Workforce of the Future

As our industry and workplace evolve, we are taking steps to better equip our workforce for future success and build an organization of world-class talent with a full pipeline of future leaders who offer diverse capabilities, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

In response to an evolving multigenerational workforce and changing nature of work, we launched the Workforce of the Future strategy to build an organization of people who are continuously learning and refining their skills for success. With the pace of change accelerating technologies, automation, and the skills required to succeed at work, Workforce of the Future is focused on embedding a culture of continuous learning and balancing the need for building digital and technology skills with emotional and human skills.

With the pace of change accelerating technologies, automation, and the skills required to succeed at work, MetLife previously committed $10 million to its Workforce of the Future program, focused on embedding a culture of continuous learning and balancing the need for building digital and technology skills with emotional and human skills. Since this commitment, 23,808 unique employees have accessed the 13 distinct topics that have been developed, which have been translated into nine core languages, covering a variety of future focused skill-building topics. One example related to ‘Agile’ includes virtually upskilling over 2,000 employees within a six-month period. The Leading the Future program continues to expand learning topics and resources. Since the program has launched, MetLife has seen a range of measurable benefits:

• MetLife employees that engaged¹ with the Workforce of the Future learning program have better/higher retention by +13-14%² over those who aren’t engaged.*

• MetLife employees that are engaged¹ with the Workforce of the Future learning program have higher engagement scores by +1-3 points³ over those that aren’t engaged*.

• MetLife employees that are engaged¹  with the Workforce of the Future learning program have higher scores by +2-4 points on having good opportunities to develop at MetLife³ over those that aren’t engaged.*

Refocusing learning and development

Our approach to learning and development is guided by our belief that the business must serve the employee in order to succeed. We must deliver resources and opportunities to develop the latest skills so that every employee is continuously learning. To accomplish this most effectively, we focus on how people learn at work and explore the role of technologies such as artificial intelligence in making learning more personalized and aligned with employees’ needs and aspirations.

Rising up with Generation

One of the primary goals of MetLife Foundation’s work is to ensure that low- and moderate-income people are equipped not only with financial tools and resources but also with the right skills necessary to capitalize on opportunities and be prepared for working in the future. That often requires early intervention and specialized trainings. In 2020, MetLife Foundation grantee Generation developed a virtual training and upskilling program in equipping, equipping 120,000 nurses and medical staff, four time more than anticipate, to fight the coronavirus. These skills will help set them on the path to earning a steady income and taking actionable steps toward improving their long-term financial health. The program delivers a high placement ratio with more than 80% of graduates being placed within three months of their training with double their pre-training earnings.

Recruiting Goes Digital

In line with our efforts to build a more flexible and resilient future for our employees, in 2020 we began piloting a new digital recruiting platform with great early results in Latin America and the U.S. Besides the obvious advantage for recruiters and employees, the platform reduced administrative tasks by over 80% and provided qualified candidates for sales leaders. As a result, we saw an increase of over 462% in the number of applications through the digital channel and over 106% of hires coming from it during the pilot. We are excited to launch this to a wider audience in 2021. We also expanded several partnerships, including Seizing Every Opportunity (SEO), Guiding the Way to Inclusion (GWI), and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 2020, with plans to continue working with them to fill our talent pipeline. In Asia, MetLife China continued its efforts to recruit and train agents virtually, as well as managing 45,000 people attending online seminars and the team welcoming 5,700 new recruits. Bangladesh also held hugely successful recruitment seminars via Facebook Live and launched a series of virtual training courses for its agents to help them enhance their knowledge and skills fit for the evolving world.