As the dust starts to settle on cost cuts and redundancies, I can’t help but start to think about what the world will look like when the markets come back and business begin to experience growth again.
Today the employment landscape looks different to what it did 12 or 18 months ago. The flexibility 4 day work weeks or 9 day fortnights have introduced to employees is likely to be something many will value and not want to surrender when given the opportunity. This time away from the workplace has now been replaced by personal errands or hobbies usually reserved for the weekend, time with friends or family, or even just the opportunity to slow down and live life at a relaxed pace rather than a relay. The value placed on this sort of lifestyle is likely to be far greater than any possible financial impact offered as a substitute and those who have come to expect this sort of flexibility will regard it as essential when considering future employers.
The skills shortage will absolutely return, enhanced now by those who have opened new doors to opportunity and taken on the entrepreneurial spirit of small business. Declining birth rates will continue to impact the current workforce and a continued ageing population will bring new dimensions to how and when we work. Organisations will need to think creatively about flexibility in the workplace for all generations, why not start now?
