The world of work is always changing. And to stay relevant, companies must attract, hire and retain talent in a way that’s compatible with new trends. The firms that embrace the evolving workplace environment will stand out as employers of choice.
According to Glassdoor’s “What’s Ahead for Jobs? Five Disruptions to Watch in 2018,” these are the movements to keep an eye on:
1. Artificial intelligence (AI)
is disrupting many industries, particularly human resources (HR). It is supplementing HR tasks, including recruitment; it’s not replacing skilled workers. AI can free up recruitment professionals’ time by taking care of the low-value tasks, like scheduling candidate interviews and correcting biases in job description verbiage. There are already some vendors who are offering AI solutions, including a platform that uses data to make predictive matches between job seekers and roles and software that helps recruiters cull through the hoards of resumes they receive. New technologies will continue to be added this year (and in the years to come), so evaluate them as they come on the market and implement what you think will make your company more effective and efficient.
2. Transparency
has become apparent in recruitment in the past few years with the increasing importance on employer branding. Companies use social media and leverage user-generated content to attract candidates, which brings accessibility and authenticity to the recruitment process. According to the Talent Board’s 2017 North America Candidate Experience research report, communication and feedback are the differentiators between companies with an award-winning candidate experience and those without. From pre-application through onboarding, candidates expect more communication with feedback earlier in the recruitment process. Johnson & Johnson has recently launched a platform that allows candidates to track their progress in the hiring process just like you’d track a FedEx package (as well as browse relevant content according to the application stage they’re in).
3. Role experimentation
is the answer to what seems to be a key reason people leave their jobs: “stagnating too long in roles that no longer fit their skills and interests.” According to Glassdoor’s “Why Do Workers Quit? The Factors That Predict Employee Turnover,” every additional 10 months an employee stagnates in a role makes them 1 percent more likely to leave the company for their next job. While companies typically have processes for upward promotion within the same department, employees interested in experimenting with roles in different job families are often overlooked – and this is why they look elsewhere for their next job. Including cross-team role changes in your internal mobility program will lower turnover – and show employees you’re willing to embrace their passions.
4. Mobile
is nothing new, but the kinks in mobile job search are still being smoothed. This year will bring some progress to the application process via smartphone. In September 2017, data from Adobe Analytics showed there was a 68 percent increase in smartphone web traffic in the US since January 2015. The best way to capitalize on this trend is to ensure your applicant tracking system (ATS) and other recruitment technologies have mobile capabilities and leverage job boards that enable users to apply to jobs with one click using previously saved cover letters and resumes.
5. Labor market shifts
affect all businesses, but there are three areas that employers should tune into in 2018 and beyond: healthcare, technology and “traditional jobs.” The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts many healthcare jobs to grow faster than average, which is in part due to the aging baby boomer generation. In fact, home health and personal care aides are the jobs projected to grow the most from 2016 to 2026. Technology roles, namely software developers, are not just growing within the tech sector, but employers in retail, finance, manufacturing, consulting and biotech will be adding these roles as well. Other high-growth occupations include waiters, janitors, construction laborers, customer service representatives, landscapers, truck drivers and maintenance workers. These all appear on BLS’s list of jobs projected to grow the most from 2016 to 2026.
These five disruptors are certainly changing the way we work in 2018. But if you’re tracking the movement on these trends, your company will be at the forefront of innovation in the years to come.
