedent in modernizing the workplace, preparing for Gen Z and Millennials to make up the bulk of the workforce by 2030 and more.
What is the significance of the new Jacksonville Business Service Center?
In November 2022, we were beyond thrilled to host the grand opening of our Business Center in Jacksonville. The Center is open to over 400 local employees across support and corporate functions – HR, legal, tax, IT, finance, communications and more – for our three global business units, the Adecco, Akkodis and LHH. It is also a meeting spot for colleagues, customers and partners from all over the world when they visit the Jacksonville market. Our new office space serves as a great opportunity: we have carefully curated a next-generation workspace that encompasses our mission and vision, while showing our clients the model for the future of work. We very intentionally put the evolving needs of the modern employee at the heart of every decision we made.
Why is Jacksonville the best place to house the Business Service Center?
The Adecco Group is focused on helping employers and employees embrace the new way of working, including the hybrid work model. Part of this is creating a collaborative workspace that supports in-person tasks and discussions. The Jacksonville market is a fantastic community to be a part of. Despite its massive size, it feels like a close-knit community, which is completely aligned with our organizational culture. Additionally, we have built and fostered great partnerships within our local talent market. For example, we have a large military population, which is a great market for our workforce. In fact, we were recently named in a Top 3 Military Friendly® Employer. We also have programs in high schools that help prepare students for life after graduation.
What are the defining factors of the modern workforce?
- Flexibility: This is at the forefront of the modern workplace; so much so that it inspired how we built out our Jacksonville office. We opted for open and collaborative spaces and natural light. When people come into work, they want to feel as though they are part of something bigger while connecting with employees.
- Wellbeing: Today’s employee wants to know their employer cares about their health – physically and emotionally. This is key in making sure you’re offering meaningful benefits. For example, our new offices feature fitness centers, walking trails, and meditation rooms.
- Purpose: People want to know that their employer is purpose-driven; who are they working for? What does their employer value; do those match a candidate’s values? For example, we commissioned a local artist to paint a large mural in our new lobby to illustrate our company purpose. This serves as an inspirational and visual reminder that we are showing up to “Make the Future Work for Everyone.”
- Inclusivity: Gen Z and Millennial generations expect an inclusive, diverse work environment. Through our partnerships, we’re working to address this with employers and talk them through how to bring a DEI discussion to the forefront of their operations. The World Economic Forum notes that 27% of the workforce will be Gen Z by 2027, and millennials will be dominating the executive ranks alongside them – currently making up about 37% of the workforce. If companies don’t embrace and adapt to this expectation, they will have an increasingly difficult time recruiting and retaining talent in years to come.
What separates your operations from others in the industry?
We have resources for every kind of employee experience – from temporary workers to full-time workers to those looking for a career change, coaching or upskilling. We have various programs or academies to help with each journey. In Jacksonville, all of those offerings are fueled by the functions that operate in our Business Center. We have particular interest right now in upskilling, which helps bolster the employability of people and allows us to produce better career outcomes for people.
What do you believe the future holds for Jacksonville’s business community?
With the massive influx of talent moving to Jacksonville, we need the jobs to support it, and thankfully, the city is thriving in both real estate and new talent. Jacksonville boasts rich diversity – between the market’s size, academic institutions, hospitals, military bases, tech startups and arts community – and an intergenerational talent pool, as the Jacksonville area attracts individuals of all ages and at different stages of their careers.
Further, talent increasingly hopes to obtain a better quality of life, which is something Jacksonville is uniquely positioned to offer. That really matters when you’re potentially asking employees and their family members to relocate or to put down roots in an area.
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