Although the world seems to be working its way out of the financial difficulties that beset most developed countries just about a decade ago, many of today’s workers still haven’t come to terms with the new way in which businesses have been forced to restructure.
As a result, they are facing issues, some of which are a direct result of the recent recession and others are the same as they have been since time immemorial. If you are in Human Resources, it is wise to understand at least these five critical issues facing today’s employees. It will make your job a whole lot easier!
1) Job availability
Because many companies are still struggling to keep their heads above water, there is still a lack of job availability in some sectors. Many of today’s employees have taken jobs because they were ‘available’ and not necessarily because they had any great passion for the position. The human resources team should always pay special attention when interviewing new applicants because employees unhappy in their position are not really going to be as productive as those who want to be there.
2) No room for upward movement
Some human resources departments have an amazing way to keep new jobs posted so that they can be applied from the moment the job becomes available. Intranet HR solutions make it easy for currently employed personnel to apply for jobs before being opened up to the general public.
If you look at the software solutions from sites like xcdhr.com, you will see ways in which HR solutions can provide incentives to employees. Since one of the issues facing today’s worker is what they feel to be the lack of growth potential within a company, this is a way to show them there is room for upward movement within your company.
3) Insufficient benefits packages
Many workers around the world are dissatisfied with their current positions because companies had to cut benefits due to the economy. Without incentives, those workers are worried about their financial future, and rightly so. This is one of the leading issues facing employees today and one of the main reasons why so many are transient. If they find a better benefit package, they move!
4) Not enough flexibility
Current trends in some companies allows for workers to work from home a good portion of the time. With the rapid expansion of Information Technology, most homes now have internet access. Some workers do better at home but if their place of employment is not flexible in terms of at-home duties, they will seek other employers who are more amenable to the concept.
5) Insecurity
Finally, job security is a huge issue. With so many workers still unemployed, today’s worker is fearful for his or her job. This insecurity can significantly hinder optimal performance and why the leading HR experts suggest that employers take extra time to reassure valued employees that they will always have a job. Not only will this go a long way towards ensuring the company that those employees will still be there tomorrow but it also avoids that dreaded “Why bother?” lackadaisical attitude.
There are a number of other issues facing today’s employee, but these are the most critical and therefore of supreme importance to your HR department. By learning to identify these issues you can also learn to deal with them in order to have an upbeat and positive workforce. Happy employees will keep your company growing – and that’s the bottom line.
