Author: Christina Boland

This is Part 4 of 4 in the series “Hybrid Work in the EHS Industry.”

As 2023 winds down, hybrid work is still going strong. Work culture has changed, and it should be seen as an opportunity to change accordingly.

This means that EHS managers should be more strategically focused. They need to look at work culture and the perception of value, as well as problem-solving, in a way that suits the hybrid model.

In the discussion ahead, keep in mind that moving into a hybrid model is a process. Think about creating a step-by-step game plan, where each step is monitored for implementation, understanding, and ultimately, consistency.

3 Steps to Create Your Own Hybrid Workplace  

• Make Sure Your Technology Is Helpful and Not a Headache
  
• Think about the Company as Micro-Cultures Versus One Big Company Culture
  
• Managing Efficient Hybrid Teams 
  

Make Sure Your Technology Is Helpful and Not a Headache

Named as the number one element for a successful hybrid environment, good technology, as well as technological support, is a must. Some things to keep in mind for your hybrid workforce:

• Appropriate security based on your company’s needs
  
• Cloud software where needed to share and access work
  
• Scheduling software
  
• Centralized modes of communication
  
• IT support for hours outside of 9-5
  

Think about the Company as Micro-Cultures Versus One Big Company Culture

A strong corporate culture does not reflect every team that is part of that company. After all, if Susie from sales is off on a Monday, is Henry in human resources affected?

Instead, think about how to strengthen the team culture versus the company culture, and as Royal DSM figured out, the company sees itself as a flotilla of independently piloted ships versus one large tanker.

One way to do this is to make a concerted effort to get team leaders on board with a hybrid model. Change is hard, which is why managers may dig in their heels and make change uncomfortable. Managers need to be shown that new ways to manage are not the wrong ways to manage. The next section delves into this more.

Managing Efficient Hybrid Teams 

When it comes to creating an efficient team in a hybrid model, let clear communication and expectations lead the way:

1. Explain to both remote and on-site employees when they should check their messages, when to send reports, and when they should be available.

2. Think about creating a results-driven workplace where what matters is the results, not how or what time of day they were created.

3. Build into the schedule one-on-one standing meetings for direction and concerns.

In the end, it’s important to think about how much a hybrid model can benefit your EHS employees and even the company. On average, companies are saving approximately $11,000 per year per hybrid worker due to decreased expenses in terms of lower turnover rates, fewer days off, and reduced rents/utilities, according to a study conducted by Global Workplace Analytics. This is one of many good reasons to consider transitioning your company into a hybrid model.

Resources:

20 Hybrid Work Statistics You Need to Know About, Flexas, Flexas.com.

How IT Must Adapt to the Emerging Hybrid Workplace, Galen Gruman, ComputerWorld.com.

Making Hybrid Workplace a Reality in the Manufacturing Environment, Karuna Parmar, SHRM.org.

Promoting Effective Teamwork in a Hybrid Work Model, Lucidspark, LucidSpark.com.

Revitalizing Culture in the World of Hybrid Work, Harvard Business Review, HBR.org.

The Evolving Role of EHS Managers During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Shawn Galloway, FutureofBusinessandTech.com.

What the Future of Hybrid Work Will and Won’t Look Like, According to 27 Business Leaders, Mark Sullivan and Grace Buono, FastCompany.com.

This is Part 3 of 4 in the series “Hybrid Work in the EHS Industry.”

Hybrid work is a popular work strategy that is not going away and continues to grow in popularity. But is it the right choice for the EHS industry?

The Challenges with Hybrid Work

• Communication Concerns
  
• Social Connection Issues
  
• The Grass is Greener Situations
  
• Work-Life Imbalances
  
• Hybrid Work Ambiguity

Communication Concerns

Hybrid EHS workers are not always face-to-face with their co-workers, and many times, work in an asynchronous way. Different work schedules and even different time zones allow for communication that is not instantaneous as one person’s day has ended and another’s has not.

Additionally, small talk at the office has an important spot in workplace communication, in which a passing comment can stimulate a conversation around a topic that may not have otherwise been brought up. According to Forbes, “In-person communication is always superior when you are trying to promote dialogue versus just passing along information.” Additionally, 90% of communication comes from nonverbal communication, which doesn’t come across very well when a worker is not on-site.

