Human Resources Planning
As we approach the end of 2021, many of us may be wondering what the new year will bring. Have you started your human resources planning? Are your goals and expectations set out for the year? While it’s important to reflect on the previous year to consider what worked and what wasn’t as successful, it’s equally as important to start planning ahead for 2022.
For many business owners, December can be the busiest month of the year. In addition, starting to plan your business for 2021 can be a task that you think can wait. However, taking time to reflect and plan is crucial if you want to continue to have a successful business in the new year.
Write a list of your Priorities for next year
Based on what you’ve discovered from reflecting on last year, you will most likely start to notice aspects of your business that you would like to improve on.
We encourage all of our clients to make a list of their main priorities for the year ahead. What do you need to focus on? What human resource planning do you have in place for 2022?
Plan your resources for the year ahead
Once you have a clearer idea of what you’re going to be focusing on over the next year, it’s worth considering getting some tools in place and state this clearly in your human resources planning.
In addition, make sure you’ve allocated enough resources (staff and money) to accomplish your company’s goals.
Flexible Working
It’s estimated that a third of employees may quit their jobs, if flexible working policies aren’t made permanent after the pandemic. While that may seem like a high number, it demonstrates just how much we’ve benefitted from home or remote working.
Full-time employees who had worked from home during the pandemic are the keenest to maintain the arrangement, with a huge 47% preferring the new set-up. A quarter of all workers are hoping continue their role in a hybrid capacity, splitting time between remote and office working.
So, while we were forced into this new way of working, it appears that businesses may now risk losing their best people if they don’t implement a permanent remote or hybrid working option for their teams. In addition, it could be a good idea to keep this in mind when planning for 2022.
4 Day Working Week
Another form of flexible working that we predict to be popular in 2022 is the 4 day working week. In an attempt to create a better work/life balance for employees, many businesses are considering introducing a 4 day working week which will see employees split their 37.5 – 40 hours over 4 days instead of 5. Some businesses who have trialled this already claim that it has reduced staff absence levels and employee retention levels have improved. Will you consider this as part of your human resource planning?
Review your website and online marketing
Does your website and social platforms clearly represent you as a company? It is also important that you take a look at your website, social media channels and other methods of marketing. This is important to make sure they are designed to attract and educate your ideal customer. Is your branding and content consistent? Are you engaging with the correct audience?
With the growing importance of an online presence, it is important you are representing your business effectively throughout your platforms. This is something you can consider when planning for the following year.
Communicate your goals with your staff
Once you have had the chance to consider your goals for 2021, it is good practise to share them with your staff.
A small business update before the end of the year is a good way to share these goals. This is a great way to involve your staff. We regularly do this at The Hr Booth and we find this very effective. This gave us the opportunity to see a lot of good practise with our clients who do the same. You can either do this at the end of the year or start of the new year.
For more information on human resource planning, contact us at The HR Booth on 01383 668178 or email us through our website.
