Employee engagement is more important now than it has ever been. In a time of international uncertainty, when most of our clients’ businesses have been impacted by Brexit and Covid-19, it is time to think about your employees. What motivates them? What keeps them engaged?
It can be salary but, more often than not, it is something else. Some of the trends that we are seeing within our clients’ offices are hot desking environments, increased flexibility in the workplace, i.e. the ability to work from home and job sharing, but also the ability to use leading edge technology in the workplace. You employ a generation of workers that have only known the world of Facebook. These workers have an expectation that the tools you provide them at work are as cool and function in the same way as the tools they use in their home lives, e.g. Snapchat, Instagram, Periscope.
Holiday entitlement is an area where candidates are expecting not just the minimum of 20 days plus bank holidays; this is no longer seen as a benefit! Some companies are offering up to 30 days holiday; other companies are flexible with working hours – it is certainly not 9-5 anymore.
Gone are the days when someone would ask ‘What car can I have?’ Now the most common things we are asked is ‘What tech will I get?’, ‘Will I be able to connect my personal mobile to the company Wi-Fi?’ and ‘Can I buy and sell holiday?’
As the job market evolves alongside new technologies, we expect an increased demand for creative candidates in the digital world.
One of our clients has adopted Cisco Spark Boards in their collaboration spaces. This sounds futuristic and is close to the technology featured in the movie ‘Minority Report’ with Tom Cruise. However, this is actually in the workplace now!
Organisations with high staff engagement have formal mentoring processes which really help engage individuals who want to progress by building relationships with more senior people within the business to provide career guidance. Companies should also look at offering both internal and external recognised training courses that will enhance the employee skillset. Ultimately, the employee will be engaged as they feel their company is investing in their career, and the employer gets an employee with a broad skill set. We appreciate that not all companies have the luxury of a Learning & Development function; however, there are now many e-learning sites available.
Recognition is hugely important for everyone but especially your millennial colleagues who have a need or desire for continuous and positive feedback.
Therefore, when considering recruiting, you should think: ‘How attractive is my company/are my benefits/is my workplace?’
… It’s not all about the money
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