Are you ready to get super excited about workplace trends for 2021? Step right this way!
The saying goes that every cloud has a silver lining, and when the cloud in question is made up of a mixture of pandemic panic, economic uncertainty, and political craziness, it’s really cool when the silver lining is likewise larger than life.2020 has been, well, a year.
As some of the most popular memes of the moment suggest, it’s been the equivalent of Janice from Friends’ laugh and a math problem along the lines of ‘if you’re walking on ice cream at 5 ounces per toaster and your bicycle loses a sock, how much gravy will you need to repaint your hamster’? Suffice it to say, we’re ready to move on.
Happily, the craziness of the past year has not been completely for naught. If the emerging workplace trends for 2021 are anything to go by, the shakiness and unpredictability of the past year has at least served to highlight the need for more employee-centric workplaces and spaces.
Here are a few of the fantastic changes that are likely to become more apparent in the HR space in the coming year:
Companies are expected to live their brand values
COVID-19 and its evil twin, the global economic recession, has helped employees to see that the companies they work for can no longer just operate according to a profit motive, but need to stand for something and become a part of the solution. From climate change to #metoo and BLM, businesses need to take a stance and live their brand values, especially when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
Global statistics show that up to 70% of job seekers value a company’s commitment to diversity when evaluating potential employers. Locally, the Employment Equity Act continues to apply to all employers, with designated employers (i.e.companies with 50+ employees or certain levels of turnover) having added responsibilities when it comes to levelling the playing field for all South African citizens.
This is good news for the workforce. A diverse and inclusive workplace promotes creativity and innovation, and draws top talent from far and wide, which means that employees have the opportunity to grow alongside a multifaceted team of happily engaged co-workers. How great is that?
Work-life balance and wellness are front centre
Burnout is no joke, and it became a stark reality for many South Africans during lockdown when they were working from home, juggling work and family responsibilities while their jobs were on the line and the status of the pandemic spread was uncertain. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) reported that calls to their helpline more than doubled during lockdown.
An American-based survey also showed that 75% of respondents had experienced burnout, 40% of which said it was a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the results of this widespread workplace stress is that employees are actively seeking out employers who maintain safe, secure work environments and place a firm focus on the wellness of their employees.
Nonkululeko Pitje, Discovery Health’s Head of Employee Health Solutions recently stated that employers have to adapt to approaching employee wellness anew.
“With work-from-home the new normal for many employees, our focus on wellbeing has to extend a traditional focus on the way in which the office feeds employee wellbeing, to how well our staff are coping at home or anywhere else where they work. By finding new ways to continue taking excellent care of our employees, we sustain high-performing teams that are better able to care for our customers, drive growth for the company and for each employee,” she stated.
Read more: South Africa and the future of remote working
Employees are asking for what they need
Aside from standing firm on wellness and the ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance, employees are also feeling more confident to ask employers for what they need in order to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. This includes everything from regular recognition and peer-to-peer mentoring, to flexible work schedules, safer office spaces, paid parental leave, on-site childcare, ongoing training, and mental health support.
Oh, the cheek. No, not actually hey.
The notion that employees should just shush and be super grateful despite enormous pressure and a lack of resources should really go the way of the dinosaur already. Unhappy, disengaged employees are less productive, tend to jump ship more frequently, and can hurt a company’s bottomline due to absenteeism and poor client service.
As such, it’s a great thing when the lines of communication open up and there is a dialogue between management and employees regarding the needs of the worker bees.
HR tech continues to advance at a rapid clip
It’s a great time to be in HR, and the industry keeps developing and expanding in new and novel ways as tech-based solutions take over the manual, day-to-day admin of keeping track of salaries, payslips, leave forms, etc. Human resources professionals can now spend their energy on the stuff that really matters, i.e. supporting employees to be their best selves in the workplace.
Continued development in terms of AI and SaaS-based HR tools will provide forward-thinking human resources teams with the ability to streamline things like sentiment tracking, employee recognition and reward, and even recruitment in the year to come.
Read more: 5 Ways HR tech is creating an engaged workforce
These are just a few of the exciting workplace trends we can look forward to in 2021 and beyond. Check back soon for more expert insight into the world of future-proof HR.
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