Today’s modern working environments are fluid and casual whereby work-life balance is championed, replacing the old-fashion strict and rigid working culture of the pre-1990’s. The working culture has evolved the workplace to enhance efficiencies and collaboration between office workers.
As a leading recruitment consultancy in Ireland, Robert Walters identifies the key trends of a rapidly changing working environment through our broad network of clients - ranging from FTSE businesses to boutique start-up firms.
As the working culture continues to evolve. We offer three key prominent factors that make up a truly smart workplace; digital infrastructure, flexible working policies, and workspace design.
In the white-collar, professional industry over 80% of a person’s role will be conducted via digital means – be it over email, phone or online.
Louise Director, Managing Director Robert Walters Ireland, comments “digital infrastructure encompasses all the technologies - platforms, systems and software - people use in order to be productive in today’s workplace. It gives employees the tools they need to improve their communication, collaboration and connections with each other and is the bedrock of smart working.
“If a company doesn’t adopt the right digital tools and processes then smart or remote working is not only hindered but unable to be adopted in some instances. What our research highlights is that beyond a mobile device such as a laptop, the adoption of other technologies drops significantly.”
Top 4 remote-working technologies:
Even in this digital age, collaboration can be difficult to achieve. As connectivity continues to grow, so do the platforms and software available for employers and employees to connect on. At Robert Walters, we have years of experience in end-to-end digital solutions to help digitalise the part or all of the recruitment process, this includes:
Flexi-hours is the top-rated work perk for Irish employees, with over half of employees rating this as their most valued workplace benefit. The biggest reason employers rate flexi-working so highly is because it drives productivity and efficiency.
If applied effectively, workplace flexibility puts freedom and autonomy in the hands of the employees, allowing them to determine their work schedule among other priorities. Research highlights that flexi-hours generates high satisfaction, and allows employees to be more focused, dedicated and productive.
How flexible working policies impact professionals:
We offer top tips for employers to help overcome concerns around flexible-working arrangements:
According to the Robert Walters survey, employees think a smart workspace should have the following qualities:
Suzanne Feeney, Director at Robert Walters, comments: “We’re starting to see some companies introduce “hot desks” and open offices to create an atmosphere that encourages greater collaboration between employees at all levels. One of the advantages of this is that this helps break down barriers and encourages more diverse thinking. The flip side is that noise levels can be a problem for individuals trying to concentrate on their work – as it is important to recognise that individuals all have different styles of working.
“A semi-open plan, on the other hand, provides open space where employees can work together easily, whilst also providing private and quiet places - such as phone booths or a quiet hub.
“Depending on the nature of your company and specific teams, some settings may be more suitable than others. For example, our survey shows that more professionals from technology/innovation and banking space prefer an open-plan environment, whereas those from legal/compliance and human resources prefer closed plan.”
These changes are among the most prominent in today's market, with continued evolution expected as demands from employees continue to change – this includes the rise of the ‘boomerang employees’ and employee well-being programmes.
Robert Walters offer expert hiring advice to our clients looking to attract and retain top professionals whilst accommodating the needs and demands the modern workforce. Contact us today at dublin@robertwalters.com for your latest recruitment needs.
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