Social Connection Issues

According to Harvard Business Review, hybrid work can also create a “dominant class of those who feel like they’re central to the organization and strongly committed to it and an underclass” of those who feel like they are on the periphery. They report not only feeling disconnected from work but also feeling like they are missing out on the social bonds that an in-person team forms.

The Grass is Greener Situations

Co-workers who have to work on-site may feel resentment toward the people who are allowed to work part of the time off-site. On the other hand, workers who work off-site may not be getting heard in the same way their on-site co-workers are. Additionally, on-site employees may be receiving more opportunities for promotions, and a fifth of surveyed workers felt like they received less recognition in the workplace compared to on-site co-workers.

Work-Life Imbalances

EHS employees may have faster burnout in a hybrid model due to dealing with working longer hours because there is no time clock to punch at home. There is also guilt they feel for taking time off in the morning to bring their child to the dentist, for example, and this guilt can lead to working late at night to make up those hours.

Hybrid Work Ambiguity

Due to hybrid work being a new term, it does not yet have an industry-standard definition, and as a result, it doesn’t have clearly defined rules to help companies navigate best operating practices.

For instance, business software company Qualtrics stated there is hybrid work and hybrid work from home. Hybrid work has the employee divide their time between home and the office. Hybrid work from home is when some employees are working off-site most of the time.

With hybrid work a continuing reality, it’s important to note that, while it has its benefits, it also comes with a list of concerns that EHS employers should take into consideration when developing their hybrid work strategies. In the upcoming final part of this series, Aarcher Talent will discuss how companies in the EHS industry can create an optimum hybrid model.

• Part 1: The Current State of Hybrid Jobs in the EHS Industry
  
• Part 2: Why Employers Should Offer More Hybrid Jobs in the EHS Industry
  
• Part 4: How to Create an Optimum Hybrid Model in the EHS Industry
  

Resources:

5 Challenges of Hybrid Work— and How to Overcome Them, Martine Haas, HBR.org.

8 Hybrid Work Challenges—and How to Overcome Them, Workplace.com.

13 Times In-Person Communication Is Better Than Electronic Exchanges,Forbes.com.

Hybrid Work: Definition, Tips and Strategies, Qualtrics.com.

Overcoming the Communication Gap for Hybrid Teams, LucidSpark.com.

The 7 Biggest Hybrid-Working Challenges, and How to Fix Them, Oliver Pickup, Worklife.news.

The Challenges of Hybrid Work, Tomas Chamorrow-Premuzic, Forbes.com.

What Are the Benefits and Disadvantages of the Hybrid Work Model? Maria Akhter, Envoy.com.

This is Part 2 of 4 in the series “Hybrid Work in the EHS Industry.”

With hybrid work, an employee can do part of their work on-site and part of their work in a place of their choosing: a coffee shop, by the pool, or even in their PJs from home. Some wonder if hybrid work is a temporary worker’s desire or the new normal. No matter what the answer is, the fact remains that the pandemic changed the way employees see work. In an interview with Fast Company, Microsoft’s Vice President of Modern Work, Jared Spataro, stated: “[T]he data tells us there’s just no erasing the lived experience of the past two years.”

Today, employees are embracing a reality that most work does not have to be done on-site. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 60 million workers (half of U.S. workers) believe their current job can be done remotely on at least a part-time basis. The job stats support this. CareerBuilder reports that there are seven times as many applicants applying for a job that offers hybrid or remote work.

Currently, most companies are ready to meet that demand: Six out of 10 companies reported they planned to offer hybrid work to some degree in 2022.

How the Hybrid Work Model Benefits Employees, Employers, and the EHS Industry

• Employees Who Have Gone Hybrid Are More Productive Employees
  
• Companies See Benefits in the Hybrid Model
  
• The Hybrid Model Is Making Inroads in the EHS Industry
  

Employees Who Have Gone Hybrid Are More Productive

As stated in Part 1 of this four-part series, employees see hybrid work as a way to have more flexibility, increase happiness, and even improve finances. However, there is one more benefit that directly impacts the bottom line: productivity.

In a survey by McKinsey, organizations reported large increases in productivity. In fact, from an executive standpoint, high individual productivity correlated with high team productivity.

