Talent retention is a challenge for more and more companies. In the United States, 87% of employers consider it a critical priority for their organization. However, in Latin America, 45% of the staff remain less than six months in their jobs. This rotation harms productivity, in addition to increasing recruitment and training expenses.
Labor flexibility is one of the most decisive factors in attracting talent, according to the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2019 annual report. This study evaluates companies under the approach to the management of personal employee centricity, which has allowed employees to be taken into account by companies when proposing and approving policies that facilitate reconciliation.
In the report, the reconciliation between the work environment and personal life is the second most crucial factor, registering 55%, a figure similar to obtaining in 2018. In recent years, other factors have become more critical, such as a pleasant work environment. This trend is due in part to the revival of the labor market and the reduction in the unemployment rate.
The study also reflects generational differences in the choice of job offers. For example, 48% of millennials consider it essential that a company offers a pleasant working environment. On the other hand, employees between 35 and 54 years (60%) prioritize that the work offers them a balance between family and professional life.
“All these data suggest that companies without a clear and defined policy regarding conciliation run a risk that enhances the flight of talent,” Randstad said. These data suggest that employees have gained a more significant power role in determining the importance of introducing conciliation policies and flexible workspaces.
Attracting talent with a balance between personal and professional life
These trends have led to three out of four companies globally looking for ways to make work more flexible to retain employees. This measure is increasingly demanded by professionals who want to stay in or access a company. According to Randstad, one of the reasons is that these policies improve the balance between personal and professional life.
In addition to the retention and attraction of talent, these policies have a positive result in the productivity of companies. The data from the consultancy indicate that 85% of companies observed an increase in productivity when they offered more flexibility to their employees.
“When an employee feels protected by an environment that takes care of him and ensures reconciliation, the result is productivity.”
Collaborative spaces improve productivity
Currently, companies are committed to implementing collaborative spaces or areas with new distribution, so that familiar places within the work are promoted. Cubicles and segregated work tables discourage collaboration and foster cultures that encourage competition rather than teamwork.
Among the companies that have experimented with these new forms of distribution, are large technology companies such as Google, Apple, and Facebook. These companies use open spaces to encourage communication between work areas.
Human resources specialists point out that these spaces improve communication, companionship, and teamwork, in addition to offering greater horizontality between departments. Social relations between employees are benefited without physical obstacles that prevent personal interactions. Likewise, creativity and innovation in new projects are favored. Improvements in the work environment lead to efficiency and productivity.
Technology also favors collaboration between employees.
Incorporating new technologies into workspaces favors the meeting between the members of the company. These are a complement in the adaptation of workspaces and also allow people to interact and share innovative ideas. Therefore, the consultant says that companies must bet on a cultural change in the hands of the transformation of spaces.
The technological tools in the offices attract the attention of the employees. The presence of these makes them more predisposed to use the new collaboration spaces. This trend is stronger in the new generations that reach the labor market. By offering the right tools, companies will be able to observe that people use screens as a collaboration tool and not just for presentations.
These characteristics promote that people feel part of the company, which leads to higher productivity and innovation.