The working landscape is changing at such a pace with technology advances, the rise of the millennials, societal expectations and workplace disruption that attracting and maintaining employees is becoming more of a challenge.

Voltedge has identified the following trends that we believe are the challenges that employers are increasingly facing going into this new year and decade.  Recognising them and being prepared to confront and respond is going to be core to ensuring ongoing success and growth for all businesses.

1/ Strategic Workforce Planning

This might sound daunting and something that only large corporates do however planning is essential for any business and doesn’t need to be complicated.  Essentially it is matching your business strategy and your future plans with the people you currently employ and will employ into the future.  It is a process that aligns your business needs, challenges and changes to your people strategy.

Voltedge has worked with many clients to develop a methodology to analyse the workforce to identify current and future skills gaps. This provides a clear road map for employee development and the hiring of new talent to ensure alignment with the goals of the business and ultimately the success of meeting those goals.  We get very excited when we see the results of these strategic workforce planning projects come to life over months and years.  If businesses want to retain and gain talent they must be embedding them into the organisation’s strategy and making them an integral part of it.

2/ Diversity & Inclusion

We have read and talked a lot about this over the last couple of years, however we believe this is an area that is going to become increasingly more critical for businesses to have integrated into their culture and policies.  It applies to all types of organisations and the benefits of promoting and encouraging this type of environment leads to a much happier, positive and pro-active workforce.  There are lots of ways to introduce initiatives into the workplace, not only from a legal perspective but also socially and culturally.

It can be challenging, particularly if there are individuals who are finding it difficult to embrace such diversity.  Short training courses can have a very positive impact to build awareness within the organisation such as Diversity in the Workplace and Cultural Differences.

3/ Flex Work Policies

Again not new news but increasingly flexible options are being seen as important and – for some – this is more important than salaries.  Therefore, this is not something that can be ignored if you are a business that wants to retain your employees and attract new talent. Particularly the younger upcoming cohort, the future of the workforce, are insisting on having flexibility whether that is working from home,  flexi-time, unlimited holidays or extended leave. Businesses are now having to rethink some of their terms and policies.  There is often a reluctance based on fear of introducing such policies however it is proven that they motivate the workforce and when employees are “on” they are “on”.

Employee policies and terms can be a minefield, if you are reviewing current ones or thinking of introducing new policies talk to an expert!

4/ Learning and Development

We provide many of our clients with learning and development workshops which are designed around the specific needs of the organisation.  This is so important, as most of us know rolling out generic training to tick a box does not work.  With the Irish talent market squeezed, holding onto good employees is increasingly more difficult.  Offering clear career paths and opportunities will help retain them and supporting their progression with relevant training will not only add benefit to the growth of the business but will motivate and embed the employee into the business strategy and future.  An empowered and engaged employee is productive and loyal.

These are just four areas that will be talking points for all businesses this coming year.  We will be bringing you more as the year goes on and can give you advice and support on any of these to ensure you are prepared. We’d love to talk to you about how we can assist, call Ingrid on 01 5252914 or email info@voltedge.ie to speak to an expert.

Voltedge Management