Calvin Cassar, the Human Resources Manager at EPG Financial Services Ltd and a vocal leader in the HR industry, has encouraged employers to reconsider their approach to hiring and retaining talent, saying: “Let us focus on what’s relevant and work towards maximising employee potential.”

Speaking on LinkedIn, he encouraged his peers to focus on aptitude and attitude over raw experience, joking they should prioritise “knowledge, competence and attitude, influence, and performance on the job over laps around the star (I suppose unless you are an astronaut for which that could be relevant)”.

“As HR professionals, we should be speaking about competencies when taking recruitment and development decisions,” he added.

Mr Cassar is a respected figure in the local HR sector, having enjoyed leading positions at prominent local organisations, having served as Head of People and Culture for two years at the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), and a brief stint at The General Soft Drinks Company Ltd, as HR Manager.

The COVID pandemic has brought a perfect storm of conditions for a shift in philosophy towards staffing.

Labour shortages in both skilled and unskilled roles have seen companies compete to acquire and retain staff, while changes to working styles, such as the move to remote or hybrid working, allows workers to be more picky about the benefits of their roles.