Some of the biggest challenges facing employers right now include retaining skilled talent, meeting pay expectations, providing a good work-life balance, and supporting employees’ wellbeing, according to new research.
HR software provider Ciphr commissioned a survey of 300 UK HR decision-makers to find out which workplace challenges, if any, were causing their organisations the biggest concerns.
The survey found that employers are facing around 11 different workplace challenges or HR pain points, on average.
Over half (51%) of respondents reported employee retention as their top worry for the year ahead. Many (46%) also think that their organisation could struggle to meet employees’ expectations around wages, work-life balance, and mental health and wellbeing support.
Over four in ten (45%) organisations also expect to find recruitment, employee engagement, and managing remote and hybrid working expectations challenging.
Other key concerns include providing a good employee experience (42%), closing skills gaps (42%), reducing absenteeism (41%), and ensuring a positive workplace culture (41%).
The top 10 challenges facing UK employers right now
- Retaining employees / keeping top talent (cited by 51% of surveyed HR professionals)
- Meeting employees’ pay expectations (46%)
- Providing a good work-life balance for employees (46%)
- Supporting employees’ mental health and wellbeing at work (46%)
- Meeting employees’ remote or hybrid working expectations (45%)
- Recruiting enough qualified talent (45%)
- Maintaining an engaged workforce (45%)
- Providing a good employee experience (42%)
- Promoting talent from within to fill skills gaps (42%)
- Reducing absenteeism caused by work-related stress (41%)
Common challenges (or opportunities, depending on your outlook) that narrowly missed inclusion in the top 10 included providing regular and ongoing employee training and development, encouraging employees to attend the (physical) workplace more often, managing budget shortfalls, and investing in new technology for the business.
Commenting on the survey findings, Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, highlights the necessity for organisations to recognise that their people are their greatest asset, and that their business success is contingent on continued investment in their employees.
She says: “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.
“Many organisations are also being impacted by tighter budgets as they are having to invest in new technologies, increase their compliance standards and levels of professionalisation, and mature their business to keep up with competitors and the market.
“Investing in your people, however, doesn’t necessarily need huge budgets. It does require leaders to invest in a different mindset though. Those that fail to recognise and respond to these challenges will ultimately be left behind.”
Williams 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.”
Top priorities for HR
Ciphr’s research also revealed that retaining skilled employees, recruiting staff, and supporting health and wellbeing at work, are the top three priorities for HR teams this year.
Meeting salary expectations and providing more training also ranked highly in their list of priorities (compiled from free-form text survey responses).
The top 10 priorities for HR teams in 2024
- Retaining employees / keeping top talent
- Recruiting enough qualified staff
- Supporting employees’ mental health and wellbeing
- Meeting employees’ pay expectations
- Employee training / upskilling and reskilling
- Ensuring a positive workplace culture
- Helping employees maintain a good work-life balance
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Employee engagement
- Managing hybrid working
Ciphr commissioned Onepoll to conduct an independent survey of 300 HR decision-makers in February 2024. The results, including charts showing the types of challenges that are impacting different-sized organisations and industries, are available at https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/challenges-and-priorities-for-employers-in-2024.
Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.
For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.
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Media enquiries:
Emma-Louise Jones, digital PR manager at Ciphr
e: ejones@ciphr.com
Chris Boddice, chief marketing officer at Ciphr
e: cboddice@ciphr.com
Website: www.ciphr.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ciphr
Notes:
Infographic: The top 10 challenges facing UK employers in 2024 (please credit and link to Ciphr.com): https://www.ciphr.com/hubfs/research-pr/top-10-challenges-for-employers-2024-1000px.png
Infographic: The top 10 priorities for HR teams in 2024 (please credit and link to Ciphr.com): https://www.ciphr.com/hubfs/research-pr/top-10-priorities-for-HR-1000px.png
Ciphr commissioned Onepoll to survey 300 HR decision-makers in February 2024. Two-fifths (41%) of respondents are employed at UK organisations with over 250 employees (of those, 17% work at enterprises with 1,500+ employees), two-fifths (41%) are at organisations with 50 to 249 employees, and a fifth (18%) are at organisations with less than 50 employees.
Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.
Ciphr Group is a privately held company backed by ECI Partners and headquartered in Reading. Over 200 employees work across the group, which includes Ciphr and Marshall E-Learning – a specialist diversity and inclusion learning provider.
Ciphr spokespeople are available to provide expert media comment on a broad range of topics, including HR strategy, people management, employee experience and wellbeing, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), learning and development, the future of work, tech trends, business and leadership, marketing, and more.
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