While 2015 has turned out to be quite a promising year for organisations across the globe, we are mid-way down the year and the war for talent seems to be growing in its magnitude to impact the world of work. With macroeconomic issues continuing to ripple the global market, it has a significant impact on business growth and the C-suite more than ever requires HR managers to go strategic in their workings.
It is time for HRs to start affirming their ability to deliver knowledge and services that will keep organisations ahead of their competitors. Taking this situation into consideration, Randstad Sourceright 2015 Talent Trends Report seeks deeper to deliver in-depth insights, through analysis and survey on global HR leaders about the issues and challenges they care about the most.
Randstad Sourceright 2015 Talent Trends Report will help HR managers to develop a holistic talent strategy to recruit, train and retain talent with better preparation for organisations to set new benchmarks and cutting-edge trends that will help them stay abreast of the challenges going forward till 2020.
Here’s a sneak peek into the top 10 talent trends in 2015 that will empower HR leaders and business managers to pave their way through the competition and excel in accomplishing their business vision.
Throughout 2015 and beyond, the aging workforce will lead to changes in HR-related policies such as more family-friendly perks, increased workplace flexibility, child care payments, remote working and tax credits etc.
Ensuring the organisation grows to develop a cohesive multi-generational workforce should be among the top priorities of HR manager’s recruitment efforts, simply because in the near future companies will need to retain many older workers as well.
According to the survey findings, 69% of the talent acquisition leaders believe one of the major challenges in 2015 and beyond is to manage an age-diverse workforce.
It should come as no surprise that differences in needs and motivational factors ranging from millennials to Gen X and baby boomers has already established a significant divide in terms of use of technology, communication tools and mediums, expectations from colleagues and much more.
Hence, employers need to take serious view of engagement as one of the most challenging aspects of workforce management today.
As organisations are growing globally competitive, to recruit and retain bright talent such as to improve their bottom lines, it is equally important to source from the largest and most diverse set of candidates from different cultures and educational backgrounds.
Companies are focusing on diversifying their teams to get greater access to the talent pool. Today, a high-performing, inclusive workforce is about having the right people in the right jobs at the right time – regardless of age, race, gender, physical disability, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Post recession, business agility still seems to top the list of many companies and HR managers are taking this into serious purview.
According to this survey, majority of HR leaders are increasingly leveraging contingent and contracted labour to give their organisation the agility they seek. Companies need to be better prepared to handle the changing economic climate and its subsequent impact.
See: HR Professionals Believe Personal Website is a New Way to Find Talent
With talent scarcity, organisations across the world are facing challenges to manage talent mobility, which is at an all-time high. Since staff retention is a problem in many developing countries with job opportunities flooding the market, companies are now looking at more redeployment and mobility of its workforce to achieve higher productivity and efficiency levels through a structured approach.
With the ease of staying connected anytime anywhere, organisations feel the need to make alternative work arrangements such as remote working feasible, wherein employees can achieve better work-life balance and employers can access talent virtually anywhere around the world.
There is a need to create various flexible working options such as job sharing, variable work hours, or working from home jobs. It is essential for companies to look at this evolving work-style more closely and develop approaches that promote efficiency and employee job satisfaction.
In an age of constant connectivity, employee working patterns are changing rapidly and traditional work hours are giving way to flexible hours and virtual offices.
Technology devices such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets ensure that you are never more than a click away from your colleagues working at different time zones on the other end of the globe.
It is important for companies and HR managers to implement device detox movement or the concept of an “unplugged weekend” wherein colleagues at work engage in group activities to build team spirit without depending on technology.
67 percent of HR leaders believe that an organisation’s ability to attract top talent is dependent on company’s reputation and strong employer brand in the job market.
Companies have achieved a great deal of progress in enhancing their brand image among candidates and recruiters to grab the top spot as the employer of choice for millennials and bright talent. HR and marketing leaders are working together to build a strong employer brand and attract top talent on executive board.
Companies with strong workplace ethics and voted as amongst the most enjoyable places to work for, have been showing consistent financial performance and strong repute for its employer brand.
Investing in continuous improvement of a differentiated company culture will soon form the core of strategic discussions between HR and the C-suite before the end of this year. Also aptitude, cultural fit and personality will be on top consideration by HR managers during the candidate screening processes.
As markets across the globe embrace mobile technology, career portals are getting optimised for recruiters and jobseekers to connect conveniently on their devices and candidates can access opportunities on the move. Mobile optimisation of career section on company websites should top the priority list of talent acquisition leaders.
With mobile penetration into markets globally, it is required by employers to stay abreast of the current trends and optimise career portals for better employee engagement with prospective talent and build better perception of the employer brand. The most agile, talent-centric strategy should factor in market trends, changing workforce dynamics and economic growth targets which is crucial determinant to driving business goals.
Hiring managers should blend in-sourcing, outsourcing and a mix of strategies to recruit the best talent. Companies should take a holistic view of how their talent strategy aligns with the business vision and long-term goals to see where a talent best fits into the organisational culture and job role.
Also read: Employee recognition trends to watch out for HRs in 2015
Image credit: randstadsourceright.com
