Food services provider Sodexo is one of latest companies to speak up about workplace trends companies should be recognizing. In their 2016 Workplace Trends Report, Sodexo suggests nine key areas that managers should address. Each of these areas are crucial for businesses to plan for as they try to strike the right balance between an organization’s commercial objectives and the needs of its stakeholders.

1. Population Health Management

Population Health Management, also known as PHM, is defined by interventions that limit health burdens of certain populations. In the case of employers, they are looking to keep healthy employees healthy from the onset in order to decrease the need for over-use of healthcare services down the line. PHM strategies entail more than just your typical wellness programs, striving for a more comprehensive approach to wellness. Employers will need to gain a better understanding of the health needs of their employees, as well as form initiatives to improve outcomes.

2. Workplace Violence

As the lines between work and life continue to blur, managing workplace violence quickly and effectively is essential to employees well-being. Sodexo adds terrorism in addition to the original 4 types of violent perpetrators (criminal, customer, employee and personal.) Keeping employees safe is more important than ever for employers.

3. Urban Transformation

Cities are generally areas of early adoption for changes in how we live, and they are changing how we spend our time in the office, out of the office, and defining new areas in between. Nontraditional work places and flex time are becoming more and more popular, and employers will need to be able to provide the resources necessary to support these kinds of employees.

4. Big Data in the Workplace

As the capabilities of big data grow, we will begin seeing greater insight into our behaviors, management styles, productivity, and engagement. Using these insights in a responsible and meaningful way will be increasingly important as our awareness of this data grows.

5. Reaching Every Employee in an Organization

The key to a great workplace is engagement, but the truth of the matter is that nowadays a vast majority of employees feel disengaged. Sodexo points out two key areas that organizations need to focus on in order to boost employee engagement and productivity: improving quality of life for employees and reaching every employee in an organization. Despite concentrated efforts, many organizations are still failing to raise engagement levels. Unless employers can find impactful ways to motivate employees, productivity will remain an issue.

6. Smart Energy Management

As the general population faces the threat of climate change, companies are beginning to understand their role in the fight against it. A new normal is on its way, and it involves strategically planning how and when companies use energy. This means curbing energy at times of primary use and conserving energy in a deliberate way wherever possible.

7. Humanizing the Workplace

Humanizing the workplace is all about fostering innovation and disruption in our day to day work. More than ever workers are anticipating challenges, measuring complex variables, and anticipating consequences. In a more volatile world, workers and employers must be able to adapt to more abrupt changes.

8. Gender Balanced Teams Linked to Better Business Performance

More than being “the right thing to do,” achieving gender balance has been linked to better business performance. Achieving gender balance at every level of an organization (not just at the top) will lead to better business for everyone.

9. A Shift Toward Greater Agility, Flexibility, and Efficiency

Companies are becoming more agile and flexible in their operating models so they can more effectively anticipating trends in the industry.

Conclusion

As the expectations of employees change, companies need to keep up, or they’ll get left behind. Only the most adaptable survive!   Has your business begun addressing any of these issues yet? If so, tell us about it in the comments section!