This is the last of a 4-part article featuring excerpts from the Reimagine Work white paper. The white paper compiles data from three studies - Employer Brand Research, Workmonitor and most recently, Talent Expectations Survey - to help employers understand work-life balance as defined by employees to create meaningful and useful engagement initiatives and strengthen talent attraction strategies.
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Today’s employees no longer think about where we work, but what we do and how we are empowered to do it.
The future of work is ever-evolving and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve. With the right strategies and frameworks in place, employers like you can redefine how we work and create an environment that is conducive to productivity, collaboration and innovation.
Understanding employees' changing needs is the first step in redefining our future. Continue reading to learn about what employees look for and how the FUTURE framework can help you create the best experience for your talent.
what do employees of the future want?
In our Reimagine Work white paper, we concluded the top three employee demands of the future workforce are flexible work arrangements, supportive work environment and leadership, and work-life integration.
1. flexible work arrangements
For employees to be able to work anytime and anywhere, as long as they get the job done and in a reasonable amount of time.
Flexible work enables employees to work when they are most productive and comfortable, which can lead to increased productivity. It can also help employees better balance their work and personal responsibilities, resulting in less stress and a better sense of well-being.
2. supportive work environment and leadership
A supportive environment is one that values personal time away from the office, boundaries, learning and development, supportive colleagues and reasonable working hours.
Employees who feel supported by their employer and leadership team are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and have a sense of belonging within the organisation, which motivates and engages employees and leads to productivity growth.
A supportive work environment makes it easier for employees to connect with one another to foster a culture of creativity and collaboration.
3. work-life integration
Employees’ autonomy to integrate personal time into working hours, including decisions about when, where and how they choose to complete their work.
Work-life integration can help people make healthier decisions. It allows people to pursue their personal interests and goals in addition to their professional ones, which makes them feel more fulfilled and satisfied with their work and life.
These three expectations sprout from recent developments that have been redefining the way we work. It began with digitalisation and remote work, which are still transforming workspaces and reshaping how we understand and experience work.
The focus must now go into empowering people to create their ‘office away from the office’. To do so, organisations must foster a healthy company culture, implement work-life integration and provide meaningful employee support.
what is the FUTURE work framework and how we envision it
Now that we’ve covered the new talent expectations and dived into the topic of work-life balance, what companies and employers do next will determine not just the productivity of their future workforce, but also the company’s DNA.
The FUTURE work framework compiles our findings and insights for business leaders to optimise your resources to improve your employer brand, and become the most attractive company to work for.
flexibility in processes
Provide flexible work arrangements, like work timings and locations, so that employees have the autonomy to fulfil the different roles they play in their careers and lives.
upskilling and development opportunities
Use learning and development to benefit employees. Coach them into high-value roles that would help them gain higher job satisfaction.
trust in culture and employees
Create healthy communication guidelines and boundaries. Put an end to the culture of presenteeism by looking out for burnout and making performance assessments transparent.
uplift employees
Encourage an environment where friendly bosses and supportive co-workers can make work enjoyable.
reshape total talent attraction strategy
Think holistically about salary and benefits, strengthen career progression for talent and continue building a culture where talent thrives.
empower employees
Be empathetic leaders, act on employee feedback and help talent build the career they want.
how do you adapt to the future of work and create a future workforce?
Change is an inevitable part of the world of work, with technological advances, economic trends, and societal changes all contributing to different types of jobs, skills, industries, and occupations.
In today's business environment, organisations face a range of challenges including competitive talent landscape and the need to support and retain a well-balanced workforce. Individuals and organisations need to be adaptive and proactive in order to take advantage of these changes and have success in the future of work.
Leadership and management qualities in your organisation must transform to align with workplace changes and trends. Change is crucial to thriving in Asia’s rapidly evolving corporate landscape — and several successful leaders have already weighed in on how reshaping their approach is proving vital to differentiation and competition.
The shift in leadership and how this transforms company culture will affect the success of the talent attraction strategy.
With people serving as the backbone of any organisation’s success, it is important that as a people leader, you address employee expectations for more effective talent attraction and management efforts.
Transformation will not happen overnight and tackling this may be a drastic change organisation project made up of robust training, team and job redesign, constant feedback and more.
However, the investment will prove fruitful at the end when you see your employees feeling happier and becoming more productive. Your organisation will naturally be able to attract top talent because they want to not just work for you, but also stay with you for as long as possible.
At the end of the day, it is all about creating a healthy workplace that values and respects all your employees. With the right strategies in place, you can redefine how we work with the FUTURE framework. When organisational employers and leaders listen and respond accordingly, the workforce ultimately steps up.
download the reimagine work white paper
We understand that the future of work is ever-evolving and it is important to stay ahead of the curve. Download our Reimagine Work white paper for more tips on how to improve talent experience and create a better workplace.
work with randstad
Reach out to our specialised consultants for the latest talent trends or want to know more about the latest market insights. Through market mapping and conversations with our clients and candidates, we can inform you of the latest workforce and HR trends that you can turn into actionable strategies to attract and retain talent.
Alternatively, if you are a job seeker seeking a better work-life balance, explore your career options and apply for a job that fits your skills and expectations.