Key HR Trends to look out for in 2016

HR trends are constantly evolving and shaping the HR world as we know it. If harnessed appropriately businesses can reap the many benefits they have to offer. Acknowledging and adapting with current and foreseeable HR trends can empower business to grow and sustain their talent pools, also enabling them to have the best pick of the available talent, needless to say that this can then have positive impact further down the business chain.

Some Key Trends taking place in 2016 are:

Workplace flexibility becomes a hot topic – Forbes has carried out a survey showing that 64% of managers expect their employees to be reachable outside of work hours, which then results in more than half of employees admitting that they feel burned out. The study also shows that employees’ willingness to switch or stay with the same employer can depend on the flexibility programs offered. Given the rise in telecommuting, technology tools and globalisation (to name a few) workers are demanding flexibility. It is very likely that almost every company will offer some sort of flexibility program in the next few years in preparation for the next ‘baby boom’ with over 80 million millennials likely to have children.

A vast array of boomers will retire making way for the leadership gap to be filled – 2016 will see hundreds of thousands of baby boomers retiring and more than one fourth of millennial works will become managers. Given this statistic businesses will need to focus on succession planning as well as prioritising next generation leadership development.

Wearable technology gains a bigger presence – wearable technology is set to have a surge in popularity and acceptance amongst businesses in 2016, reports Forbes. Gen Z is set to enter the workforce in 2016 who drive the use of wearables as well as many millennials. A study shows that 33 million wearable were sold in 2015, a statistic set to rise by 35% in 2016. Some of the popular wearables include the FitBit and Apple Watch, with a huge spotlight set on the smartwatch devices for 2016. HR Professionals can benefit from this trend and its many benefits such as employee performance tracking, better connections for the on-the-go employees, innovation and flexibility.     A huge benefit to wearables can also be shown through the ‘Fitbit Corporate Wellness’ program through which employers can offer perks to employees who exercise regularly and keep health levels up, a great way to encourage and support employees’ healthy lifestyles  after all healthier employees mean more productive employees.

Generation Z graduates and enters the workforce – this group is set to enter employment as of May 2016. A study shows that Generation Z has been through the recession, suffers from student loans and are the children of the millennials. The research further shows that Gen Z are even more entrepreneurial, loyal and flexible than the millennials. Gen Z are likely to choose opportunities for growth and work-life balance rather than salary when choosing a company to work for. It’s highly important for employers to keep track of these trends so they know what to offer and adjust to get a pick of the best talent.

Some great innovation to look forward to in the HR world, and the great news is we can help you make the most of these trends!

It is highly important that HR leaders are aware of these trends and have the necessary practices in place to keep up with the changing world of work, our research shows that these trends may have even already started causing issues for companies who did not foresee this.

How we can help…

We are the leading providers of HR and Payroll services and we can help you make the most of these trends, whether you need to know how to choose the best leaders for your company or need help implementing new practices in order to adapt to managing 5 different generations under one roof. We can help you develop your HR and Payroll and ensure a smooth running and more profitable business.