In 2018, HR leaders will be looking for ways to build more resilient workforce's that can adapt to change, improve employee engagement, retain the right staff, be more flexible and to better use technology.
5 Staffing & HR Priorities for 2018
- Improving employee engagement
- Attracting and retaining employees with flexibility
- Helping their organizations adapt better to ongoing change
- Improving the physical and/or mental health of their workforce
- The increased use of technology
Improving Employee Engagement
It’s becoming more and more documented that employee happiness is one of the key contributors to loyalty, productivity and effectiveness. That’s why industrial-organizational psychology practitioner and workplace expert, Amy Cooper says 2018 will bring a continued and renewed focus on engagement within offices.
“Over the past few years, there has been a growing awareness and understanding of the need to recognize the employee as a human being with needs and feelings outside of work. Top organizations have set the bar with work-life balance initiatives and programs,” she says.
Attracting and retaining employees through workplace flexibility
A study conducted by Captivate earlier this year found that a whopping 44 percent of employees at various companies quoted the ability to log hours wherever as their top perk. In 2018, savvy companies will capitalize on flexibility as a way to retain their workers.
With Australia’s booing housing market, many people will be forced to increase their commute time. Researchers from the University of the West of England found that each extra minute of commuting time reduces both job and leisure time satisfaction and increases strain and worsens mental health for workers.
In order to counteract this, companies must add more perks and amenities to keep their employees happy. This might include anything from giving their employees flexi-days, cutting out of work a little bit earlier on slow days or the ability to work from home more often.
Helping their organizations adapt better to ongoing change
With technology, software, mergers and acquisitions all being disruptive, companies must build to build more resilient workforces. A Study by Morneau Shepell suggests to implement a range of solutions including training employees to have stronger coping skills through to providing better tools and training for managers to ensure that employees facing challenges get the help they need.
Improving the physical and/or mental health of their workforce
Understanding mental health, especially in regional communities was a big focus in 2017 and 2018 will see mental health claims present as a challenge in managing absence and costs. To combat this, providing better training for managers is a key strategy for improving mental health management.
There still is a lack of knowledge on the part of both managers and employees as well as combating the stigma involved with mental health.
The increased use of technology
Technology will improve communication flow within companies and continue to define success and workflow in the coming years.
A report by Deloitte on HR technology disruptions suggests that HR departments are becoming digital and innovation is now coming from HR functions themselves. HR departments are thinking more creatively, asking more questions and pushing vendors to adapt to new management models by demanding solutions that are more team-centric, intelligent, and easy to use.
The recruiting market is also rapidly changing and many companies are increasing their investment in video assessment, the fastest-growing new area of spending in talent acquisition.
Orion Search is a boutique recruitment agency assisting companies in Australia's Food Manufacturing Industry