Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

What Do Employees Really Want?

During the height of the pandemic, many employers espoused the virtues of their companies and how it valued workers are partners. Sign on bonuses for new recruits became the norm, because it was difficult to find talent.

Fast forward to 2022 and it appears, some companies may have reverted to their old ways of doing business. Attracting talent is one thing, but retaining it has become a challenge onto its own. And employees who are looking for work these days are not interested in accepting the old ways of doing things. Still scratching your head about what employees really want? Here are 5 tips:

Compensation: It’s important so, it include on your online job ad, discuss in the first and second interview. No one wants to work for low wages. Recent studies revealed income being is the number 1 factor for candidates who are seeking employment. If a candidate accepts a lower wage with your company, chances are, they will eventually leave as soon as they higher pay job comes along.

2. Value: Employees want to feel valued. Companies should openly recognize and appreciate their team. Making your employees feel valued can be achieved through a variety of ways. The most tangible way is to provide compensation in the form of bonuses, raises, or expanded benefits, as mentioned above.

Creating an environment where your employees feel they are seen and heard ispowerful. Small steps that recognize and appreciate your employees, such as celebrating birthdays, sending thank you emails, and recognizing workplace milestones can go a long way towards creating a workplace where gratitude is present.

3Diversity: If you really want to diversify your workforce, stop asking potential candidates to optionally self-identify their ethnicity, among other things, on digital applications. These questions have nothing to do with a candidates’ ability — in fact, it will likely shine a light on your company’s inherent biases and, drive potential candidates to another company whose online applications do not have self-identifying questions of this nature. According to the OHRC, “application forms should not have questions that ask directly or indirectly about race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, record of offences, age, marital status, family status or disability”. And finally, if these questions are optional, why add them to the application in the first place?

In the end, do you know what employees want to see reflected in a company? They want real change, not platitudes, when it comes to a company’s ongoing commitment to diversify that includes hourly employees as well as leadership, that reflects a culture of inclusion for everyone.

4. Work-life balance: That’s right! And its not going away anytime soon. If you do not have a remote or hybrid work policy, good luck finding employees willing to work for your company. While not all jobs can be done remotely, many of them can. Work-life balance and well-being has becoming increasingly important to workers.

Pandemic-induced life changes have prompted a work-life balance reset for many employees who are more likely to prioritize lifestyle (family and personal interests) over proximity to work, and will pursue jobs in locations where they can focus on both. To win the war on talent in the future, companies will need to meet employees where they are.

5. Paid Time Off: Increased paid vacation time and parental leave are high on employees’ lists. Aside from health care and retirement benefits, employees are interested in working for a company that gives more paid time off and paid family leave. The dark days of pandemic became a time of self-reflection for many employees —and the days of working past the end of their shift or on weekends if they don’t have to, are gone.

Bottomline: So, what’s in it for employers? As an organization, if the prospect of a productive and happy workforce plus increased profits makes sense to you, then these tips should not be hard to implement. Conversely, you can always place your bet on employees putting the pandemic behind them in the hope, that they will just “get over it.” But the pandemic has stretched this piece of elastic so far that it cannot snap back. Moreover, employees don’t want to go back to the way it was before. Many are developing a new sense of self-awareness and worth, and they won’t easily forget if they are working for a company, that favours profits over its workers and one that does not reflect the diversity of the communities in which it operates.

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Remote work is becoming the norm, but it requires trust

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5 tips companies can use to win over the current talent shortage

About ATS

ATS offers a broad portfolio of time and attendance solutions that streamlines the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours for workforce management and eliminates the manual tasks of payroll preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing errors in corporate payroll departments.

Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce. ATS cloud services offer rapid deployment, support services, software updates, and enhancements; and consulting and training services.

Diversity, Vacation, Work-Life-Balance

5 Tips Companies Can Use To Win Over The Current Talent Shortage

Societal changes were taking place before the global health crisis became a reality. And, today’s current talent shortage is no fluke, it had been bubbling beneath the surface and got exacerbated by the pandemic.

Hiring employees is part science, part art and companies and their recruiters, should follow the Golden Rule, treat candidates the way they would like to be treated. Sometimes, the recruiting process is less than stellar. It only takes some planning and effort to make it warm and personal — while, being sensitive to prospective candidate’s needs and anxieties, whether there’s a labour shortage or not. Prospective candidates talk to others and the stories they tell can either help build up, or destroy, your brand. Don’t lose the opportunity to make sure the story they tell about your company is a positive one, even if you do not hire them.

