What does the workplace of 2016 look like? Not terribly different than in previous years; many of the workplace trends that are becoming hotter already exist, but the following four are expected to grow and become more popular, if not mainstream, in the year to come.
Telecommuting. Yes, it’s been around for a while, and it’s hardly news that more and more companies are allowing employees to work remotely, but experts predict a dramatic upswing in the telecommuting policy this year. Technology makes it easy these days, and because it’s become so popular, companies that have been reluctant to embrace it look increasingly behind the times. Companies that look old-fashioned are likely to find it harder to attract and retain great employees, especially if competitors are embracing this newer way of working.
Flexibility. Because this has been a buzzword for years, more employees expect—and more and more prospective hires are demanding—flexible work hours. Our culture is pushing employers to find ways to help employees better juggle work obligations and family or personal commitments. Therefore, flextime has become a valuable commodity. In 2016 and beyond, you’ll find that flexibility helps attract and retain high performers who want the ability to plan their work schedules around their kids’ schedules, their higher education classes, their medical appointments, and even their commutes.
Inflexibility. More and more employees are rebelling against the intrusion of work into “off” time. They don’t appreciate feeling the pressure to answer work calls and emails at night, on the weekends, and during vacations. There is a growing backlash against the expectation that work hours never really end. Companies will be forced to contend with their own expectations in this dynamic and figure out what they need to do to prevent employee burnout.
Overtime Changes. The federal government put forth a proposal that could have a dramatic effect on the use of overtime. They want to change the rules that govern who must be paid overtime when working more than 40 hours in a week. If the change is approved, more than 5 million white-collar workers will be eligible to receive overtime pay unless they make $50,440 or more—the current salary threshold is nearly half that, at $23,600. If the new rule becomes law, businesses will have to either track and limit the number of hours their employees can work or incur far more overtime costs—or, of course, raise salaries to the new threshold. Employers will have to figure out which course of action would be most cost-effective if they have employees who work significant amounts of overtime.
Now it’s your turn….
How have the four points discussed impacted you and your company or team? Do you have any tips for business owners and managers? Please post your comments below to start a discussion.
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