This may be because of increased coaching, mentoring, and openness to employee ideas. According to McKinsey, this might be a result of the increase in microtransactions between colleagues. Microtransactions included discussing projects and networking.

CareerBuilder also reported benefits in productivity. Hybrid work led to employees having more time to think and work off-site without co-workers interrupting them. Additionally, employees experienced shorter meetings due to less small talk.

Organizations that reported increased productivity during hybrid work plan to keep the momentum going by:

• Training managers to build their remote leadership skills.
  
• Asking managers to reimagine processes that better utilize a hybrid workforce.
  
• Having managers rethink how an employee can do their best in a hybrid role.
  

According to Christy Pambianchi, executive vice president and chief people officer at Intel Corp., “Our employees have been delivering amazing results over the past two years, so let’s embrace flexibility. By doing that, we can attract and retain the best and brightest talent.”

Companies See Benefits in the Hybrid Model

In 2020, after the pandemic had forced companies to pivot the way they did business, large and small companies alike embraced hybrid and remote work.

In October 2021, one such company was manufacturer 3M. The company instated “Work Your Way,” which allows employees to work in a way that works best for them: remotely, hybrid, or on-site. The program puts trust in employees knowing how to get their work done and delivering results, not about where they are or what time they log in. Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Zoe Dickson explained, “Creating a workplace that makes people feel valued, creatively challenged, and appreciated is a mission we strive to achieve every day.”

Employers are also experiencing the unexpected opportunity to hire employees who couldn’t otherwise come into an office 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. According to the Co-founder of Merit America Connor Diemand-Yauman, “For those who can’t afford to relocate to expensive cities, remote work is a powerful equalizer, creating an unprecedented opportunity for equity in the workplace. Businesses that bake a remote-first mindset into hiring, training, and employee development are poised to succeed in the future of hybrid work.”

The Hybrid Model is Making Inroads in the EHS Industry

FlexJobs reports that the top seven industries for hybrid work are:

1. Sales
   
2. Project Management
   
3. Computer and Information Technology
   
4. Medical and Health
   
5. Accounting and Finance
   
6. Marketing
   
7. Education and Training
   

With this list in mind, where does the EHS industry fit in? There are hundreds of open hybrid positions in the EHS industry, including construction health and safety professional, EHS administrator, and principal auditor for environmental health safety. However, the industry still lags behind as a whole in offering hybrid work. As reported in our first part of this series, only 29% of EHS companies stated that more than half of their workforce will most likely work from home permanently.

Health and wellness are at the forefront of employees’ minds as they choose to work on-site or remotely. As EHS Today reported, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted employee mindset. “Employees are no longer satisfied with the traditional benefits (i.e., sick days, PTO) and expect employers to take a more active approach to support their growth and well-being.”

In fact, a Microsoft study of 31,000 employees found that 53% prioritize their health and overall well-being over work.

With this in mind, most managers feel like they don’t know how to make a hybrid environment happen. McKinsey reported that 68% of the executives surveyed have no formal plan in place to best support their hybrid workers. Stay tuned for how to do that as Aarcher Talent continues to share insights on the state of the hybrid job market in the coming months.

• Part 1: The Current State of Hybrid Jobs in the EHS Industry
  
• Part 3: Making the Case Against Hybrid Work in the EHS Industry
  
• Part 4: How to Create an Optimum Hybrid Model in the EHS Industry
  

Resources:

According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, This is the Thing About Hybrid Work Most Companies are Missing, Jason Aten, Inc.com.

Gone for Now or Gone for Good? How to Play the New Talent Game and Win Back Workers, Aaron De Smet, Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi, and Bill Schaninger, McKinsey.com.

New Trust-Based Approach Allows 3Mers Around the World to Work Their Way, 3M.com.
Reigniting Company Culture in a Hybrid Office Model through Total Worker Health, EHSToday.com.

Remote and Hybrid Jobs are Attracting 7 Times More Applicants Than In-Person Roles, Morgan Smith, CNBC.com.

The Future of Hybrid Work, Gallup.org.

Top 75 Companies to Watch for Hybrid Jobs in 2022, Rachel Pelta, FlexJobs.com.

What Employees Think About Work from Home, CareerBuilder.com.

