WHAT DOES HR HOLD FOR YOU THIS YEAR?
Our picks for the most important issues this year are:
1. Flexibility will increasingly rule. With the changes to the Employment Relations Act that take effect on 6 March, businesses will need to think about how best to accommodate flexible working arrangement requests. Smart organisations will give some thought to possible options that might exist to make their workplaces better able to meet requests for more flexible work arrangements. As any employee can make a request and can also make any number of requests, this piece of legislation has the potential to be a game changer over time. Of course, agreement will be needed and any arrangement agreed to will need to also suit the needs of the business. However, no doubt, over time organisations will need to become more flexible. The legislation is, of course, simply catching up with where many employees are currently at. If you want to remain or become an employer of choice, start your thinking on flexibility in your workplace now. Employees’ minds are already there.
2. Top employees will be hard to recruit. With the economy bouncing along at a good clip, high quality job seekers are being sucked up very quickly. When there is a need to recruit, understand very clearly exactly the person you need, write good job ads, develop professional interview questions, reference check in a standardised way and run your process quickly and to deadline. The main message here is that when you come across a good candidate, move fast, or be left in the dust as others beat you to them.
3. Retaining your good people will be much about their level of engagement. Employees like to be involved and engaged, and if you take them for granted and allow their employment to drift along, then you risk losing them. Those of a lesser calibre will stay in this environment but real contributors want to be part of your business, have a say and feel they have made a difference. Involve them and make engagement a priority this year.
4. Employees want personal and professional growth and development. Make sure that you have development plans in place for your identified top performers and high flyers. Those with drive want to keep getting better and it is in your interest to provide learning opportunities for these important employees. Talk to them about their aspirations and business wants and needs, and do your best to help them develop in a way that benefits both them and your business. Taking these 4 points into account when doing your HR planning for the year could make the difference between retaining your best employees or losing a few of them.
We are always available to talk through any of these issues.