The world of work is changing. To put it bluntly employee expectations have altered. Different values and motivations are now coming to the fore. This means employers need to become more agile as they reassess traditional ways of working to recruit and retain a happy, engaged, talented and productive workforce.
Employee choice
Business owners should take the time to look long and hard at workstyles, workspaces and workflows, to see how they can facilitate an open, intelligent, sustainable and safe environment, where workers can connect to and interact with each other using smart, collaboration technology. But the biggest change is that after almost a 15-month absence from the office, employees are now demanding greater flexibility and choice.
According to a recent survey by Totem, an employee engagement and culture app, older people and higher earners want hybrid working (a mixture of working from home and the office). Whilst younger workers are far keener to commit to working in the office full time. And it seems that starting a new job is where people of all age groups are more likely to want face-to-face interaction, with new starters opting to go through their onboarding process in the office, rather than online.
A better balance
Whilst remote work has removed the commute, provided more family time and a better work/life balance, the downsides have mainly focused on the lack of face-to-face contact with colleagues/teams, feelings of isolation, digital exhaustion and in some cases insufficient resources to work effectively from home.
The key to success is about listening to your workers to gauge their needs, as well as allowing them greater choice about where they work. In many cases they may not want to be limited to one location, preferring instead to combine days in the office with days at home, or perhaps in a co-workspace or other location. Plus, in many cases, the need to work from more than one location, may mean that people are willing to forfeit benefits, perks, and even money to do it.
Getting inductions right
Apparently 1 in 5 people leave their job during their probation period. This number is far too high and of course costly when it comes to finding replacements. We believe that this number can be reduced by having a good induction process. This is one where managers ensure that the employee understands the ethos of the business, their contract documents, their role and how they will be supported through their first few months so that they can be effective as possible
How can we help?
At ActifHR we can assist with inductions and an induction checklist for managers to ensure this process is as smooth as possible. Contact caroline.robertson@actifhr.co.uk today for professional HR advice and support.