What Executives Are Saying about the Future of Hybrid Work, Andrea Alexander, Mihir Mysore, Rich Cracknell, Aaron De Smet, Meredith Langstaff, and Dan Ravid, McKinsey.com.

What the Future of Hybrid Work Will (and Won’t) Look Like, According to 27 Business Leaders, Mark Sullivan and Grace Buono, FastCompany.com.

Why the ‘Stay Interview’ is the Next Big Trend of the Great Resignation, Jennifer Liu, CNBC.com.

Workforce Trends Leaders Need to Understand, EHSToday.com.

This is Part 1 of 4 in the series “Hybrid Work in the EHS Industry.”

The statistics for hybrid work don’t lie. According to a recent Gallup poll, 60% of employees worked on-site for their job in 2019. By 2022, only 23% do. Only nine out of 100 employees say they would prefer working completely on-site for their jobs.

Additionally, a McKinsey American Opportunity Report stated that approximately 90% of 25,000 Americans said they would take a hybrid job if it was offered to them.

Ultimately, a resounding majority of employees unquestionably prefer hybrid jobs over traditional on-site jobs. As Gallup concluded in its poll results, “Remote work is here to stay, and hybrid work is the future for many remote-capable employees.”

Why is hybrid work on everyone’s mind?

• Employees List Hybrid Flexibility as a Reason for Job Happiness
  
• Employers Think Hybrid Employees Can be a Headache
  
• Hybrid Work is Not Going Away

Employees List Hybrid Flexibility as a Reason for Job Happiness

It’s important to avoid discounting that having flexibility around where one works can help improve employee happiness, personal time, and even finances.

According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, the top reasons employees left jobs during The Great Resignation were:

1. Low pay (63%)
   
2. No opportunity for advancement (63%)
   
3. Disrespectful work conditions (57%)
   
4. Child care issues (48%)
   
5. Not enough flexibility in hours (45%)

Of those who quit their job in 2021 and found new work, 50% cited having a flexible workplace as a benefit of their new job.

In a 2022 study conducted by Cisco across 28,000 full-time employees across 27 markets, hybrid work helped work-life balance improve, mostly due to reducing the time to commute to and from work. It also reduced time-wasting activities experienced at work such as water-cooler chats. The reduction in time-chewers gave workers anywhere from four to eight extra hours of personal time per week.

In Cisco’s report, which spanned across generations, gender, and seniority, most employees reported seeing improvements in:

• Work performance
  
• Well-being
  
• Work-life balance
  
• Relationships
  
• Personal confidence

Working from home more also helped employees save money, from a 5% to 15% increase in savings. With less money spent on fuel, eating out, and work clothes, these long-term savings made an impact on employees -– even to the extent of staying at a job that offered hybrid work versus taking a new job that did not.

Employers Think Hybrid Employees Can be a Headache

Employers are concerned about having their employees work from home because of various reasons one would expect … and not expect. These reasons include the energy to put together an effective hybrid experience, navigate office politics, and stay in compliance with tax complexities.

In a recent survey conducted by Google Workspace, the top hybrid work issues reported by employers were:

• Keeping hybrid workers productive
  
• Ensuring the hybrid experience is equitable
  
• Making sure on-site employees are collaborative with hybrid employees
  

Office politics are more complicated, too. Researchers from MIT reported hybrid workers may face the brunt of not having a constant presence at the office. This can create the effect of poor performance reviews, fewer promotions, and smaller raises in comparison to on-site workers.

Also, out-of-state employees in a hybrid work model can cause increased taxes for employers. An employer is forced to establish a nexus, where the company creates a business presence that pays taxes in the employee’s home state. The nexus rule was waived during the peak of COVID-19 but is back in effect now. Additionally, nonexempt employees who are using a hybrid schedule can complicate employers’ workload because they have to ensure the company is in compliance with state and federal wage laws.

Hybrid Work is Not Going Away

After publishing its report about hybrid work, Cisco concluded: “Leaders must acknowledge that a point of no return has been reached, and there must be deeper and more concerted investments in culture, communications, technology, workplace policies, and infrastructure to thrive in the new hybrid working future.”

In the EHS industry, a 2022 Antea Group survey showed that 29% of EHS companies stated that more than half of their workforce will most likely work from home permanently. Not a large number when compared to the state of the country at large.

