By Helen Chard, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Eden Ritchie Recruitment 

HR is facing its biggest challenges with many people in Queensland returning into the workplace and head-hunters out on the prowl – how do we keep our employees from looking at attractive offers and what is making them want to move.

Employee surveys is a way that we can analyse and look at the way we operate, which in large companies can be anonymous but many employees are reluctant to reveal what they would like to make the workplace more enjoyable and want them to stay and be more productive in what they achieve.

Trends that are being looked at in 2021 are being shaped in the world we are currently living in.

Remote Work – Although many organisations had already begun to shift to more remote work in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting city-wide lockdowns have made flexible work a necessity. The surge to working from home has been an adjustment for companies and employees alike, but many people enjoy the flexibility and lack of commute that remote work affords them.

Diversity and Inclusion – Diversity and inclusion strategies have been a hot topic in HR circles for a while. Employees increasingly want to work for companies that make diversity and inclusion a part of their standard operating procedures. Studies show that having a diverse and inclusive culture increases company revenue, innovation, and productivity, so the time dedicated to incorporating these principles into an organisation is time well spent.

Mental Health – As employees deal with more pressure than ever before—from navigating a global health crisis to juggling caregiving with work to navigating a more virtual work environment—the conversation around mental health has entered the foreground. As a result, employers must commit to giving workers the mental health resources they need—from access to affordable care to understanding and empathy from management.

Overall Wellness – Much like the focus on mental health is increasing in the workplace, so too are people expecting employers to be concerned about their overall physical wellness. Organisations can create wellness programs to support employees’ physical health, which can positively impact employees’ job satisfaction and engagement. Recruiters can also use their dedication to employee wellness as a selling point when looking for new hires.

Appealing to younger workers – The workplace has become more multigenerational than ever before, with baby boomers to Generation Z employees all under the same organisational roof. As a result, HR professionals now must understand the needs of the younger people in the workforce—which, in many cases, are so important to them that they’re willing to leave a job in order to have those needs met. For example, according to research from Deloitte, the top reasons millennials left their jobs in 2019 include lack of advancement opportunities, poor work/life balance in a company, inadequate financial compensation, boredom, and feeling unappreciated.

Professional development for employees – More and more, people are emphasising the ability to advance at a company. HR professionals are providing professional development opportunities to retain top talent, as strong performers want to grow in their careers and develop the knowledge and skills that allow them to do so. People will either do that with their current employer or they’ll do it elsewhere—that’s why leading HR professionals will recognise that the investment made in professional development activities is an investment made in the strength of the organisation itself.

Employee experience & retention rate – Employees can count at least one positive thing that has come out of the pandemic: the ability to reimagine their relationship to their career and what is important to them when choosing a place to work. In response, companies have needed to place more focus on the employee experience in order to keep their talent engaged and fulfilled. In 2021, it’s going to become critical for organisations to discover their employees’ motivations and rethink how their workplace operates to ensure they can deliver.

Conclusion

It is undeniable that 2020 was a challenging year for organisations around the world, but HR professionals have always been able to adapt and develop recruitment strategies that respond to current workforce needs. By looking at these hot topics in HR and understanding how such trends relate to their individual organisations, recruiters can continue to make their businesses look attractive to quality potential hires, while keeping their current talent engaged and fulfilled.

To view our current opportunities, visit us at Eden Ritchie Recruitment