Referencing a recent article “10 Workplace Trends You’ll See in 2016“, it’s interesting to take a look at some of the top trends for 2016 predicted by Forbes contributor Dan Schwabel. Schwabel has spent the last several years reviewing surveys, conducting research and interviewing hundreds of Human Resource professionals. He zeros in on those trends likely to impact your place of business and mentions several directly related to the war for talent, doing more with less and promoting employee engagement within a multi-generational workforce.
According to the piece, professionals are switching jobs more frequently than in years past and apparently companies are more accepting of the prodigal employee’s return. Indeed, there are differing views on the impact of job hopping as addressed in RecruitFi’s Millennial Outlook Survey however, Scwabel points out “boomerang employees are another nail in the coffin for active job seekers who always have to compete against employee referred candidates, internal candidates, passive job seekers and customers.”
Workplace flexibility continues to lead the pack of smart talent strategies that serve to encourage employee commitment and increased morale. Schwabel’s notes that “we work 47 hours per week now, and there is no longer such a thing as a 40-hour workweek” and “another study we did found that 64% of managers expect their employees to be reachable outside of the office on their personal time.” According to Workplace Trends’ “Workplace Flexibility Study“, “50% of employers ranked workplace flexibility as the most important benefit they believe their employees desire, compared to 75% of employees (and 74% of those unemployed) who ranked it as their top benefit.” As today’s workplace can be significantly more demanding than in years past, offering flexibility increases productivity, promotes loyalty, and should be a strategy more often leveraged by leadership in an effort to attract talent.
Although Schwabel shares his thoughts on the modernization of the workplace having a direct impact on doing more with less, we also see the effect of organizations failing to fully staff teams following years of economic hardship. During challenging times, changes to resources may include restructuring, hiring freezes, and pulling valuable training tools. “Employers benefit by creating a more efficient production line and lowering the cost of talent while workers have fewer jobs and more pressure to produce or be replaced.”
Schwabel concludes, “while these might be challenges, there are also great opportunities for companies to automate, modernize and lead in 2016.” Check out the full list here.
Source: 10 Workplace Trends You’ll See In 2016