If you are an EHS decision-maker who is tempted to ignore employees who want hybrid work, here’s something to think about. According to Gallup’s research, if an employee is forced to work on-site but would have preferred a hybrid option, they:

• are not as engaged
  
• have decreased well-being
  
• experience more burnout
  
• are likely looking for another job

Aarcher will continue to report on the state of the hybrid job market in the months to come.

• Part 2: Making the Case for Hybrid Work in the EHS Industry
  
• Part 3: Making the Case Against Hybrid Work in the EHS Industry
  
• Part 4: How to Create an Optimum Hybrid Model in the EHS Industry
  

Resources:

Americans are Embracing Flexible Work—and They Want More of It, Andre Dua, Kweilin Ellingrud, Phil Kirschner, Adrian Kwok, Ryan Luby, Rob Palter, and Sarah Pemberton, McKinsey.com.

Back to Office? Stay Remote? Go Hybrid?, Christina Pazzanese, Harvard.edu.

Be Aware of Legal Challenges with Hybrid Work, Leah Shepherd, SHRM.org.

Employees are Ready for Hybrid Work, are You? Cisco.com.

How EHS Leaders Can Plan for the Reality of WFH and Hybrid Workplaces, AnteaGroup.com.

Instead of Hybrid, Remote or In-Office Work Styles, This May Be a Better Option, Jack Kelly, Forbes.com.

The Future of EHS, Bill Pennington, EHSToday.com.

The Future of Hybrid Work: 5 Key Questions Answered With Data, Ben Wigert, Gallup.com.

Majority of Workers Who Quit a Job in 2021 Cite Low Pay, No Opportunities for Advancement, Feeling Disrespected, Kim Parker and Juliana Menasce Horowitz, PewResearch.org.

Navigating Hybrid Work: A Google Workspace Handbook, Google.com.

The Great Resignation started in 2021, and it’s far from over. Approximately 4 million people per month have quit their jobs, up from the average of 3.5 million in 2019. There are many reasons they have quit, including to escape a toxic business environment, secure higher pay, and explore a new career path.

Every industry is feeling the crunch of too much work and not enough employees, and the EHS industry is no different. 

That leads to the following question: How can industries do business as usual if there aren’t enough people to work at their business? In the post ahead, we discuss how to: 

• Establish your company as an authority in the EHS field
  
• Make the hiring process at your company more streamlined for job candidates 
  
• Determine why candidates turned down your job offer
  

1. Establish Your Company as an Authority in the EHS Field

In an industry teeming with competition for a limited employee pool, it’s vital to stand out. To do this, your organization needs to show up as an industry expert, which means being a voice of authority.

Fortunately, being an authority in today’s wireless world doesn’t mean you need to invest a lot of money. You can write a blog post with keywords using SEO best practices. You can be a guest speaker on a webinar, at a conference, or on a podcast. 

You can also make sure your company has a presence on the social media apps that your hiring pool is using to look for jobs, including LinkedIn. Cross-post your blogs, podcasts, and webinar transcripts under your company feed, and make sure to use hashtags related to the EHS industry, such as #EHS, #EHSJobs, #EHSCommunity.

2. Make the Hiring Process at Your Company More Streamlined for Job Candidates

In a job market where the employee has a lot of understaffed companies to choose from, make your hiring process a breeze.

HR Daily Advisor suggests investing in a customer relationship management (CRM) program. This will make the process of keeping track of applicant details on a cloud-based system more seamless. According to PC Magazine, the best CRM programs in 2022 include Salesforce and Apptivo CRM. 

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) advises: “Have a clear, efficient, and streamlined recruiting and hiring process that you stick to religiously. This will help you filter out candidates quickly and effectively, and reduce the chances of making a mistake.”

3. Determine Why Candidates Turned Down Your Job Offer

In a world of job interviews, applications, LinkedIn, and more, make your company stand out in the hiring process by asking EHS applicants why they declined your offer. No one likes rejection, and to hear why your organization was rejected can be difficult.

But not having your job opening filled can be even more difficult.

According to Ben Dattner, Dattner Consulting, LLC’s Principal, applicants who turned down your offer will likely not feel comfortable telling the person directly involved in the interview process why they said no. Instead, explain to the applicant that they will receive a “Declined Offer” questionnaire that will be anonymous and have questions that will help the company improve its hiring process. 

