2016 was a big year. It was one which has easily re-written history and will shape our future. The front-runner stories were of course Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. And let’s not forget the huge strides forward for LGBT rights, as the Italian parliament became the last major Western country to legally recognise gay couples (finally!).
By the time Christmas came, we were all wondering which direction to go next. But, having had some time off to reflect and plan, it gave us the chance to think about how these changes will impact the employee engagement world.
So here they are, our top 10 predictions for 2017.
- Businesses will get used to planning for the unknown
While it feels fairly calm now with regards to Brexit, there’s a storm-a-brewing. With no clarity over what a ‘hard’ or ‘red, white and blue’ (!) Brexit mean, leaders and managers are going to have to get used to planning for the unknown. Employees need to feel reassured that things are in hand and communicated with clearly as and when the details of the UK’s exit become clearer.
- Increased emphasis on authentic leadership
The shock election of Trump as president and the rise of Far-Right groups across Europe, were something which many wouldn’t have predicted at the start of the 2016. But, there’s a lesson in here for businesses and leaders.
While voters may not have believed in the candidates’ ideologies or even liked them as people, the lack of trust in leadership meant that many people took the ‘protest vote’ to fill the void. The lesson? If we do not engage our employees, someone else will and you could lose your best talent to someone else.
- Businesses will continue to become increasingly transparent
In an electronic age, there are fewer places for businesses to hide. Nothing disengages people more than hearing the latest big news about their company via rumours on social media. In addition, information on pay is increasing accessible, meaning companies may be forced to address unfair pay gaps – which can only be a good thing.
- Employees will seek more traditional benefits
In 2016, research by Glassdoor showed that many of the fashionable perks of today, such as discounts, gym memberships and free food, actually have a smaller impact on employee satisfaction, compared to more traditional benefits, like great health insurance. They predict that off the back of this, we’re likely to see large tech employers re-evaluating their benefit packages, focusing on what offers the biggest bang for the buck in terms of engagement and productivity.
- New technologies will impact the way companies listen – is the end finally in sight for the annual engagement survey?
2016 saw a rise in engagement apps and platforms, designed to capture and manage employee feedback. We also saw an increase in the use of wearable devices. The technologies and solutions are making it easier to capture data and insight in real time. Because of this, we’re already seeing an increase in companies moving away from an annual employee survey and moving towards on-going listening strategies, to not only capture more meaningful data but to improve their employee voice. These advances mean that companies are finally able to move from a transactional approach to engagement to a more transformational approach.
- …and the way employees work together
Our 2016 research into Enterprise Social Networks (ESN), found that out of the 45% of people who had access to an ESN, a whopping 93%, use it regularly. Used primarily as a tool for collaboration, we also found that ESN users have more pride, attachment and vigour at work – and early indications are that ESN users have higher levels of wellbeing.
- Everyone will know what Edtech is – and use it!
Edtech – or Education Technology, encompasses everything from online learning platforms, learning apps, gamification – even the use of computers to teach in school. We’ve recently been introduced to Joosr – an app that has a library of over 250 non-fiction books, and turns them in to 20-minute bite-sized reads. With so many people declaring themselves as time-poor, we can now use this technology to make sure learning and development isn’t the first thing to take the hit when budgets are cut.
- Virtual reality will provide a new way to engage
Although there is still very much a market for VR in the gaming arena, there was an increased interest in VR being used as a way of engaging employees in 2016. We anticipate that this will continue to grow in 2017. Peter Maddalena, Director of VR Craftworks says “VR is no longer just a gimmick. We work with companies to make the inaccessible, accessible. Rather than having to explain your ideas, and trying to get people to visualise them, you can show them. You can actually take them there – and be there with them!”.
- The rise of People Science
We know that effective communication is critical for employee engagement and companies increasingly want to understand the impact of their communications, rather than just the reach. Newsweaver have announced that they are soon to be launching new technology, which will help comms professionals to gather data, combining campaign outputs and outcome results
And it’s not just Communication professionals that will be spending more time looking at data – Glassdoor, Newsweaver and HRD Magazine, have all recently written articles on how HR departments around the world have woken up to the potential of using data, or ‘People Science’. They’ve seen the benefits of low-cost workforce analytics and will use this data for HR fundamentals such as recruiting, hiring and engagement.
- The revolution is coming – automation will change the way we work – everywhere!
The continued automation of work is beginning to cause a real stir. According to a recent study by Oxford University, all the developed nations on earth will see job loss rates of up to 47% within the next 25 years. Although modernisation cannot be held responsible for the full hit, it certainly will play a very large part. We’ve seen an increase in productivity apps, innovations in machine learning and now, 2017 looks to be the year where automated vehicles will revolutionise the way we move goods and people. Glassdoor have also predicted automation, in all forms, will impact everyone – from long-haul truckers, to white-collar workers, such as travel agents and insurance brokers, who can now be replaced with online services. However, they do say that workers can stay on the profitable side of automation with ongoing skill-building, making sure new skills are complementary to technology.
