Top HR trends for 2016

With a new year comes a new sense of what can be, and for business it can also bring a new set of challenges as the workplace continues to evolve.

Having had a bit of time over Christmas and New Year between eating Christmas cake and getting to grips with the latest gadget Santa brought me, I’ve caught up on what the pundits feel the top trends for 2016 will be. Here are my top 5!

Boomerang employees
During the recession, employees who were brave enough to move on often did so due to lack of career progression opportunities. Having had a chance to develop skills and broaden their CV elsewhere during the lean years, they are now on the hunt again for new positions; often re applying to the company they left behind for a more senior role. To some this may smack of disloyalty, but it is a great opportunity to take back someone who was really good and now has wider, more rounded experience. If your company has a blanket “do not rehire” policy, you may want to revisit this and consider if it is still right for you as the recruitment market becomes increasingly candidate led.

The rise of the Millennials
Millennials are on the rise! As the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation reaches retirement age, there’s an increasing need to fill managerial positions and the Millennials are ready to fill the gap. As the economy continues to warm, looking at your succession planning and development strategy will be important to help plan how to fill these gaps and retain key talent.

Workplace flexibility
Over the last couple of years, changes to flexible working practices have been a hot topic. This isn’t going to change in 2016. Flexible working strategies are increasingly an important retention tool and employees are starting to see them as a norm rather than an added perk. Shared Parental leave has been in place for a year, and now employees and employers have had an opportunity to get to grips with the legislation in practice, more employees may well start to request it. Watch this space, as the saying goes….

Generation Z start to graduate
Now this is the thought that made me feel my age… Generation Z start to graduate this summer and reach the workplace. Which means you could have 4 generations working for you – Boomers, X, Millennials and Z. That’s one heck of a mix, which can add a whole wealth of ideas, experience and energy to your business! However, it does also come with very different expectations, motivations and needs. Generation Z are predicted to be even more tech savvy and career driven than Millennials, and 65% are concerned about working with so many other generations (Forbes), so be prepared!

Wearable technology
Sticking with technology, wearable tech such as Fitbits, Apple Watches and Samsung’s S2 will become more acceptable at work over the next 12 months. Whilst they are mainly used for health and fitness at present, they could present a great opportunity for linking into productivity and your company health and wellbeing strategy. It’s definitely worth a thought!