Technology continues to empower employees to share and access more information about organizations. Now more than ever, employees expect more transparency, flexibility, and accountability from the companies that hope to attract and retain them. LinkedIn recently published a Global Talent Trends 2019 Report that combined a survey of over 5,000 talent professionals in 35 countries with behavioral data from LinkedIn and actionable tactics to help organizations get the most out of their workforce.
LinkedIn has come up with four main trends that will transform the workplace in 2019 including soft skills, work flexibility, anti-harassment and pay transparency.
4 Ideas that are shaping the future of HR and hiring
Soft Skills
From the people surveyed 80% say that soft skills are increasingly important to company success. The rise of automation and AI means that technical skills are simply not enough to succeed. According to LinkedIn behavioral data, creativity is the
most in-demand soft skill. Creativity brings a new light to solving problems and it’s a skill that cannot easily be replaced by a machine. LinkedIn found other soft skills such as persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and time management in high demand as well.
Work Flexibility
Technology has taken away the 9-5 mindset whether that’s for the better or for the worse. Employees now expect the freedom to work where and when they want, within reason and it’s often a top priority for candidates when choosing a job now. Flexibility can improve things such as productivity and retention but it can create challenges such as collaboration and bonding. Some industries such as manufacturing and healthcare are difficult to have work flexibility but 72% of talent professionals in software and technology say their companies allow remote work.
Anti-harassment
Employees are starting to feel more comfortable standing up against harassment and employees are also changing their own behavior. 75% of talent professionals have noticed some behavior change in employees over the last two years. Employees are now more open and vocal and less tolerant of harassment. Women in HR and hiring see the value of increasing the gender diversity of leadership and most women say it’s an effective tactic to create safer workplaces but only about one-third of men agree. A number of gaps are still present between planned policies and effective implementation in organizations.
Pay Transparency
Pay has always been an uncomfortable and confidential topic in the workplace. Employers fear that disclosing too much information about salaries could cause wage disputes, limit their ability to negotiate, and encourage other organizations to poach talent. There may be benefits to pay transparency though – it can set salary expectations early on, clear up misinformation and assumptions and ensure fair pay across gender, race and all other demographics.
There you have it, the four key ideas shaping the future of hiring. Download the full LinkedIn report here.
