Letters of the month

Top 10 workplace Trends To look ouT for in 2021

I quite like where the workplace and culture are likely headed this year. Some much-needed change in outlook and approach to the overall employee experience. Nice to see a greater focus on digital workflows, flexible work schedules, wellness, diversity, and a decentralized workforce. While these segments aren’t absolutely new focus areas, the pandemic has surely fuelled greater attention to these aspects, which have been severely ignored for years, despite increased emphasis on crafting a delightful employee experience. 2020 didn’t just challenge survival but forced organizations to test and rewire mindsets and age-old practices that persisted despite questions around their relevance in the present times. Flexibility for one has always been looked upon as a benefit, an optional one at that, however, 2020 forced organizations to offer work from home to sustain and eventually, a handful realized the need and impact, and today remote working has experienced a paradigm shift from being a flexible perk to a globally accepted workplace norm. What now the workforce looks forward to is how soon other accompanying trends translate into reality.

- RauNak SaPRa

HR must argue for strategic salary hikes

Thank you for highlighting this obvious fact that seems to be ignored by a majority. The direct correlation between employee compensation, employee satisfaction, employee performance, and business performance is one that’s often misunderstood. And while a dip in business performance, especially an extreme one like that of 2020, resulted in dips in employee compensation, the reverse is seldom paid attention to. By designing workplace and workforce strategy in a manner that ensures strong employee compensation, leading to greater employee satisfaction, the result is better employee performance, eventually leading to exponential business growth, especially when such employee performance is replicated throughout the organization and independent functions. While 2020 suffered a setback, there are sectors that witnessed exponential growth, such as technology and healthcare, with other sectors gradually picking pace.

jaNuary 2021 issue

'Patriarchy in the region has not gone away'

Sadly not surprised. Several global leaders and researchers have been cautioning against the rising inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic, yet the degree of urgency to counter the consequences of the COVID outbreak on inclusion remains non-existent. Inclusion is becoming more of talk and less about action. We have seen several employers jump on the diversity bandwagon in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement, much like the advocacy around LGBTQ+ inclusion around Pride Month. So, are we awaiting severe injustice and discrimination before we take sustainable change toward the advancement of women's rights and state of living and employment? Hasn’t that already been happening for decades now?

- VaRuN TYagI

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CEO Agenda for 2021: The business of health

Interesting take on the rising responsibility of leaders to bring about monumental social change. While corporate social responsibility kept the focus on uplifting the underprivileged sections of the society all these years, post the pandemic, the responsibility has fallen upon the shoulders of business leaders to make decisions that impact the well-being and health of employees. This in turn has triggered a greater need to rethink the way work is done, workplace expectations, employee expectations - thereby encouraging employers to shift their focus from micromanaging employees and their hours to efficient task management and building accountability with flexibility.

- VaNIa maNOHaR

“Culture fit” can sometimes be used to mask bias in hiring

A much-needed shift to cultureadd rather than culture fit. Culture-add sure embodies a truly inclusive concept that needs to be embedded across organizational cultures. The need for diverse perspectives is even more crucial today as organizations grapple with recovery and growth. COVID-19 has presented companies with the perfect opportunity to rewire outlook and strategy towards cognitive and cultural diversity.

“It’s the time to challenge our limits, not limit our challenges”

Loved this synopsis - “The best way to outpace disruption is through workforce capability: more human-led but techenabled, intentionally diverse, purpose-driven, operationally nimble and built for speed.” Some bold and critical suggestions to shift the needle and lens of how leaders think, prioritize and make decisions. Clearly, well-being is emerging to be the focus area, and as the author says, “Leaders who overlook this critical workplace trend in 2021 will ultimately erode their workforce capability and lose out on the war for talent.”

- VaNIa maNOHaR

What it means to create a connected workplace in 2021 and beyond

Absolutely agree with the author when he says we have only begun to scratch the surface of adapting to the new working landscape. The overnight shift for survival has now grown into a well-accepted global norm, demanding its own way of functioning and engaging. From smart tech to creative solutions to evolve culture for a hybrid workplace, a connected workplace in 2021 and times to come is sure going to be much more than engagement. It will be about collaboration, conflict, innovation, and growth beyond the confines of home, and overpowering the limitations imposed by distance.

duncan Neil Hewett @dhewett12 I recently spoke to @PeopleMatters2 about the tech trends that emerged during the pandemic and that we should expect to see continuing to evolve in 2021. ow.ly/ LSki50De8ze

UN Women Myanmar @unwomenmyanmar In an interview with @PeopleMatters2, our regional director @NaciriMohammad reveals some startling statistics highlighting the post #COVID19 pandemic threat to women’s upliftment

Terence Mauri @terencemauri How do leaders use trust and ethics as their North Star?Huge privilege to feature in @PeopleMatters2 peoplemattersglobal. com/article/c-suit…#thrive #leaders #trust #empathy #3dleader

david Green @david_green_uk Great interview with @drtcp via @ PeopleMatters2 - Never underestimate the power of human adaptability ow.ly/3w1K50D2lfr #Culture #Leadership #HR

Emma Codd @emmajcodd Now, more than ever, organizations must make #diversity & #inclusion and #mental health a true priority. I shared my thoughts with @PeopleMatters2 on progressing towards a stigma-free inclusive everyday culture in #2021 and beyond. peoplemattersglobal.com/article/c-suit…

Eric Shepherd @EricShepherd I love this article from @PeopleMatters2 that says mental health is the "outcome of several factors" one of which is the workplace. What is your business doing to make sure employee wellness and mental health are at the forefront? #HR #EmployeeWellness peoplematters.in/ article/wellne…

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