2022 is not like any year in recent memory when it comes to the number of vacant jobs compared to the number of eager applicants. According to CNBC, the workforce stands at 1 million fewer workers than there were pre-pandemic. Laura Wronski, SurveyMonkey’s senior manager of research science, explains that it doesn’t help that inflation is high, which means wages have to be high to compensate for the cost of living.

But as Aarcher Talent reported back in 2021, the work-life balance a company can offer and the culture it can promise is a great combination when it comes to attracting new hires. Reach out to Aarcher Talent to help your organization put its best foot forward to overcome these hiring challenges.

Resources:

4 Common Recruiting Challenges (And How to Overcome Them), Bruce Marable, SHRM.org.

4 Recruitment Challenges (and How to Overcome Them), Claire Swinarski, HRDailyAdvisor.

10 Best Practices for Streamlining Your Hiring Process, Indeed, Indeed.com.

2022 Job Outlook, Alan Ferguson, SafetyandHealthMagazine.com.

Big February Job Growth for Economy But on Main Street It’s Still a Struggle to Find Workers, Ian Thomas, CNBC.com.

Interactive Chart: How Historic Has That Great Resignation Been?, SHRM, SHRM.org.

The Best CRM Software of 2022, Gadjo Sevilla and Neil McAllister, PCMag.com.

The Great Resignation: 3 Challenges Facing EHS, EHSToday, EHSToday.com.

Why You Should Interview People Who Turn Down a Job with Your Company,Ben Dattner, HBR.org.

As an EHS manager, it’s vital that you understand potential roadblocks in the future hiring process. The pandemic has greatly affected companies with the Great Resignation resulting in more than 40 million people leaving their jobs. As managers strive to combat the difficulties of targeting and recruiting new hires, an unexpected challenge arises — college graduates are significantly overestimating their starting salaries, creating a chasm between reality and expectation that is often difficult to overcome.

With hiring demand higher than ever, the projected starting salary for the class of 2022 is set to exceed $50,000. However, studies show that college students expect to earn double that — $103,880 for their first job.

There’s no doubt that new graduates are in for a surprise.

The potential disconnect comes from a workforce set to hire around 31% more new graduates than the previous year, with hires expecting larger salaries than companies are willing or able to pay. One study by the Real Estate Witch found that an astonishing 88% of undergraduate students overestimate their starting salaries.

Additionally, students over-project their salaries after 10 years, anticipating earnings of more than $200,000 when the average is $132,497. Certain majors, including those in the sciences and math, have starting salaries expected to rise as much as 5.4%, while others in areas like the humanities are expected to decline up to 14%.

Salary projections according to major for 2022 are as follows:

• Math and Sciences: +5.4%
  
• Agriculture and Natural Resources: +5.4%
  
• Computer Sciences: +5.2%
  
• Engineering: +4%
  
• Social Sciences: +2.1%
  
• Business: +3.1%
  
• Communications: -4.7%
  
• Humanities: -14.8%
  

With these numbers in mind, it’s essential that EHS managers prepare for the road ahead. For those in the sectors expecting salary decreases, you must explore strategies to continue attracting new hires. Even those in fields with rising salaries should prepare for an influx of unhappy and potentially unyielding incoming hires, with benefits beyond a paycheck that will draw them in.

By understanding the mindset of the newly graduated class of 2022, you can stay a step ahead, tackling hiring problems before they arise and ensuring your company’s prosperity.

Resources:

College Graduates Are Overestimating the Salaries They’ll Start Out At By $50,000, Report Finds, Jessica Dickler, CNBC.com.

EHS Professional Salary, ZipRecruiter.com.

The United States has been experiencing a unique phenomenon within its workforce known as the “Great Resignation.” Since early 2021, more than 13 million workers have quit their jobs seeking higher pay and a better working environment. However, many regret this decision.

USA Today conducted a Harris Poll that found that one in five workers regrets quitting their job and wishes they had stayed with their former employer. The question is, why?

The pandemic has had a significant impact on how people view their employment. Employees are no longer satisfied working long hours for meager pay. They want to enjoy their occupations while receiving the benefits and compensation they believe they deserve. 