5 Tips Companies Can Use To Win Over The Current Talent Shortage

Here are 5 tips you can use to help you overcome the current talent shortage:

1.There are no Perfect Candidates
Some companies hold out for that ‘perfect’ candidate who has the right skills, experiences and degrees. While some companies persist in looking for that one perfect candidate, (that does not exist) don’t be surprised, if the one you just rejected, got hired by your biggest competitor— and now, their new hire, is targeting your customers. A lot of companies are labouring under the misconception that we’re in the midst of the 2007/2008 recession and that people are clamoring to get a job. It’s 2022 and there are a lot of companies vying for the same candidates you are considering.

2. Diversity of Talent
Some of the most successful companies have diverse workforces. In a broader sense, diversity encompasses; employees with different life experiences, backgrounds, education level, age, social status, race and gender. Organizations should take into account the highly competitive labour market, relax some of their assessment criteria and be ever-more vigilant about their hiring practices. Today’s candidates, place a greater emphasis on the type of employees that are within a company before agreeing to a second or third interview. Why? Because a majority of candidates will evaluate the make-up of your workforce (including the C-Suite) before they apply.

3. Re-evaluate Recruiting Practices
Not every prospective candidate will have their resume uploaded to LinkedIn and that’s ok. You should not hold it against a candidate if their resume can’t be found on the latest online job platform or they don’t have a website that houses their CV. Hiring is not just about ticking boxes or following a step-by-step guide. At its core, it is about publishing a job ad, screening resumes and providing a shortlist of good candidates – but overall, hiring is closer to a business function that is critical for the entire organization’s success and health. In other words, think a little outside the AI-driven HR recruitment software.

4.Pay and Rewards
Within the first 5 minutes of an interview, ATS recruiters will take time to go over a candidate’s salary expectations versus what the company offers. Compensation is important to prospective candidates so don’t gloss over it. Candidates will no longer appreciate a recruiter who says “The salary will be discussed at the second round of interviews or with the CEO”. Be upfront about what your company is willing to pay for the role. No company wants to hire a candidate who accepts the salary that’s being offered, only to quit a couple of months later because they found a company who’s willing to pay their desired salary.

5.Hybrid and Work-from-Home Options are Here to Stay
Hybrid work and work-from-home (WFH) are “well-accepted business practices”, with many companies accepting ‘work from anywhere’ as the wave of the future. And, while not every job is conducive to work-from-home (WFH), increasingly —employees are expressing their interest in such arrangements. And, although some leaders still prefer their teams back in the office— Companies will have to weigh ‘The old idea that working at home is synonymous with goofing off’ versus embracing the future of work. In the end, it will come down to trust.

Apex Time Solutions (ATS) is the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Thousands of organizations that spans Canada, South America, US and Europe— including Fortune 500® — companies use ATS TimeWork OnDemand to control payroll costs, minimize compliance risk, and improve productivity.

AI, HR, Hybrid, Management Software, Work-from-Home (WFH)

5 Things That Changed The Future Of Work During The Pandemic

Hybrid, remote work and employee well-being, are amoung the three things, that took centre stage during the height of the pandemic. However, they are not new phenoniums and had been bubbling beneath the surface while we were all rushing around before COVID-19. And, while we inch our way back to business as we know it, redefining norms requires us to answer questions that often cannot be resolved on our own. In short, we will not be going back to the way things were. We are living in the new normal.

Here are 5 things that gained traction since the pandemic:

Mental Health and Social Well-Being:
A recent survey revealed that younger workers placed a heavy emphasis on mental health and well-being and will not work for a company who does not take it seriously. That’s a stark difference from the previous generation. The pandemic and ensuing lockdowns added pressure on employees, and tested their wellbeing and private lives. The trend towards more purpose-driven jobs and companies was well underway before Covid, with millennials in particular known for prioritising purpose over pay cheques.

The Rise in Remote Work
COVID-19 forced employees and businesses to shift to working remotely using multiple platforms, such as Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, Google Hangouts and Skype. The transition to working from home can reduce infrastructure costs by leasing smaller workspaces, and coordinating a workforce across multiple time zones to maximize daily workflow. Moreover, the benefits of work-from-home can be attractive for some employees and may, include increased schedule flexibility and reduced strains with family. And, while this is a preferred option for some employees-others in healthcare, warehousing and logistics, retail and some other industries don’t have the luxury of working from home.

Labour Shortage:
Companies have been grappling with labour shortages for most of 2021. And while, some have argued, that the pandemic relief doled-out by governments were the real reason for labour shortages, the persistent labour shortage, tells a different story. After being laid-off or furloughed, many employees have decided they do not want to go back to the way things were. In fact, employees are seeking more flexibility, more happiness and rethinking what work means to them and how they are valued. Employers on the other-hand are trying to adapt by offering hiring (cash being one of them) incentives. But will this be enough and a little too late? Only time will tell.

