This article was originally published on The WorkForce Blog.
We asked nearly 400 business leaders about the workforce issues they consider to be “most critical” over the next 18 months.
Here’s what they said:
1. Engaging employees
63% of managers plan to address this issue.
An engaged employee, by definition, is invested in the goals of his or her organization. That’s why engaged people are so valuable: They carry more potential.
That said, like most valuable things, engaged employees are relatively uncommon: Gallop says 70% of workers are not engaged. In other words, 7 out of 10 people don’t care if their organization thrives or if it sits idle, stagnant like a puddle.
Therefore, as an employer, it’s wrong to assume people are engaged. It’s likely that they’re not.
2. Retaining employees
51% of managers plan to address this issue.
Employee turnover is incredibly expensive: SHMR says that every time an organization replaces a salaried employee, it costs 6 – 9 months’ salary.
Couple that statistic with the fact that 51% of workers are perennially job hunting—not to mention millennial job-hopping tendencies—and employee retention concerns start to come into focus.
3. Integrating deeper with existing systems
43% of managers plan to address this issue.
Organizations with long-standing HR and Payroll environments are focused on finding a workforce management solution that seamlessly integrates with those existing systems.
Leaders value smooth, fluid integrations because they make work easier for employees and managers alike. Running a siloed workforce management solution, on the other hand, is a complicated, inefficient exercise
4. Keeping employee-specific data secure
19% of managers plan to address this issue.
When a corporation’s data is stolen, people can lose their jobs, their identities, their sense of security and peace of mind.
Last year, for instance, Snapchat apologized for a data breach that revealed sensitive payroll information about its employees, past and present. The breach compromised the identities of these workers, exposing their names, Social Security numbers, and wage data.
5. Creating fair schedules for employees
18% of managers plan to address this issue.
The Economic Policy Institute says that 17% of employees have unstable work schedules.
Unstable work schedules are erratic and unpredictable, unfair. Unfair schedules are built around the needs of the organization first, showing little or no regard for the people who work them.
From a linear business standpoint: Unfair schedules lead to disengagement. Disengagement leads to turnover. Turnover leads to tremendous cost.
6. Transitioning more systems to the cloud
18% of managers plan to address this issue.
The cloud provides efficiency and cost savings, change and choice. It’s flexible and agile, resulting in lower costs and improved scalability, which is why adoption continues to accelerate across virtually every industry.
For the majority of organizations, especially those with high employee counts, it’s not a matter of if they will transition to the cloud, but when.
The more people your organization employs …
…the more complicated your workforce management needs will be.
The right solution can make all the difference.