Most companies recognize that their success depends not only on attracting the “best and the brightest” talent, but also on retaining, motivating, and engaging employees through a workplace experience and culture that allows them to thrive. However, this does not always translate into the realities routinely experienced by millions of employees across the globe.
Since 2012, we’ve scanned the horizon in our annual Global Workplace Trends Report. By understanding key trends that are shaping both the nature of the enterprise and the future of work, we’ve been able to more effectively help our clients plan for the future that lies ahead. In the 2018 iteration of the Global Workplace Trends, we looked at seven trends driving organizational change with the help of twenty future thinkers and strategists.
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In an environment of constant progress, more organizations are questioning how future technology could impact their operations. More so than almost any other development, the Internet of Things (IoT) offers immediate improvements to the employee experience, from enhanced organization to more efficient facility management that boosts productivity.
But what exactly is the “Internet of Things”? And what types of IoT solutions make sense for the workplace? This article answers these questions and more, offering a helpful guide for companies looking to leverage this evolving workplace trend to their advantage.
As with any new technology, however, the world of IoT raises a number of concerns for employers and employees alike—from privacy issues to security threats. Organizations that choose to implement IoT solutions should do so deliberately and intelligently, with employee involvement and input throughout.
This article explores how IoT is reshaping the modern workplace, with an emphasis on the disruptions and innovations employers can expect to see in 2018 and beyond. Insights from IoT expert Rob van Kranenburg and Belen Moscoso del Prado, who is leading Sodexo’s digital transformation, add to the body of knowledge on this fast‑moving trend.
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Our lives are a kaleidoscope of up to 500 emotional experiences per day. We may only be conscious of a fraction of them at any one time, but they color every interaction.
With this understanding comes a recognition of the need to navigate these emotions in the workplace, meaning that emotional intelligence (EI) has become a core skill set for high-performing organizations and outstanding leaders today.
Decades of research support the importance of “soft skills,” but EI matters now more than ever. This article discusses the drivers that have pushed this measure of intelligence to the forefront, and describes how organizations are boosting their collective EI—from recruiting the right talent to better assessing and teaching EI.
But there’s another side to the emotional intelligence story. It’s increasingly understood that the workplace and its many touchpoints play a key role in allowing people to bring their full spectrum of emotions to work. For organizations looking for a place to start, practices such as experience design can help uncover workforce needs and motivations, as well as identify ways to enhance the employee journey.
With insights from psychologist Daniel Goleman and Professor Cary Cooper of Manchester Business School, this article takes a deep dive into emotional intelligence, which is fast becoming a highly sought-out employee skill set and an important facet of a well-designed, human-centric workplace.
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2017 marked the first full year with Generation Z in the workforce—a cohort typically defined as being born between 1995 and 2012. As these new employees set their sights on becoming future movers and shakers, organizations need to know what Gen Z brings to the workplace in order to foster the vibrant multi-generational mix that every enterprise depends upon.
Gen Z is a distinct generation and not to be grouped in with their Millennial counterparts. From their expectations around technology to their preference for work–life blend over balance, these employees are already reshaping the workplace in new and exciting ways.
By understanding a few core characteristics, organizations can learn how to engage Gen Z employees more authentically and harness their talents to the fullest. At the same time, there are challenges associated with integrating a new cohort into an already age-diverse workforce.
This article examines the key traits of Gen Z and describes how effectively integrating these newcomers can help create an inclusive environment that enables employees—irrespective of age—to be the best they can be. Social researcher Claire Madden and Gen Z guru David Stillman weigh in with their perspectives and latest research findings on this generation.
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Faced with an often difficult “new normal” in the post-2008 economic sphere, both individuals and corporations are re-examining how their resources are used. Out of this has grown a “sharing” or “gig” economy; one that eschews traditional ownership to promote maximum efficiency of labor and materials.
