Ryan FowlerA new survey conducted by HR software provider Ciphr has identified significant challenges facing UK employers this year.
The survey, which involved 300 UK HR decision-makers, revealed a complex array of internal and external economic pressures, with each respondent identifying an average of 11 different workplace challenges or HR pain points that could potentially hinder their operational success over the coming year.
The foremost issue is retaining employees and keeping skilled workers onboard, which topped the list of biggest challenges, with over half (51%) of HR survey respondents reporting retention as their main concern for the year ahead.
Additionally, more than two-fifths (46%) of employers are worried about their organisation’s capacity to meet employees’ expectations around wages, work-life balance, and mental health and wellbeing support.
Other key challenges include satisfying staff’s remote or hybrid working expectations (45%), recruiting enough qualified candidates, maintaining an engaged workforce (both 45%), providing a good employee experience (42%), promoting talent from within to fill skills gaps (42%), reducing absenteeism caused by work-related stress (41%), and ensuring a positive workplace culture (41%).
Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, commented on the findings: “Like it or not, the world of work is changing. Employers need to step up and invest in their people if they want to hire the best talent and then retain them. Employers are facing a range of challenges.
“A volatile global economy that has fast-changing and sweeping ramifications for our labour market. There’s salary inflation that’s not been seen at this scale before (recently, at least).
“Technical advancements continue to evolve at lightspeed, expanding digital skills gaps. And we have multi-generational workforces with wildly different expectations and demands from their employers when it comes to values, purpose, flexible working, diversity, social impact, and so on.”
Williams further recommends that HR leaders keep a strategic focus on their people. She adds: “Go back to basics if you need to and overhaul your employee value proposition (EVP) to ensure that you have considered every aspect of the employee experience.
“Use data from existing employees and recent leavers to understand where there is room for improvement. And do some research into what other organisations are doing well. Budgets aside, the biggest investment that employers can give is their time.
“Creating clear purpose, transparency and good communications, a strong and forward-thinking culture, diversity and social impact – all come down to the time that leaders are willing to put in and spend with their employees.
“It’s the easiest, yet most frequently missed, action that organisations can take and it will – very likely – have the biggest, positive impact on employee experience and retention.”
