To be truly efficient, a workplace must constantly adapt to changing trends. Workforce trends have significantly changed over the past couple of years. Human resource managers need to incorporate and adapt to these developments so that their organization remains efficient and motivated. Several significant factors can help assess workplace trends like changing roles and responsibilities, skill development, career paths, and the work-life balance requirements of workers. Let’s discuss some of the top workplace trends that you can incorporate to boost employee engagement.
The Hybrid Workplace
As the workforce becomes increasingly blended, utilizing a hybrid model for talent acquisition can help organizations reach new heights to attract and retain talent. In addition, the rise of remote work and digital offices is bringing exciting new opportunities for employees, with one of the most significant advantages being a reduction in commuting, leading to flexible work schedules.
Employees prefer hybrid work practices for several reasons, including a strong desire for more freedom and flexibility to work when, where, and how it suits them. Hybrid work might increase well-being, leading to better mental acuity and contributing to efficiency. And greater flexibility allows these workers to balance their work demands with other essential aspects of their lives—including family responsibilities.
Working remotely has massive benefits in reducing costs and increasing productivity. Still, these opportunities need to be backed up with solid collaboration tools, toolsets, and platforms for the remote/hybrid work model.
Revamped Benefits for Stronger Talent Retention
To build and maintain a competitive workforce, employers need to understand their employees’ needs and expectations. In addition, employers need to review their benefits plans to keep pace with the changing trends and requirements. Offering remote workers paid leaves is one of the vital benefits that can be incorporated into the new shift. Businesses benefit from paid leave by boosting employee morale, enhancing productivity, and reducing employee turnover.
Comprehensive benefit packages have proven effective in enhancing the employee experience, and voluntary employee benefits have grown in popularity among employers seeking to improve employee retention. Some voluntary benefits include critical illness insurance, financial counseling, and student loan repayment assistance.
Incorporating a Holistic Wellness Approach
Higher levels of stress and burnout have impacted employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, human resource professionals must consider how they can support the well-being of their teams. The most successful organizations in improving job satisfaction among employees have developed a comprehensive program that supports all aspects of their health and well-being. This delivers proven results for individuals, businesses, and communities.
A growing number of employers are addressing their employees’ well-being needs in response to the changing priorities of today’s workers. Emotional and mental health benefits are the most sought-after employee well-being benefits. As an employer, you can make mental health at work a priority by engaging your workforce in a dialogue about how to improve well-being. Encourage managers to participate in encouraging employees to seek help, provide behavioral health resources in policies and benefits offerings, and invest in additional resources for employees who need care.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Businesses are changing their approach to diversity. By embracing a work culture that values inclusion, companies see higher team morale, increased productivity, and even higher profits. In today’s competitive business environment, companies need to redefine their hiring policies to create a receptive and inclusive environment for all kinds of employees. HR professionals can use diversity sourcing, blind hiring processes, and AI-powered candidate screening to find the best candidates.
Training and Career Development
With the advent of COVID-19 and its rapid spread, companies have quickly realized that a static approach to employee retraining and skill development is not enough. Reskilling is a hot topic in today’s business environment. As a result, several workplaces adopt dynamic approaches to reskilling employees to expand their skill sets.
Human resource professionals need to build a workforce around skills, not roles. Therefore, dynamic skills data should be compiled and used wisely in talent decisions and management processes. Gathering data that reflects the differences in employee skillsets facilitates strategic decisions regarding employee placement. Companies can also evaluate the skill sets of their existing employees and train them accordingly so they are prepared for any role.
Understanding HR Trends with First Contact HR
Being a great employer is not something you do once or twice, then stop. Instead, it’s a continuous process of creating conditions where people can achieve their best work. Therefore, employers must understand the trends that impact their workforce. Human resource functions are at the forefront of creating an environment that fosters growth and feels supportive, from employee engagement to employee loyalty.
First Contact HR offers dynamic solutions to leverage human resources to achieve our client’s strategic goals. As your human resources partner, we’ll ensure you stay updated on industry advancements. Whether it’s helping you take advantage of recruitment trends and employee engagement or helping you align your values with your corporate image, we’ll create a tailored solution that’s just right for your business.