For organizations to overcome labor shortages and retain top talent there will be a renewed focus on workplace culture. Companies will need to engage, reward and inspire their employees to create a more cohesive and connected culture. The organizations that succeed at this will offer flexibility - work/home balance, redefine employee engagement and recognition, create more people centered programs, provide professional development and integrate advanced technology that is easy to use.
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Why 2022 Is The Year Of Workplace Culture
A new year offers employers the opportunity to reflect on how their organization has adapted to recent challenges. It’s also the perfect time to reimagine workplace culture. That's because employers have struggled to recruit and retain top talent in recent months. And according to a new report from Glassdoor, the tight labor market trends will continue into 2022.
One key to winning the war for top talent is a renewed focus on company culture. The organizations that succeed will rethink employee engagement and develop an employee-centric work environment. Let’s look at five emerging trends and why 2022 is the year of workplace culture.
Flexible work will become permanent
A Harvard Business School survey found that 81% of employees who have been working from home through the pandemic either don't want to go back or prefer a hybrid schedule. "As we're preparing to get back to business as usual, it seems professionals don't want 'business as usual,'" said Harvard Business School executive director Patrick Mullane. "They want flexibility from their employers to allow them to maintain the new work/home balance and productivity they have come to enjoy." Prioritizing flexibility also demonstrates that employers value their employee’s health and well-being. To recruit top performers, embracing a flexible workplace culture will be essential.
Employee recognition will become more important
As we enter a new world of hybrid and remote work, employers will have to reconsider how they define visibility in the workplace. That includes building trust and leveraging data that provides more insight into employee engagement and performance. One key driver of employee engagement is recognition. Yet, a recent Quantum Workplace report revealed that employee recognition is trending downward. At the peak of the pandemic, 81% of employees said they knew they would be recognized if they contributed to the organization's success. However, this percentage dropped to 72% by May of 2021.
