The development of new technologies and the changing culture has been causing fundamental changes in the way many people do business for several years. While many of these trends started in previous years, 2017 is the year that will see a big upswing in the adoption of these six practices.
Blended Workforces
The trend of hiring short-term, temporary, and contract employees and blending them into a regular staff of full-time employees started several years ago. In 2017, this trend is expected to explode. Using temporary contractors is a good way for Companies to keep their labor costs down during slow periods but keep the ability to quickly increase their capacity when work picks up.
Positive Engagement in the Workplace
Many companies, and particularly marketers, have long realized the value of encouraging ongoing relationships with their customers. This year, however, many of those companies will also realize the value in nurturing their relationships with their employees. Thanks to social media, it’s now possible for employees to quickly spread the word about both positive and negative workplace experiences. This has made it critical for companies to keep a happy and engaged workforce in order to be successful at recruiting the best candidates.
As the job market is expected to improve throughout 2017, many employees are realizing that they have more employment options then they did in previous years. An improving economy also means that some employees may be motivated by more than gross compensation to change jobs. Improving and maintaining a positive workforce environment will be a big focus for many companies.
Talent Analytics
While most workplaces and human resource professionals won’t be moving away from their traditional methods of recruitment, there will be more widespread adoption of software analytic programs that will allow these professionals to find the right employees. From targeted advertising to automatic feedback on job ads and social media postings, there are a lot of ways that employers will be using talent analytic software in 2017.
Increased Starting Salaries
The improving economy, lower employment rate, and a general positive attitude about the future from many businesses mean that there will most likely be increased competition among companies for talented employees. In fact, many companies are reporting getting less than two qualified applicants for some jobs in 2016 (compared to a nationwide average of 40 applicants per job opening in 2008). While many businesses started to report higher labor costs for their most talented and experienced employees in 2016, it seems as if 2017 is the year that many companies will need to prepare for increased labor costs in virtually all areas of their operations.
It’s important to keep in mind that salary is not the only thing that is motivating many top employees. While it won’t be easy to attract candidates with positions offering below market salaries, a lot of Millenial workers are drawn to companies with positive working environments, flexible hours, and other perks.
Millennial Managers
As members of the Millennial generation gain experience in the workforce, it will become increasingly common to see them promoted into positions of management. The high rate of expected retirements from baby Boomers will only accelerate these promotions. While companies have been fretting over every generational shift in management styles for decades, there will be some changes that can generally be expected from Millennial managers. For example, few members of this generation are fans of the top-down organizational systems, but instead prefer to pass around the role leadership as project requirements change.
Boomerang Employees
Many employees choose to leave their companies to pursue other opportunities in the wake of the Great Recession. As labor markets tighten, many of these employees are being encouraged to take back their old jobs or other positions in their old companies. These employees often return with a wider range of industry experience and new ideas from their former employment.
In fact, many Human Resources managers report that these boomerang employees tend to be their top performers, with many of them knowing their value to a company. For this reason, it has become increasing important to maintain good relationships with former employees as well as current ones. Many companies keep former employees in their databases and are ready to rehire past employees who left the company on good terms.
As your workplace changes throughout 2017, you may need some help in adapting to these new trends. Fortunately, ICS has years of experience in dealing with practically every aspect of the search and hiring process.
