Even before the pandemic tossed everything we thought we knew about operational efficiencies, businesses struggled to find skilled workers. While you could throw blame around and literally hit anything, an aging workforce is largely to blame. Take the manufacturing sector. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 25% of all manufacturing workers are over 55 years of age, with 10,000-plus retiring every day.

On the other side, the technological boom in areas like automation is introducing innovative and strategic ways to replace the jobs of what “humans” do. 3D printing. IoT. And the list goes on.

In his intensely researched report, “Your Workforce – The Weakest Link in the Supply Chain – The Importance of Supply Chain and Human Resources Strategy Alignment for Talent Recruitment and Retention,” vaunted supply chain expert Bob Ferrari surmised that supply chain and manufacturing digital transformation and automation processes are all about the abilities of humans to increasingly interact with technology.

Ferrari’s exhaustive research points out that today’s businesses are acknowledging the supply chain management workforce gap and the growing need to drive digital information initiatives across the board. The key is—and will continue to be—what they do about the issue.

The most productive take—one that inspires resolution over resignation—is to view the challenges as opportunities. As founder and lead strategist at Never Enough Media, Rayanne Thorn Krueger focuses intently on the areas of consumer brand growth, employer branding and recruiting, and employee experience and retention. As the co-founder of Talent Jam, she helped create a digital HR conference that helps HR and recruiting practitioners who are not able to participate in national conferences.

In a time when remote workforces are all the rage, Krueger sees the challenges it presents for companies that cannot make the transformation. “Clearly, not every company can keep a fully remote or distributed workforce. Manufacturing, distributing, retail or hospitality require an onsite staff. But some organizations, like those that provide research, consulting or technology really can have a fully remote workforce.”

One of the biggest challenges of operating a distributed or remote workforce is the idea that company culture and employee engagement cannot exist with a staff that does not work together, collaborating in real life (IRL). If this is built into the company’s culture, the concept more than likely fits that mold. Krueger says for the concept of remote work to work, it must work for everyone. Feeling a part of—that belonging—is necessary for successful collaboration in remote teams.

Several years ago, Krueger ran an informal survey asking her network to share the most important reason they stayed with their company. The near unanimous answer may surprise you. It was not for money, but instead, for that sense of belonging.

“Feeling valued is finishing work every day knowing you made a difference,” Krueger says. “Feeling valued is by receiving verbal or written appreciation from your colleagues and leaders. It is far more simple than we believe. It’s as easy as a virtual pat on the back or a fun little care package each month that says thank you or in the form of a logoed coffee mug or T-shirt.”

In all the roles marketing plays in a company’s day-to-day cycle, becoming a true partner with recruiting and human resources may be the most underrated. Creating an “employer brand” is critical to representing what it is like to work for your company.

Krueger says the idea that HR is the sole gatekeeper of the employer brand is outdated and lacks insight. Instead, an employer brand is the perfect “crossing of the streams” of HR and marketing. It is the blending of resources and ideas that—when clicking—not only benefits hiring, but also taps into why employees stay.

“Retention must be considered when building an employer brand,” Krueger says. “If there is not truth and transparency, the best employer brand won’t matter. The truth always comes out.”

Crossing the streams means marketing and HR/recruiting work their magic together, not against each other. Marketing can see between the lines and discover words and swag that can become a beacon for talent attraction and retention.

Today, company after company share their swag with industry influencers or partners. While that is important, think of the role swag can play internally. “If marketing and HR can work together to develop and design items that show new hires and employees that ‘life with us’ is better than anywhere else you’ve been, it’s a win-win,” Krueger says.

What does it mean to create your employer brand and employee engagement strategy? It means looking beyond Monday morning. It means ensuring that your employees consistently feel welcome and appreciated. Developing that relationship with your supply chain changes the future and molds your strategy to fit the needs of your company culture. You lean in, you care. You want employees to know that.

“It used to be that HR would get new employees in the door and set them up quickly for success through whatever onboarding program had been established,” Krueger says. “And then that new employee becomes an employee of two months. When HR talks to them again, it typically means there’s a problem.”

But wouldn’t it be great if HR truly were employee advocates, instead of a distant department that only appears to barely care about the resources who are human at a company? The key is to create an engagement strategy and follow through on the plan. Krueger calls this strategy The Great Wake-Up Call.

“Employees leave because they don’t feel valued,” she says. “The bottom line is that they leave because they feel like they will be treated better elsewhere.”

So how can you as an HR department solve this problem? Krueger breaks the solution down into the following blueprint:

• Brainstorm — Cross functional education for “On brand” swag kits and messaging
• Socialize and Document — Put those ideas together and determine a course of action
• Do — Follow through, but be agile enough to change course when necessary–don’t settle

“All the planning in the world means nothing if there is no follow-through,” she says. “Developing partnerships with marketing and supply chains allows for process and strategy, and then the planning is easy. The doing is the celebration. Celebrate your workforce. They deserve it.”

In future trends that will define the workplace, these internal collaborations will continue to play a greater—and more critical—role in what separates your company from the competition.