Elevating HR Newsletter

With a vaccine reaching states this week and a new year right around the corner, there are high hopes things will get back to normal in 2021.

But is a return to business as usual truly possible? Or perhaps, more importantly, wanted?

In this week's edition, we take an in-depth look at how employee expectations are changing and what that means for employers post-pandemic.

Deep Dive: Flexible Arrangements

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We've all had to stretch ourselves this year. And it appears that many are finding they thoroughly enjoy their new-found flexibility.

Below are a few snowballing trends that will make it difficult to turn back the clock to the pre-2020 workplace. 

Mobile movement: Even when it's safe to return to the office, will people want to go back? Early data suggests WFH perks will long outlast COVID.

• What are Millennials killing now? The office. Pre-pandemic, Millennials were not happy at work. They were the least engaged generation and rated their overall wellbeing the lowest. But during the WFH-era, Millennials have flourished. It's going to be a tough sell to get all 56 million of them back on-site.

• People on the move. Downtown isn't what it used to be. And many workers are eyeing the chance to get more space for less money outside of urban hubs. Smaller cities stand to reap the benefits, as do employers that embrace a workers-from-anywhere mindset.

• The third workplace. WeWork recently introduced an on-demand service, allowing you to book space on-the-go. They're betting big on a world of hybrid workplaces that includes space away from both home and office.

Entirely new attire: As you know in fashion, one day you're in, the next day you're out. And today, Athleisure is in, and business wear is out.

• Too late to patch up? Even if workers wanted to return to ties and heels (they don't), there will be few places you can buy them. More and more business wear brands are going out of business for good.

• The aesthetic effect: Changing dress codes may require updating more than just your employee handbook. What employees wear goes hand-in-hand with the design (and comfortability) of your workplace.

Payday every day: Earned wage access (EWA) has been discussed for years. But COVID has reenergized the conversation for more flexible pay solutions.

• Driving forces: New tools (and big names) that make EWA feasible + spillover expectations from the gig work economy + urgent need to access wages for surprise pandemic expenses = increased demand for on-demand pay.

• In the wild: In November, PayPal inked a deal to provide on-demand pay for their employees. But while they're the latest, they're not the only household name to offer EWA. To name a few others: Walmart, McDonald's, and Lyft.

• What're the benefits? There's no arguing EWA requires significant upfront costs (both technological and cultural). But increased retention and decreased payroll expenses make the potential payoff high.

Big picture: None of the above trends are new. This past year just accelerated their adoption. Employers pushing to go back to the way things were will likely find it a Sisyphean effort.

What Else Caught Our Eye This Week

Talent building. The generation of workers post-pandemic will have significantly different qualifications than previous cohorts. Apprenticeships can help employers adapt. Read.

VR meetings are weird. But better than Zoom. While VR's got nothing on in-person collaboration, it can scratch a stuck-at-home itch that video conferencing can't. Read.

Managing exhaustion. How do you lead a worn-out team when you're worn out yourself? Focus only on high-impact work, and put everything else on the back burner. Read.

Slack: right tool for the wrong work? "The future of office work won't be found in continuing to reduce the friction involved in messaging but, instead, in figuring out how to avoid the need to send so many messages in the first place." Read.

Great HR is great PR. Brand advocates are worth their weight in marketing gold. But often, the easiest converts are invested in the least. Who are they? Employees. Read.

Augment Your 2021 Recruiting, Today

Now's the time to catch candidates' attention. Work is slowing down, and New Year's Resolutions are ramping up.

So get ahead of the hiring competition (and don't break your EOY budget) with one of our Augmented Recruiting packages.

For a fraction of the price of a full search, you can access our recruiting tools, tech, and talent to reach the right people, with the right message, right now.

Ready to jumpstart your 2021 recruiting? Start with a free talent market analysis.

Additional Resources

HR support. Is your team struggling to keep up right now? Our staff is ready to provide the help you need, starting yesterday. Learn more.

Virtual onboarding. Get your new hire up-to-speed with our onboarding playbook hosted on an access-anywhere-at-anytime knowledge base and training software. Learn more.

New normal. New challenges. Whatever obstacles you're facing in your people operations, we can help. Call, email, or schedule a free consultation with us.

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