WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE WORKPLACE IN 2022?

And just like that we find ourselves at the end of 2021. In what has been a challenging year to say the least and 2022 right around the corner, we can only predict it will be a test for the new structure of many businesses, as they leave these past two years behind with a big forward focus on growth.

Our team here at StaffSavvy have been busy researching the topics and tools we expect to see come into place in workforces across the globe over the next year. Today we bring you our predictions for 2022!

Read on to discover the changes we expect to see:

1. Business will look for further HR support.

A study conducted in the US found that 80% of small businesses now use or are looking to use a HR software to support their in-house teams. The use of HR technology has been eased in since the pandemic, with the view to only get bigger. People are looking for those manual processing duties to become less time-consuming to avoid employees being bogged down with paperwork, and sourcing ways for business processes to be sped up. With the latest software put in place to aid employees, tasks will take seconds compared to each person having to input information manually. Using these tools explicitly to support your already existing HR policies and processes, makes your employees roles more streamlined. There’s no need to re-write the rulebook, but there is a need to use the right tools to make your HR workflows easier to manage than ever before.

2. Focus on the learning and development of staff.

This year businesses have been hit with “The Great Resignation”. Looking back over the last year, how could businesses have prevented this from happening? By focusing on the learning and development of their staff. Research shows that employees are less likely to seek changes elsewhere if there is training and progression opportunities in place for their current position. By having the training and upskilling nurture already implemented, it positions you as a caring employer who invests in the future of their staff and supports them as they fill the need to keep improving. We will see many businesses focus on staff retention and growth over 2022, and you can plan for succession by finding a training tool that will build on your already existing training levels, modules, and courses and with an easy-to-use resources’ library. As we enter a digitally driven world faster than ever it’s important your employees are equipped with the right knowledge and skill set to succeed.

3. Find a smarter way of creating shifts.

Whilst many businesses prepare to close for Christmas, those sectors that remain open such as hospitality, performing arts and venues are busy rota planning to avoid any staff headaches this festive season. With ever growing amounts of paperwork, managers are looking to improve efficiency by taking shifts online so employees can have quick and easy access. Ensuring you have the right software in place that is simple for everyone to use is key to maximising efficiency. The right system should track changes so managers can oversee the swapping and changes but shouldn’t take up strenuous amounts of admin time. Rotas shouldn’t be there to cause you headaches, when it’s done right it helps aid your daily admin duties not cause a hindrance. Prepare your business and bring in a system that allows staff to staff-manage.

4. Automation adoption.

While there are many benefits to automation such as reducing operating costs, reducing time spent on tasks and improving overall productivity etc. There are numerous benefits to adopting this into your business growth plans for 2022, if you haven’t already. Whatever the size of your business or organisation automation can help streamline internal processes and drive a better ROI by automating processes that ensure tasks are completed without human error. Perform as many actions as you want and daisy-chain your triggers to create different sequences of automation, allowing employees to work on more engaging work tasks improving overall job satisfaction. Automation has shown significant growth over the past two years and is present in many fields of business, what major changes do we expect to see? We’re excited to find out.

5. Driving productivity.

For all businesses in 2022, productivity is going to be the driving force behind any future strategies and business growth. The key element in achieving business growth is implementing systems that will leverage technology and improve overall time efficiency. If you have areas within your business where productivity is slightly lacking but is important to the day to day running, this is where investment in a platform would give a positive return. Performance to your in-house teams is critical to ensure your business is maximising high levels of customer service, happy customers and the fulfilment of staff. By removing those manual processes, the maxed-out spreadsheets and working timeframes can be drastically shortened and overall accuracy increased. As productivity becomes the focus, the flow for future growth and expansion is prioritised.

As we move towards 2022, the year ahead will continue to see organisations work alongside the newest work models to provide flexibility for their team, meet the demands of customers and put their newest growth strategies in place. It’s critical that business leaders understand the challenges that will shape our world for the year ahead but be open to progression that will drive business growth.

If you’re looking for ways to maximise business efficiency, improve productivity and save your team time, book a free demo with us to see how we can help.