In practice, the sharing economy has meant a rise in freelance working as well as frequent and temporary sharing of material resources like office space and equipment. This represents an unprecedented opportunity for organizations and individuals alike, from greater agility for companies to better work–life balance and fulfillment for employees.
However, workers and companies participating in the sharing economy face a number of challenges. Employees are open to exploitation, while organizations are vulnerable to the risks associated with sharing resources.
Despite these issues, the sharing economy is clearly here to stay—and forward-thinking organizations are redefining their business models to leverage its many benefits. With insights from sharing economy expert Professor Arun Sundararajan and startup guru Sissel Hansen, this article explores what the sharing economy means for the world of work in 2018 and beyond.
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For much of the recent past, business has taken a more direct approach to improving diversity in the workforce, particularly when it comes to addressing gender imbalances on teams.
Now, with a growing awareness around the unique challenges faced by women in the workplace—and because of the significant value generated by improved diversity—it’s clear that the focus of diversity needs to include not only making the numbers add up but also instilling a true feeling of belonging and inclusion.
For companies that want to overcome gender imbalances, the first step is to examine the barriers that are holding women back—from biases and double standards to a lack of sponsorship support. Only then can they take steps toward creating a gender intelligent workplace, one in which employees feel that their uniqueness is valued and that they belong.
The way forward will ultimately require a cultural transformation, which isn’t easy—but inclusive leaders can help drive change. In this article, we explore why this issue matters now more than ever, with new perspectives and research from the Center for Talent Innovation’s CEO, Sylvia Ann Hewlett; Catalyst President and CEO, Deborah Gillis; and Sodexo’s Senior Vice President Corporate Responsibility and Global Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Rohini Anand.
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While new technologies have delivered significant benefits, workplace complexity continues to rise and global employee engagement levels remain low. As organizations look for ways to simplify interactions and reduce overload, the employee experience has come into focus as a key area for improvement—and Human Capital Management (HCM) is increasingly being leveraged as a solution.
HCM comprises a wide-ranging category of software solutions and services that can play a key role in the employee journey. Early HCM implementations were important milestones, but HCM 3.0 brings a new level of disruptive innovation based on “choice architecture” and a more complex, integrated experience philosophy.
Effective HCM 3.0 delivers upon the idea that the employee experience can—and should—become the life experience through solutions that can be used at work and at home. This means seamlessly blending work, community, family and material aspects of what employees are seeking in their day-to-day lives.
Through HCM 3.0, there is a real opportunity to get all of the different technologies and programs working together to help employees and organizations perform at their best. With insights from Mia Mends, Sodexo Inspirus CEO, Bret Starr, an expert on HCM technology, and Jacob Morgan, a leading authority on the future of work, this article describes how the next evolution of HCM is transforming all aspects of the employee experience.
If you would like to receive the individual Global Workplace Trends 2018 as they are released, please follow this link:
To succeed in today’s business world, organizations need to become involved in more than just economics—they also need to become actors of change around large-scale environmental and social problems.
However, responsible business is being nudged forward not only through business case logic, but because employees increasingly expect their employers to act responsibly.
At the same time, many employees are themselves acting as powerful advocates and change agents. Forward-thinking companies understand the need to engage their workforce in inspiring ways about global issues. Corporate responsibility (CR) programs are an important part of the equation, as are efforts to decentralize CR so it is woven throughout the company and all employees have a voice.
Despite their aspirations to “do well while doing good,” many organizations face a crisis of distrust among their workforce and in the broader global marketplace. With this in mind, businesses first need to take a look at themselves, recapture the understanding of true leadership, and recover the trust of their employees in an effort to begin working towards a better future for all.
This trend examines new developments in corporate responsibility, with insights from Neil Barrett, Group SVP Corporate Responsibility at Sodexo, and four panelists from Sodexo’s 2017 Quality of Life Conference: Fabian Dattner, Founding Partner of Dattner Grant; Jon Duschinsky, Social Innovator; Marion Darrieutort, CEO, Elan-Edelman; and Pedro Tarak, Co-Founder, Emprendia.
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