How The Workplace Affects Employees and Environment: Emotionally and Practically
Times are a-changing, and we’re looking at how the workplace affect employees and the environment. Just 10 years ago employees were grateful for a job and fearful to move on. They showed up every day, faithfully in their largely diesel cars, sharing stories with Jon in sales on the weekend’s football or with accounts on Strictly evictions. Life was good, or so it seemed…
Today, however, we’re starting to see things as they really were. The team we had joined us for a paycheque, not for any real fulfilment. They were present, but perhaps not REALLY present. And what do you know, the diesel we thought would save the world was actually killing it.
10 years on, we’re starting to become more enlightened. As it becomes harder and harder to recruit, we’re starting to offer more flexible working, as well as more benefits. And as air quality plummets, we’re incentivising electric cars.
So, What Will Things be Like in Another 10 years?
Well, recruitment is likely to be even more tricky. If you’re stuck in the ways of strict working hours and office-based work, you won’t find your ideal employee. Flexible working is on the rise. Netflix is an extreme example: allowing staff to work when and where they like. Surprisingly, they’re not even doing that bad.
28% of millennials say that benefits are the most important factor when job searching. So, if you want to recruit the best of the best, you may want to perk up your employees’ benefits package.
Even at Fleet Evolution, we have a ‘core hours’ policy, be here 10:00 – 14:30. Outside of that, though, work what suits you. It essentially means that your team works when they want to. For instance, if one day they’re not feeling 100% they can slack off (obviously using their time, not ours).
When they’re totally focused (which can be 6 am with one in our team!) they can start early and smash it! They can largely work from home when needed too, thus saving commute time and costs whilst having increased productivity. Employers who trust their employees will have the first choice at the dining table of recruitment in ten years. Just remember to tip heavily with benefits! Working from home more means employees can contribute to issues important to them without detracting from you. For example, clean air and seeing their family grow up.
How Can I Keep Everything Connected?
You can boost your ‘employer of choice’ credentials by focusing your benefits around these areas, at minimal cost to you. Offerings such as a cycle scheme, increased holiday, salary sacrifice, and voucher schemes are on the rise. Just the same as an increase in paid but low-cost benefits, such as cash plans with mental wellbeing assistance services.
You can even help them bridge time and space with advances in salary already earned. In future, I don’t think it will be about ping pong tables in offices and making the workplace more attractive. I think the workplace will be a hub where the team meet and engage. Mobility will be key and it’s making the whole experience attractive.
Don’t Underestimate the Lure of Green…
No, I don’t mean a garish dress, I mean the environment. If you want to be an employer of choice, you need to talk the talk and walk the walk. Your team probably care more than you do. Think recycling, think electric cars, think bikes, think solar. One of our customers has even doubled the solar panels needed on their factory just to provide free EV charging for his team. He absolutely gets it! At the moment, it’s nice to have. But, this currently cheap initiative (with green funding and grants) will yield big in the future. Plus, right now it powers his factory, even when the sin doesn’t shine thanks to a chemical battery.
The modern employee is elusive, easy to land one but very hard to get the right one. You need to be ahead of the game to snare the prize in the future. Empowerment and the environment are absolutely key, so, get that right and the talent will flock to you!
Now you know how the workplace can affect employees and the environment, so you should read up on bettering the environment, with electric cars!
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