How do you make your workplace stand out to talent? People are looking for decent compensation and benefits, that's a given, but data from recruitment specialists also shows that they seek professional development and work-life balance at the very least.

People Matters asked Jamie Francis, the head of people and culture at New South Wales based Howatson+Company and Plus Also Studios, for some of the strategies that she's seen working over the years. Here are six pieces of wisdom from the conversation.

1. People first, systems later

"To build a truly exceptional organisation, you don’t start with systems, you start with people. High-performance teams are cultivated by nurturing connections across disciplines, empowering individuals to collaborate with equally talented peers who have complementary skill sets."

Francis's advice is rooted in the norms of the creative industry: the idea of intersectional creativity and intensive collaboration, building on diversity and what she calls "whole-brain thinking". At a time when AI is filling in much of the lower-tier work in many knowledge industries, the human-oriented, people-first approach can make all the difference to how attractive a workplace appears.

2. Growth and development - for people

"When a company can consistently align top talent with purposeful growth, retention isn’t a challenge - it’s a natural outcome."

Howatson+Company boasts an 88% retention rate at the time of this conversation, which Francis attributes to intensive efforts to enable constant development - and which their own employee surveys substantiate, with 93% of their team agreeing that they have opportunities for growth, she says.

One recent initiative Francis and her team implemented is a five-part Emerging Leaders programme aimed at building a diverse leadership pipeline. Another is a new continuous performance and improvement framework  that combines 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month reviews with ongoing improvement conversations, aimed at keeping feedback and guidance going outside of formal review periods.

3. Meet people's unique needs

"We don’t want people to feel as if their lives begin after 5 p.m. on Friday. They should feel alive and engaged every day. If that means they need to attend a fitness class in the middle of the day or pick up their kids from soccer practice during conventional 'work hours,' our response should be: 'Go for it. We’ve got your back.' Autonomy drives performance, and flexibility fosters creativity."

Francis has a firm stance around how this should be implemented: not as a string of corporate buzzwords, not as a helicopter-level strategy, not as impersonal metrics, but as an entire way of working that - as she mentioned earlier - places people first.

"It's not about accommodating employees merely for the sake of retaining them," she admonished. "It's about empowering them to live their best lives - both at and outside of work."

4. Elevate wellbeing in daily life

The understanding of people's unique needs meshes closely with her favoured approach to wellbeing.

"There's an ethical responsibility we all carry as leaders - to value the individual human experience, not just the employee’s role. For us, well-being incorporates the Māori concept of Hauora, a holistic view of health that balances physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions. This approach reminds us that success doesn't come from a single variable but from harmonising them all."

In practice, this means shifting policies from accommodation - passively responding to stated needs - but proactive elevation, offering platforms and initiatives with the objective of actively making space for employees to bring purpose into their lives outside of work. For example, flexible holidays built around individual calendars and cultural observances: these are not just 'perks', Francis says, but should be viewed as pathways to purposeful living.

5. Be proactive about protecting employees

That same proactiveness extends into how an organisation should view legislation such as the Right To Disconnect. Just because it is enshrined in law does not mean that implementing it is a matter of compliance, Francis believes.

"Adapting to this...is about rethinking how we structure roles, manage workloads, and reduce psychosocial stressors. It forces us to be more proactive in protecting employee well-being, job flow, and change management."

And it extends to how an organisation should respond to technology as well, at a time when the advancement and adoption of AI is threatening jobs.

"As HR leaders, it’s crucial that we safeguard roles that rely on right-brain skills such as creativity, empathy, and intuition, which AI cannot replicate. These roles will be critical in how we develop future generations of talent," Francis warned. "The challenge will be in designing talent pipelines that embrace AI’s strengths while keeping the human touch at the core of learning and development."

6. Trust first, at all times

"Top talent isn't simply looking for a pay check - they seek an environment where they can thrive alongside other high performers. What truly binds a team, and makes it irresistible to talent, is the trust that comes from working with individuals who challenge and elevate one another."

And leadership has a big role to play in maintaining that trust. They must prioritise transparency, empathy, and consistent communication, Francis believes - especially communication, honest, clear, and frequent.

"Employees don’t expect leaders to have all the answers, but they do expect authenticity," she said. "Being upfront about challenges - whether financial headwinds, restructuring efforts, or shifts in business strategy - shows that leadership respects the intelligence and maturity of its workforce. It’s about sharing not just the what, but the why, so employees can align with the bigger picture, even in difficult times."