The sudden arrival of Covid-19 in early 2020 changed everything for small businesses. Occasional natural disasters aside, never in living memory have New Zealand businesses had to face sudden total lockdowns, work-from-home orders, social distancing and closed borders – all in one year.
The result is that it’s never been more important to consider very carefully who you employ, how you structure their role and ensure their productivity.
So what should small businesses know about HR market changes and how to recruit effectively to boost growth in the New Year?
What are the key employment trends and how to employ the right person for your business in 2021?
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1. Flexibility is now expected and essential to attract talent
Think that having your staff working flexible hours, working from the home office etc is a short term trend?
Think again.
This trend has been coming for years and Covid-19 has just made it the new norm.
When the first lockdown happened, it forced all kinds of companies to digitally transform, because a lot of staff had to work from home and it was very, very sudden. And when the country changed the alert levels again, it cemented the trend for good.
It meant businesses needed to be able to provide access to files and databases and software so that teams and individuals could work together seamlessly wherever they were – whether it was at the kitchen table, or the socially distanced office.
As a result, a whole generation of workers now know they can still be productive without braving the rush-hour commute. They can take a walk or drop the kids off at school before their work day and get just as much – if not more – done.
Will they give up this freedom after the vaccine has done its work? Our research says ‘No!’.
Flexibility is now expected and essential. And workplaces that offer it are becoming sought after.
Gone are the days when you could say to a candidate: “Here’s the office, this is where you will be based nine to five, Monday to Friday.”
Candidates are now the ones saying: “Where’s the flexibility? Can I work from home? I want to do school hours. I need to be able to nip out and pick up kids.”
And it’s only partly because of Cpvid, it’s also because Millennials are asking for it.
So, if there’s a shortage of skilled people out there, you’ve got to make your company attractive to those people.
If you’ve got all the right tools and you tick all the boxes for flexibility, whatever it might be that they’re looking for, that’s a big advantage.
2. Living in the Cloud
If you’re still working off your in-house server and expecting your staff to do the…
Read More: Top tips for employing for growth into the new year