Our Workplaces will Look Different:
With less people coming into the office regularly, companies will likely re-evaluate their real estate needs. Hiring perks like; beer Fridays, office gyms, dry cleaning pickups, ping pong tables and free snacks have likely lost some of their luster, since many people have been spending more time in their home offices and have fully embraced the concept. Also, when workers are not in the office to actually enjoy them, companies will be forced to re-evaluate these incentives and work culture.

Pandemic-Inspired Union Efforts
Labour turmoil has followed the course of the pandemic. Some grocery, warehousing, meat packers, gig and other low-paid workers deemed “essential” during the pandemic lacked access to employer benefits, like paid sick leave or compensation for working under hazardous conditions. And, this some say, has amplified the public support for unions even more. The pandemic has put a spotlight on workers’ rights issues and accelerated an organizing movement that’s been slowly building in recent years — and with the pandemic, it just reached a breaking point.

Bottomline:
So, what does this all mean going forward? No one really knows. In reality, it will likely mean more of the same: We to continue to mask up, get vaccinated, and stay isolated if sick and be adaptable. And, it will likely not be the normal we want, but it may be a normal we can contend with. We may go to the office a few days a week and/or we will work from home. Finally, we will stay home when we are sick.

Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Skype, WebEx, Work-from-home, Zoom

What’s Causing Employees to Resign from Their Jobs in Droves?

The phrase “The Great Resignation was coined by Texas A&M University Professor Anthony C. Klotz coined back in 2020. Now this term is widely used to describe the challenges many businesses, both small and large face with the max exodus of employees. Some experts have anecdotally, opined employees chose to stay home and collect stimulus covid-19 panademic cheques. However, recent surveys, suggest the real reasons, is because many people have decided to make a major shift in their life and focus on what matters most to them during the pandemic. Some of these reasons for quitting their jobs include: family, children education, and work-life balance. In other words, most people decided to leave their old jobs and look for new jobs that align with their new identity and life goals.

In a recent blog Sophia Lee at Blue Board lays out some of the reasons why so many employees have decided to quit their jobs.

1. Employee burnout rates are through the roof.

Employee burnout is a long-term reaction to stress that usually comes with mental, emotional, and physical side effects. While 42% of employees were already experiencing burnout before the pandemic, that number skyrocketed to 72% a few months into lockdown—largely due to increased anxiety, heavier workloads, and people taking less time off.

But many employers still aren’t addressing employee burnout in their retention strategies. One in five workers believes their employer doesn’t care about their work-life balance. And they’ve had enough. They’re quitting in droves, looking for companies that care about their wellbeing. Others are staying put—but at a cost to organizations. The lost productivity of an actively disengaged employee is equal to 18% of their annual salary. This means a company of 10,000 employees with an average salary of $50,000 each will lose $60.3 million a year due to employee burnout.

2. Companies aren’t providing the flexibility employees need.

When COVID-19 sent so many people home, employees realized how powerful (and possible) it is to be able to decide where, how, and when they work. Which is why nine in ten employees continue to demand flexibility from their jobs.

Too many organizations have dismissed this shift, and expect people to quietly return to the office. But this will likely result in significant turnover, as 54% of employees are considering leaving their job in this new normal if they’re not afforded some form of flexibility in where and when they work.

3. Manager training continues to fall short.

Managers have the most influence on an employee’s job satisfaction, wellbeing, and likelihood to stay at a company. In fact, 57% of employees have left at least one company because of their boss. But being a manager isn’t intuitive. It requires an entirely different set of skills than being an individual contributor, which is why training programs are essential.

In these uncertain times, managers are playing an especially critical role in supporting their employees. Or, at least, they should be. But due to a lack of effective training, many managers aren’t giving employees what they need, causing them to burn out and look for new jobs.

Managers themselves are frustrated by the lack of support from their employers. They’ve been asked to take on significantly more responsibility without being given additional tools, resources, or guidance. The employee retention numbers reflect the frustration: as of December 2020, the resignation rate for managers was nearly 12% higher than the previous year.

About ATS

The Great Resignation, Well Being, Work-Life-Balance

What Do Employees Really Want?

5 Tips Companies Can Use To Win Over The Current Talent Shortage

5 Things That Changed The Future Of Work During The Pandemic

What’s Causing Employees to Resign from Their Jobs in Droves?

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