Community conversations: HR trends and Covid-19: Which trends are strengthened, weakened or changed? – Part III

This week, we have rounded up some of the most pertinent questions we have received from you: our clients, partners and community. In this article, AKKA Architect’s CEO, Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes answers some of your most pertinent questions!

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Question: Early 2020, you – at AKKA Architects – published a report highlighting the imminent trends that were to affect Human Resources and the world of work in 2020 and beyond. With the Covid-19 pandemic, how have these trends changed?

Early 2020, we indeed issued a report entitled “HUMAN RESOURCES TRENDS 2020 & BEYOND: The top 6 imminent trends of 2020 & beyond”. In it, we highlighted the 6 imminent trends that we saw affecting the world of work and Human Resources (HR) for the year, with an eye on the following few years too. The six trends are: Technology, Generational Changes, Appreciation of Complexity, Inclusive Leadership and Professional Development, Employee Branding and Global Recruitment and Establishing Work-Life Balance as the Norm. Over the last two weeks, we looked at the first four trends, Technology, Generational Changes, Appreciation of Complexity and Inclusive Leadership & Professional Development. This week, we dive into the third and last pair.

Trend #5: Employee Branding and Global Recruitment

In order to attract the best talent and retain them in the organization; the organization is looking for ways to keep their employees motivated by taking stock of their employer’s brand. These are qualities and attributes that set the employers aside from others. Through this, the company is focusing on various attributes that include being committed to corporate social responsibility as well as offering flexible work programs and attractive benefits. Those are other have played a critical role in enhancing the company’s value proposition and thus, attracting and retaining talented employees.

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Trend #6: Establishing Work-Life Balance as the Norm

The world of work and the workplace have been going through quite an evolution over the last few decades. We have definitely been enjoying more flexibility at work than previous generations, however, in the grand scheme of things, this flexibility was still within a limited spectrum until Covid-19 hit. Working from home 5 days a week, for example, was never an option pre-Corona. When Covid-19 hit, we found ourselves forced in an extreme situation where (almost) everyone started working from home (almost) all the time. While this situation did not offer much choice either, it did expand the spectrum of possibilities. As we go back to a more relaxed and balanced day to day, we have an opportunity to find a new balance between life and work, one that we may have never dreamed of or even believed possible before this pandemic. Establishing work-life balance as the norm has never been more relevant and more possible than with the new experiences and the new perspectives that we have gained from an otherwise tragic situation. As an HR manager, a Facilities Management professional, a Corporate Real Estate Manager or any Workplace professional, this could be a priceless opportunity to study the learnings from this crisis and hopefully expand the possibilities and options available to your workforce. To find out more about how you can consider doing that, read this recent blog post.

Employee Branding & Global Recruitment and Establishing Work-Life Balance as the Norm are the third and last two of six imminent trends that are set to shape HR this year and for the next few years. With the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the world for over 6 months now, those trends have been affected themselves and will, therefore, affect HR and our organisations at large differently now than they might have before the pandemic was a reality. While the way these trends may affect the practice of HR in all organisations will be different as the pandemic – and other global events – develop, the seed of these trends and the principle of these trends will always be relevant, it may just be strengthened or weakened by the different dynamics happening around the world. Indeed, we, as Workplace Professionals, are better off not trying to recreate the old normal, but rather striving to create a new normal, that improves on our past and present and aims at creating a better future.

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To find out what are the latest trends now and beyond 2020, download here Human Resources Trends report, which contains the top 6 imminent trends of 2020 and beyond.