The future of workforce management is constantly evolving. Just when you think you’ve implemented the most modern software, a new digital tool disrupts the industry. It is becoming harder and harder to predict the next big thing to change the way we work. With 2018 not too far away, many organizations have begun, or are beginning, to draft strategic marketing plans for the upcoming year. Here are a few things executives can take into consideration when planning their workforce management strategy for 2018 and more.
Who We Work With:
The second half of 2017 marked a big change for the generational makeup of the workforce. The recent graduation of generation Z from college marked the first time executive leaders would have to manage 5 generations within one environment. This generation’s entrance is also a sign of the door closing on the Silent Generation, about 3% of the global workforce. It is still too soon to determine Gen Z’s preferences, but we can expect them to have their own likes and dislikes, forcing leaders to change the way they approach workforce management.
Encouraging interdepartmental collaboration will open up opportunities for the multiple generations to work together. Inexperienced employees can learn a lot from the older generations experience. Employees consistently collaborating with one another begin to share similar values and work ethic, making it easier for managers to lead several generations. The next wave of leaders, millennials, should find success as they have worked alongside elder generations previously and are similar in age and mindset to Gen Z.
What We Work With:
According to analysis Josh Bersin, “HR tech trends and disruptions in 2018 will converge around productivity, design and intelligence in HR tech applications”. Organizations are always looking for new ways to increase workforce productivity while also saving time and resources; working smarter instead of harder. There are software options in the market designed to help improve workforce management, but when you solve one problem, another arises.
Once upon a time, a manager invented the annual performance appraisal to inform employees of their work performance. The appraisals were paper-based and hard to track over time, thus, the digital performance appraisal was created. Now in 2017, annual appraisals are considered to be “not enough”. Employers want to provide feedback to employees at a moment’s notice and track performance continually from project to project. 2018 will see an increase in the number of organizations implementing “Continuous Performance Management” software along with additional solutions to improve outdated talent management strategies.
How We Work:
Transformations in workforce management not only affect the technology that organizations use but also the day-to-day tasks and expectations of employees as well. New skills and best practices must be learned in order to to stay competitive and keep up with. 74% of the workforce believe that they must learn a new skill or refresh an old skill in order to remain employable for the future, based on a recent report from PWC. Employee mobility and performance appraisals are becoming less task-oriented and are starting to place a greater emphasis on skills and learning. Millennials joining the workforce sparked this change as they entered the workforce seeking innovation and growth potential rather than company loyalty.
Executives can expect learning management and team-oriented communication solutions to reach new heights in 2018. Encouraging your employee’s professional development keeps them engaged at work, introduces them to a new skill, and allows your organization to nurture its top talent instead of wasting countless dollars on recruiting. In the future, we can expect leadership to start noticing their “people” not simply their job or task.
With 2018 coming up fast, organizations can certainly fall behind the competition without a solid workforce management strategy in place. Leaders are realizing that in order to be successful, their strategies must be dynamic and flexible for the future rather than static. Who, What, and How we work are always changing, so we shouldn’t expect anything less for our methods of workforce management.
This DATIS Blog was written by Anthony Davis, DATIS, on October 19th, 2017 and may not be re-posted without permission.