The lingering economic downturn has made companies think about how they conduct their business. And these new approaches will have a significant impact on the type of employees a company recruits.
I recently read an article from SHRM(Society for Human Resource Management) that overall didn't surprise me and probably you. Loosely translated-- the downward spiral of the economy "encouraged" companies to conduct businesses in new ways. SHRM's emphasis of course was on the effects of recruiting and what type of person the company will now be looking for.
There is a theory that everyone is waiting. Business owners are watching those in Washington. Once the environment becomes a friendly and stable one, then growth will take place and savings will once again be balanced with expansion. And as the article seems to agree with the theory-- those employees who can hang on to their job until that time, are watching their leaders from supervisor clear up the chain to CEO. They are watching to see who is telling the truth to them, who is hypocritical, who are effective leaders and who are not. These factors will count in determining whether or not the employee will bolt from the company once things get better. If a company cares about their employees, those employees have neighbors, friends, and are part of organizations in their community. People find out who these companies are and decide to buy products and services from ones that have a soul as well as a brain.
Another point has to do with flexible working hours. That in itself is not new. I believe the article was addressing jobs beyond the typical flexible ones currently like sales and adding many more since electronic means gives more workers the capability to complete assignments anywhere. From an h.r. perspective, how do you define working hours if someone is connected to work through electronic means 24/7? For some jobs, this 24/7 accessibility is going to be a plus for the employer for sure. Does accessibility have boundaries and if so, where on the organizational chart do boundaries count or not?
Where do you find people who can work off-site and be productive? Not everyone is a self-starter. Many do well under some type of management style. People, from kindergarten on, have had someone in charge. How does h.r. recruit those who can be entirely on their own?
If nothing else, as the article states, it gives new meaning to the term "teamwork". Gathering the team together when they were at work during the same hours had some perks --less set up time, brainstorming ideas bouncing off each other in the same room, etc. What does one gain if they are not at the office? If the team is doing their job, more first hand experience perhaps. Also, the realization that both employer and employee are relevant and can contribute.
The last point the article brought up made me ponder. We all know about Mars/Venus when it comes to men and women. Deborah Busser, a career expert at Essex Partners, helps to define teamwork as "playing your positions" (often more of a male mind-set) to "everyone chips in and does what is needed" (more of a female approach). I had never heard of approaching teamwork from a Mars/Venus mindset before.
No doubt we are in an economic evolution. I truly believe it is as significant as the one that took Western Civilization from farm to factory. Having a mobile workforce will be part of this changing business landscape.
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