Businesses operate in an atmosphere where they must adapt to new changes. As time goes by, old workplace trends have begun to fade away. Several factors have contributed to these changes. For example, technological advancement, awareness about global issues, labor rights, and so on.

The crux of the matter is that your business will come to a standstill if it does not accept and adapt to workplace changes. Subscribing to the old trends means you are swimming against the tide. As we are about to bid farewell to 2019 and step into 2020, let’s spill the beans about which workplace trends are going to dominate the coming year.

1. Pay attention to the environment 

Over the years, business owners were reluctant to invest in a safe working environment for their employees. Not realizing that it can cost their business heavily in so many ways. Medical coverage and the culture of absenteeism, to name a few of them.

When an employee is absent on paid leave, he does not contribute to the office work either, which amounts to a significant loss in the total turnover of an organization. It took time, but the importance of the work atmosphere has finally dawned upon companies.

When the office environment is healthy, the workplace productivity upscales quite dramatically because it has a positive effect on the employees’ mood and health.

You can take the following measures to provide a favorable atmosphere to your employees: 

• Provide healthy and delicious food for your staff. Nothing can discourage an employee more than food that is unhygienic and tasteless.

• The maintenance of the office is crucial. Nobody wants to work at a place that is not kept clean.

• Invest in making “Recharge Rooms” for your employees, so that it can help them de-stress and they can get back to work fully charged.

• You must plant trees around your office area. Studies have revealed time and again that plants can prove to be great stress-relievers. You can even opt for indoor trees.

The business world has become conscious of their employee’s mental health and as a result, takes up necessary measures, but 2020 will bring a noticeable hike in them.  

2. Artificial intelligence  

When robots were introduced, the laborers regarded them as their arch- enemies. Because it was assumed that bots would take over their jobs. However, this theory did not have any substance. In fact, over the years, bots have proven to assist employees in their day to day tasks. They have enhanced the overall efficiency of the workforce.  

There are so many modern workplaces where the association of humans and bots are doing wonders. For example, decision-making in the business industry is primarily driven by data in the modern era. Data collection and generating actionable insights were always a time-consuming task.

But today these tasks can be performed by machines and thereby employees have enough time to concentrate on other emotional jobs which are best suited for human beings. In 2020, this trend is all set to become more common. However, installing such software could cost a significant amount, and therefore, you might need to pursue financing options like taking up a loan. With the help of a Small business loan calculator, you can explore several loan options.   

3. Efficiency in the hiring process 

By and large, companies have to depend upon old methods for hiring new employees to date. Typically, it included going through CVs, calling every candidate for tests or interviews, and so on. But this trend is going to witness a decline in 2020. 

Companies will become more specific about who they want to hire. With the help of tools, the HR department will be able to filter all the unwanted aspirants and stick to the ones which are the best amongst the lot. It will also help save the time and resources of the company.  

4. Remote workforce 

Gone are the days when people would be comfortable working on a tight schedule of 9 AM to 5 PM. Many modern workers don’t subscribe to this routine. They want the freedom of working anywhere and anytime. Working in an office is not their cup of tea because they have grown up seeing a whole frustrated generation operating from office.  

In the past few years, the office-centric works have already gone through a severe decline. Being fair to the businessmen, it was tough to keep in touch with the remote workforce until recently.  

Now the technology has made it easier to communicate with workers from distant locations. As a result, the business community is welcoming this change and extracting the following benefits from them:

• Companies are saving money through remote workers. They don’t have to pay rent, electricity bills or other expenses for an office. So much so, you can run a small business from your house with the help of far-flung staff.

• Since there is no geographical restriction, freelancers give you more extensive access to the talent pool, which adds to your bottom line.

• It also increases employee retention. Hiring a new employee does not come for free. You have to invest time and money, and freelancers help you save both.

5. Cultural diversity in the staff  

Companies used to be very particular in their hiring process. They would be skeptic about hiring employees from different cultural backgrounds. Sometimes organizations became so rigid in their recruitment process of “cultural fit” that they ended up being racist and unfair.

Luckily, off late business fraternity have begun to appreciate cultural diversity in their workforce. In this era of globalization, you are exposed to a diverse audience, so you need culturally diverse people in your workplace to deal with all kinds of people effectively. There are more possibilities for innovative ideas when people from different cultures mingle with each other.  

Cultural diversity enables you to observe customers from different perspectives. That way, your brand can become real quick at problem-solving. Arguably, the biggest plus of cultural diversity is that it can lift the reputation of your brand on a global level.  

6. Flexibility in work schedule  

We have already talked about the declining trait of 9 to 5 office setting. However, some people still prefer to work from the office, but the demand for flexible schedules is likely to increase in 2020. Every individual lives a different personal life. You can’t expect all of them to fit in the narrow fitting of 9 to 5.  

Statistically speaking, 71 percent of the workers complained that rigid work schedules negatively influence their personal life. Companies have hit upon the realization that at the end of the day, what matters is the result, whether it comes through conventional or unconventional ways, makes no difference.  

7. Rise in teamwork 

The best way to get the most out of an individual is to involve him in a team. It has become the new success mantra for the business world. Sometimes it could be very easy for an individual to lose morale and be at his worse. But when he is part of a team, he can easily gather himself with the help of colleagues.  

One of the biggest benefits of a team is that when a newcomer joins an organization, he can acquaint himself with the whole set up with minimum effort and time.        

8. Quality training  

Training has already made into many companies. However, the quality of training is far from satisfactory in the majority of the workplaces. In 2020, companies are expected to invest in top-notch training resources. By doing so, the gap of skills between employees can be minimized, and they can all work with equal efficiency.  

As we know, the skill level of every individual is not the same. As a result, the quality and pace of their work will depend on their capacity. This challenge will be dealt away with personalized training. To sum up, maximum effort will be made to polish and enhance the skill level of every individual in 2020.  

The final verdict  

The trends of hiring, retaining, and training the employees are changing in the contemporary workplace. If you don’t get rid of the outdated trends and embrace the latest ones, it will become impossible for you to catch up with your rivals that are adopting progressive approaches.