As methods of finding and engaging in employment are rapidly changing, the Australasian workforce is shifting in response. This leaves HR and staffing managers trying to get ahead of the needs and makeup of the available workforce and facing some new and difficult challenges as a result.
Employee Culture, Health & Well-being
Culture and employee well-being are hot topics right now. Not only do the contribute directly to productivity, engagement and retention – they are part of the driver for large shifts in the way people choose to work. More than 1/3 of workers are now choosing flexible working arrangements, while most prospective employees are assessing employers by the reputation of their company culture.
For Staffing and HR professionals, they will need to be focused on health and cultural improvement initiatives and change management around bringing flexibility into more rigid workplaces.
Keeping Up With Tech
As the contingent workforce and flexible working options grow, and the scope and management of workforces change, so too do the technologies that allow workers and businesses to connect. It will fall onto staffing managers to not only be aware of these rapidly changing technologies but also advocate for their adoption and appropriate use within their organisations.
Workforce Planning
As new tech (both inside and outside the HR function) allows businesses more efficiency, the demands of productivity get higher and the wage margins get smaller. HR and staffing managers will need to look for new ways to ensure scalability and efficiency in their hourly and permanent staffing.
Cross-generational Teams
As over a third of the workforce reaches retirement age, threatening to leaving huge skill gaps, and Generation Z prepares to enter the workforce en masse, HR and staffing managers will need to prepare to help frontline and departmental managers across the business to adapt their management styles to meet the changing needs and expectations of workers of all ages.
Blended Workforces
With the contingent and flexible workforce growing rapidly, there will be an increasing number of situations where permanent and contingent staff are working together. It will fall to the staffing managers to gain the best understanding of how two appropriately integrate the two kinds of workers and assist direct line managers to adjust their styles to suit.