However, although many of these workers initially benefited from higher salaries, they discovered that their positions weren’t a good fit for the long term. A study performed by The Muse found that 80% of Millennials and Gen Z job seekers would leave a job if it was still a poor fit after six months. This study reveals the greater truth that, despite the regrets, the “Great Resignation” is far from over.

It also forces companies to evaluate what they must do to improve employee retention, especially in vital fields like environmental, health, and safety. 

The Importance of Retaining EHS Employees

EHS employees play an integral role in the health and safety of the general population, making employee retention essential. High turnover rates affect the safety of the entire company and should be avoided if possible. Companies can help ensure their employees are satisfied and engaged at work, decreasing the chances of them quitting, by implementing the following strategies:

1. Provide remote working opportunities.

Providing employees with more options for where they work can give them the flexibility they desire. With pandemic uncertainty heavy on everyone’s mind, knowing they have the opportunity to work remotely at least for a day or two each week is an attractive proposition that can help encourage them to remain with your company.

2. Offer improved benefits.

To stay competitive with other companies that are making attractive offers, improving your employees’ benefits is an excellent way to encourage them to continue working for your company. Many employees would prefer to remain in their current job than go through the hassle of learning the ins and outs of a new position, so offering them an incentive by providing them with more options for health insurance, perks like gym memberships, and vacation and paid time off is an effective strategy.

3. Give regular feedback and recognition.

Everyone wants to feel seen and heard, so providing regular feedback and recognition is powerful. It allows employees to see that your company is invested in them and helps them increase their productivity. It also motivates them to work harder, as most people respond well to positive reinforcement.

As an increasing number of employees leave their jobs to find higher pay and a better working environment, it’s more important than ever to retain your talented EHS employees and help ensure everyone has a safe and healthy working environment.

Resources:

Employee Retention: How to Keep Your Top Talent in 2022, Jennifer Hartman, FitSmallBusiness.com.

‘I Let Money Get in the Way’: Most Recent Job Quitters Have Regrets or Don’t Plan to Stay in New Role, Paul Davidson, USA Today.

Many Who Quit Their Jobs in ‘Great Resignation’ Regret It, Zaid Jilani, NewsNationNow.com.

For many organizations, 2022 is a year to achieve some normalization and redirection in their workplaces. Companies have adjusted or reconstructed their business models from the harsh lessons they learned in the last two years.

Pandemic conditions exposed employment vulnerabilities and inequities in the workforce, dramatically affecting recruitment strategies. Talent recruitment is no longer as easy as a quick post on a social media job board. EHS candidates have greater expectations when considering future employment. It is a job seeker’s market, and recruiters and hiring managers must be highly skilled to procure the talent that will assist businesses in the comeback they are targeting.

The pandemic has driven people to abandon or rethink their career paths. This trend has created a skills gap in the job opportunities and the individuals qualified to fill them. With more openings than properly skilled candidates, companies are finding competition for attracting the right job applicants extremely stiff. Successful organizations must be proactive to secure the best and brightest EHS talent possible.

Staying up to date with these top EHS hiring trends of 2022 will help you attract the high-quality candidates you need to move your business forward:

1. Early Engagement: Engaging EHS candidates early is an up-and-coming trend for successful hiring managers. Early engagement used to be a tool reserved for higher-level management and executive positions where the candidates were few. Now, the shortage is across the entire spectrum of the workforce. Even lower-level positions require more effort and creativity to fill than in previous job markets.

It’s now common practice for hiring managers to communicate with applicants early and frequently along the recruitment path. Establishing a relationship with candidates encourages them to choose your organization over another. While this trend is born out of the current market situation, look for its success to set it as a new standard in recruitment.

2. Screening tools can be helpful or misleading. Job posting websites have keyword search engines that approve or eliminate candidates based on keyword or phrase searches. Thus, if an EHS candidate does not articulate their qualifications in such a way to ‘please’ the search engine, the hiring manager may never even see the candidate’s application. Automating the review of a resume can be fairly ineffective as a talent screening tool. Additionally, unless a hiring manager is a skilled interviewer, an interview alone may not give an accurate picture of an individual’s skill level.

