How to Survive New Workforce Trends, Mobile Flexible and 100!
The workplace is changing constantly and in the next decade we’re likely to see how we employ; our employees and many aspects of our usual working life change dramatically. For instance, an Insurance firm in New Zealand is now implementing with much success, a 4 day week. We’ll be looking forward too many more progressive workplace initiatives, designed to keep up to date with the ever-changing workforce climate.
With the onset of our new Generation Z, along with increasingly more mobile and flexible working, let’s look below at three of the biggest trends to hit companies in 2019.
Welcome Generation Z
Already we’re seeing the competition for Gen Z talent beginning to show itself. This exciting new workforce talent is aged up to 23 years old as of 2019 and is the first generation to grow up as internet natives.
They are estimated to contribute to over a third of the world’s workforce by 2020 and if you’re looking to attract this new wave of employees, companies need to attract them by strategies relating to software, technology, flexible working patterns, health, and wellbeing …of not only people – but also the planet.
Make sure you have software training to support your young employees and focus your benefits on mobile working, along with health and wellness packages.
Have a robust CSR plan in place
With our current difficult political climate, governments are responding to crises without accountability. For this reason, CSR or corporate social responsibility is now becoming more crucial than ever before.
Many of our larger retail and tech heavyweights are realizing that just doing ok is not enough as they’re being required to make sure their business has an accountability trail along with looking after the health and well-being of not only their staff and customers but also the planet.
Companies should be ready to respond and have robust CSR plans in place to ensure they are socially considerate and leading the way in their industries with new plans and strategies to confirm.
Employees, customer and social expectations ever more increasingly becoming the rules to work by. People’s power is the new board of directors and for any companies who are consistently only paying out barely living wages, they will discover ultimately that people vote with their feet.
‘People’s power is the new board of directors’
Operating ethical business is paramount in competing in the marketplace for not only your customers but also for retaining and onboarding new employees. Companies that can show care and consideration in their dealings with their employees and customers with regards to their wellbeing, whilst also showing an active interest in protecting the planet and our natural resources, will continue to flourish.
All employees, especially millennials and Gen Z, want to be involved with like-minded companies who share their values. Missions which include care of people and the world in which we live are vitally important to your staff.
According to research undertaken by yourcause.com there’s a 50% increase in staff retention where employees are engaged in CSR programs.
CSR can be deployed in many ways. Let’s take a look below at some of the important ways you can progress initiative on this.
- Community programs
- Sustainable environmental strategies
- Livable wages
- Gaining social responsibility certification such as becoming a B corp
Many companies are lagging seriously behind in deploying a quality CSR program as there’s a large gap between the demands of employees and customers, along with many companies’ willingness to participate. To keep up with this growing trend, companies must begin to bridge the gap.
‘There’s a 50% increase in staff retention where employees are engaged in CSR programs’
Plan for the 100-year life span
With more and more people across the globe reaching their 100th birthday and beyond, companies who put emphasis on their existing workforce will keep up with this trend. Put your emphasis on this shifting career and extended life path as your employees are looking to have longer careers than we have previously experienced.
Staff is changing careers and jobs continually, looking to learn new skills and expand their working knowledge. Keep up to speed with this trend by perhaps moving staff horizontally across the workplace, to allow them to upskill, grow in knowledge and be more likely to remain in your company, rather than looking elsewhere for new roles.
Make sure you have a robust plan in place for the rising retirement ages and review the role of pensions and other benefits of this aging workforce, particularly the physical aspect of their wellbeing for older or more senior employees.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve seen that in order to keep up with the ever-growing social change, new types of employees and different kinds of requirements from your staff than ever before, it’s important to have plans in place to future proof your business and be able to compete in a changing workplace.
This way you’ll be able to strike a balance between retaining your existing workforce and attract potential great new talent.
Read more from our Blog about Tips for Recruiting Top Talent on a Budget.
