Workplace Trends 2015



Workplace Trends 2015 Report – we pull out the key points and pledge to continue to support you in productivity, work/life balance, conflict management and proactive communication! 

Earlier this year, HR Zone, ACAS and CIPD produced this report, which outlines the 5 key policy areas that they think will provide the benchmark for ‘good working lives and effective workplaces’ for 2015.

The 5 Workplace Trends 2015:

1 – What will employment relations teach us about building skills and improving productivity in the workplace?
Boosting the UK’s labour productivity is still big on the agenda following the recession – one key driver around how to do this lies in the role of the manager being able to give employees more of a sense of control over how their job is done.  Mark Beatson (Chief Economist for the CIPD) says ‘Employees also need to feel they can rely on others for support, especially their line managers.’

2 – What part will atypical contracts play in the future of working life?
It appears that more organisations are starting to recognise the benefits that atypical contracts may bring – as long as they are managed proactively and take into account a culture of trust.

3 – Will conflict be better managed informally in the workplace?
The way conflict is managed in the workplace is changing – away from the traditional, formal ‘grievance procedure’ and more towards the ‘proactive conflict management’ approach.  This is about developing managers’ confidence and ability to ‘have a quiet word’ early on rather than letting miscommunication fester and build into something more serious.

4 – What role will social media play in promoting employee voice?
Social media has opened up the channels of communication to employees to enable more people than ever to express their views.  Couple of key caveats raised here – internal guidelines should encourage the same rules as with face-to-face communication (no surprises, respect ….); also the question is raised as to whether managers are listening and acting on the feedback they receive through social media in the same way they would via face-to-face communication.

5 – Will flexible forms of working be the answer to work/life balance?
Now that all employees are able to request flexible working, it’s not just parents and carers who may be considering changing their hours.  Managers will need to become more skilled than they currently are in handling conversations around flexible working – they may well find themselves having more applications than they anticipated.  One thought arising from the report was that “an output-based approach to flexible working based on mutual trust between the employer and the employee could change perceptions around workforce flexibility.”

If these issues do work their way to the top of the HR agenda, it would certainly support our drive for family-friendly organisations.  Manager development, as always, makes it to the top of the list, as without their skill and commitment in conflict management, flexibility management and proactive communication, none of the above will be possible.

For us at PfP Coaching, the report serves as a useful reminder to continue to support our clients in HR and Learning and Development to upskill managers in career development and communication skills.

In the meantime, our own drive and focus on productivity, practicality and output in our approach to workshops will continue!

The link to the full report can be found here:

https://www.hrzone.com/resources/workplace-trends-2015-what-they-mean-for-you


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