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Top Workplace Trends for 2016

The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated has identified the top trends that will impact the world of workforce management — and your plan sponsor clients — in 2016.

Unique Benefits Emerge as a Competitive Advantage

The organization says that a “talent-first” focus in 2016 will cause many organizations to rethink and retool their benefits strategies to create a competitive advantage in the war for talent. With benefits being used to attract and retain “the most diverse and multigenerational workforce in history,” the group says there will be an emergence of unique benefits that target employees at different stages of their lives, from student loan repayment programs, unlimited vacation, and paid time off for hourly workers to expanded parental leave, child care support, retirement assistance and medical benefits that help care for aging parents.

Employee Self-service, Mobile and Scheduling Technologies Empower the Worker as Regulations Tighten

As the "consumerization" of workforce management technology marches on and the focus on workers’ rights increases, the group says 2016 will see wider adoption of employee self-service, mobile and intelligent scheduling technologies that empower the worker while unburdening managers. Employees will have tools to take more ownership of their schedules, while smarter technologies will support greater equity in staffing models. However, as these technologies are implemented to balance productivity, compliance and fairness, they expect increased government scrutiny on how workforce management innovations are used in the workplace.

Compliance, Regulation and Workers’ Rights Take Center Stage in an Election Year

As the Obama administration enters its final year and the spotlight on workers’ rights shines brighter around the world, the group says that government regulation around paid time off, overtime, minimum wage, health care, schedule fairness, family leave and more will put increased pressure on organizations to maintain compliance. That means organizations large and small will require tools and technologies to juggle different regulations across cities, states and countries where they do business while ensuring employees are treated fairly within the law with the ability to generate reports that prove compliant practices to avoid fines and penalties.

The Year of Talent

Aggressive recruiting practices and websites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn have all contributed to a dynamic shift in the employer-employee relationship. Not only do talented workers have more leverage than ever before, it is now nearly impossible for an organization to hide its true corporate culture from job candidates. The C-suite will be more directly involved in talent management strategies in 2016, with a focus on winning with engaged employees.

Organizations Invest in the Next Generation of Leaders

The exodus of Baby Boomers continues as Millennials and Gen Xers represent the growing majority of the workforce. The analysis says that many of these younger workers will begin managing older colleagues who have more experience. Leadership development, succession planning and training programs that tackle the skills shortage will be major themes in 2016 as an increasing number of organizations will invest more in middle management to ensure they can properly hire, coach and motivate their employees.

More information about these predictions is available here.

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