2017 calls for implementation of some new, tested and successful workplace trends

How do people learn? How do they grow professionally? Is there any career growth strategy that they follow?

More often than not, employers make arrangements to ensure that the organisation adds value to every employee's career plan by redefining corporate learning. Understanding the changing needs of the millennials and Generation Z is the fastest route to design optimal learning strategy for today's workforce. Leaders that take L&D (Learning and Development) as gospel understand that developing new learning platforms that are personalised, engaging, and immersive help workers in self-directed training.

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Here’s a glimpse into some of the interesting trends that can be expected in 2017:

Flexible schedules and timings

Gone are the days when employees were expected to sit at their desk from nine to five. Today's competitive business world requires working long hours, stretching for as long as 12 hours a day. Given the circumstances, more companies in 2017 are expected to incorporate flexible schedules across all departments. Flexible timings and locations have their own perks, but most importantly, they can escalate the productivity of employees, and organisations across the globe have started to accept this arrangement as a norm.

Bid adieu to performance reviews

2017 is going to be a year of some major shifts at workplaces, and ditching traditional methods of performance evaluation is one of the vital changes expected to occur. Leaders these days understand the shifting needs of businesses and ambitions of the people who work in their organisation. Recognising personalised approaches and having open and transparent conversations during annual reviews can prevent losing good talent. Managers should focus on creating a platform where their employees can openly talk about their issues, feedback, and career growth strategy.

Gamification

Learning is sure an important part of an employee's life, but it doesn't always have to be a chore. Gamification is not the new entrant in the race, but is definitely taking most part of the room in implementation of interactive learning methods. Gamified learning content not only increases the learner's engagement level but also stimulates the brain in all the right places, which can positively impact the retention rates.

Leave the weekend and holidays alone

Don't we all remember being all excited about Annual Day preparations and suddenly seeing all the excitement go down the drain because the principal announced that all participants will have to stay a couple of hours extra post school, or worse, come to school on a Sunday too?

The same happens when employees are told to attend seminars, workshops, or development conferences on weekends or during holidays. Today’s employees value work-life balance and don’t want to spend time studying or learning on their weekend and holidays. Organisations in 2017 are going to follow a more relaxed approach in this department. Planning things on the last three days of the work week, that is Wednesday to Friday, will not only going to give you a good reception but will also ensure that your employees focus more on learning. Employers should consider scheduling time for learning just the way meetings or off sites are scheduled.

These are just a few interesting workplace trends that we expect to see as we flip the calendar to a new year. If you are involved in developing any workplace strategies in your organisation, maybe you can start with the given trends and follow whichever seems the best fit for your organisation.