Workplace flexibility, wellness initiatives and technological investments are just a few of the things Staples Advantage (SA), the business-to-business division of Staples, predicted workers would want in 2016.
These predictions were drawn from the company’s experience working with ‘businesses of all sizes’ and from the Staples Advantage Workplace Index, noted a CleanLink article.
First, SA predicted workers would want employers to invest in wellness initiatives. Focusing on maintaining physical and mental health would help to avoid burnout, which would in turn ‘enhance employee health and productivity,’ as well as control healthcare costs and protect a company’s bottom line.
Secondly, the company noted that many employees would be happier at work if they were offered increased workplace flexibility. So much so, in fact, that nearly half of part-time freelancers would be motivated to stay in primary job as opposed to quitting and becoming full-time freelancers in their effort to gain more flexibility.
Reconfiguring the traditional office space to ‘serve multiple functions and accommodate a diverse, mobile workforce’ would also keep workers happy, said SA.
Workers would appreciate more investments in technology that facilitate this mobile workforce, too, noted the report. This would not only help increase productivity, but offer a more flexible work model.
Finally, SA predicted that employees would ‘acknowledge sustainability [as] an important factor when making an employment decision.’