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Stay up to date with the latest news, offers and market trends from Heyllo!
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In the news today was an article quoting a research finding that suggested a third of workers would leave their job if employers do not continue to provide for flexible working beyond the pandemic.
It seems it is becoming more and more apparent that employee sentiment is perfectly clear and employers could be taking risks by not adopting flexible working approaches. So is flexible working the way forward? It’s seems hard for us as employers to adopt either a blanket ‘back to the office’ or ‘only work at home’ stance based on these findings. We risk our employees feeling dissatisfied about the company, and in today’s competitive job market, the cost of this decision in recruitment and retention terms far outweighs the cost of a new flexible approach. It is therefore, really important that we carefully consider how to provide more flexible solutions as pandemic restrictions ease, and use this as an opportunity to change outdated ways of working. In real terms more flexible working in all its forms can help to attract and retain people with the right skills for the job and can lead to more diverse and inclusive workplaces, and it can also be good for wellbeing and productivity. It all sounds too good to be true, right? If you look at alternative research to provide a balanced perspective then you’ll also find information on working from home leading to an “ergonomic timebomb”, due to decreased levels of physical activity. Or that while productivity has improved among those working remotely, employees have been working three hours longer on average per week, leading to concerns of burnout. Therefore, flexible working is not a simple equation to solve, and emphasises that employers must review their whole approach to health and wellbeing as more chose to employ hybrid working policies. It is clear that wellbeing and productivity are two sides of the same coin, and in the same way organisations plan for market changes, if the last 12 months has taught us anything it is that the health of our people is the most valuable asset to help businesses recover and grow. Therefore, flexible approaches to achieving this should be a critical element of any employer’s plans as we re-emerge following a challenging year. What works for one employer, won’t work for another – but if ever a time to try and test new approaches has existed, then this is it! #flexibleworkinghours #flexitime #wellbeing #productivity #growth #policies There is no doubt that the pandemic has seen a rise in digital learning (and working) as employers and their staff have had to adapt to the way the crisis has changed the world of work.
In a recent article I read that was published by CIPD, it was reported that 70 per cent of businesses saw a surge in the use of digital or online programmes over the last year. The main reasons for this increase is readily associated with the restrictions the pandemic imposed, but a lot of the credit should be given to all the training organisations and learning professional that have stepped up and delivered, despite the obvious cuts in both budgets and resource. These efforts have never been more important for employers as they reskill and redeploy their workers and adapt to the changing environment. So what now? How will training in the future look like as we all start to emerge from the restrictions imposed across the last 15 months? Firstly, it is clear that even through a pandemic learning never stops! And the need for learning is greater than ever before, with businesses needing new skills and a fair amount of imagination to face new-world challenges. Only this week we’ve been speaking with a variety of employers who have reported an increased need for mental health training across their leadership teams due to the effects of the pandemic – that didn’t exist or wasn’t as prevalent pre-pandemic. Or a group of employers that require support to upskill their team leaders so they can manage their workforce more remotely using technology solutions – again as a consequence of the pandemic and new ways of working. We truly hope that the digital innovation that has been demonstrated over the past year remains, and it continues to allow individuals and organisations to adjust, shine and emerge successfully on the other side of a turbulent year! If we get this right we will see learning happening more frequently, flexibly and impactfully, whether individuals are at home, in the office or a bit of both. #digitial #online #learning #development #homelearning #l&d #newskills #adapting #reskill #redeploy The new skills and post-16 education Bill launched last week sets out the government’s priorities, including a skills “revolution” that promises to strengthen jobs.
Perhaps the time has come to realise you can't 'level up' by simply offering more training courses (although part of the solution). This has to be accompanied by clear signposting to high-quality careers support for young people that helps them make successful and sustainable progress into real jobs. The question that needs to be addressed should be 'Where are the highly visible places and spaces for careers and job support or advice for young people in England?’ For example, as a recruitment company we have dozens of apprenticeship vacancies that we struggle (like many) to pass onto young people due to this gap in the system. This is exacerbated by the fact that many FE providers or schools will only allow a recruitment company to share the Apprenticeship vacancies with their learners if they are delivering the training directly……this can’t be right? The need for more specialist (and potentially independent) careers advisers and coaches, as part of a system that puts young people's needs first, has never been more needed. If the government is willing to commit in skills investment, then it must recognise the need to complement this with a support system of careers guidance and recruitment services. Only by better connecting young people to jobs and careers will we make the lifetime skills guarantee and personalised guidance work for all. The new skills and post-16 education Bill can be found here https://lnkd.in/eYcufk7 #careers #careercoach #jobs #careersupport #work #learning #recruitment |
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