Skill tests have been standardized for many occupations and available for decades. These tests allow objective and effective evaluation of someone’s suitability for a position and can quickly point out someone who is not qualified. 

While EHS job skills are key, so is behavioral compatibility, i.e., the ability to work in teams, meet stressful deadlines, take constructive criticism, etc. These assessments explore an applicant’s motivation and work ethic, for example.

3. Remote work options provided an enticement in recruitment previous to the pandemic but catapulted when many individuals were mandated to do so. Once acclimated to the home/work option, workers realized savings in transportation and clothing costs, less weather and illness interruptions, and more ease in achieving a work-life balance. This increases the talent pool, as previously, a position may have required too much time away from home or involved an extended commute.

4. Diversity and inclusion are no longer buzzwords or simple attempts at presenting compliance with anti-discrimination laws. Recruiting and maintaining a culturally diverse workforce promotes creativity and innovation, and positively affects the bottom line. Recruiters now employ evaluation tools that were created to eliminate the bias that was previously embedded in recruiting processes.

Following these trends is key to the economic recovery that businesses are targeting over the next 12 months.

Navigating the new generation of EHS talent acquisition can be challenging. Working with a recruiting firm like Aarcher Talent will help you stay on top of these ever-evolving hiring trends.

Whether you’re trying to fill a permanent position or add specific skill sets for temporary projects, we offer a series of recruiting solutions, including permanent placement, temp-to-hire, and contracted staff services. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help you find the right candidates.

Resources:

10 EHS Trends to Watch in 2022, John Niemoller,  Perillon.com.

Hiring and Recruitment Trends to Expect in 2022, Eric Friedman, Forbes.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous companies conducted layoffs, leaving many workers out of jobs. However, as the vaccine becomes more widespread, restrictions loosen, and employees go back to the workplace, many people are quitting their jobs. 2.7 percent (4 million people) left their organizations in April 2021.

A survey from Microsoft found that 41 percent of workers globally are thinking about quitting their job this year. Experts say this trend is happening for various reasons. People are reevaluating their career paths, as the pandemic gave them time to reflect. Some individuals who didn’t like their jobs only stayed put because of the pandemic. Additionally, the ability to cash in on the increasing value of homes and the booming stock market prompted other workers to retire early.

Jason Furman, a Harvard economics professor, explains that there is a record number (9.3 million) of open positions in the United States. This is causing workers to quit their jobs for better opportunities. Many companies are offering higher pay and improved benefits to secure talented employees.

As a hiring manager, one of your top focuses should be to retain your talented staff. These strategies will help you ensure your best EHS employees stick around:

1. Provide opportunities for training and professional development.

Your most talented workers strive to improve their skills regularly and move their careers forward. When you encourage them to participate in training events, attend conferences, and take online courses, it enables them to build their professional strengths. Your employees will also likely be more committed to your organization and their work when you provide them with skill-building opportunities.

2. Give feedback and recognition to your employees on a regular basis.

When you provide your workers with feedback on what they’re doing well and where they could improve, they are more likely to produce high-quality work and feel dedicated to their job responsibilities. Scheduling regular meetings to check in with your employees and give them this feedback will demonstrate that you’re committed to providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs well.

According to Gallup’s annual study of the U.S. workforce, only one in three employees strongly agrees that they were given recognition for their work in the past seven days. Employees who feel as though their work isn’t appreciated are twice as likely to quit in the next year. That’s why it’s crucial to prioritize providing your team members with the recognition they need to excel in their roles. When an employee accomplishes a goal or makes a positive impact on a project, be sure to thank them for their work.

3. Consider offering new or improved benefits and perks.

Many companies are now offering flexible schedules and telecommuting opportunities, even as staff return to their facilities as pandemic restrictions loosen. This allows for improved work-life balance and typically increases productivity among teams. Additionally, providing improved health benefits, vacation and paid time off, and even gym memberships can help you become a competitive employer to secure top talent.

As more jobs open up and employers compete for highly qualified EHS workers, it’s essential to focus on retaining your staff. Providing professional development, feedback, recognition, and improved perks and benefits will help you keep your best employees engaged and committed to your company.

Resources:

Diving into the Great Resignation and What It Means for American Workers, Neal Freyman, Morning Brew.

Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact, Annamarie Mann & Nate Dvorak, Gallup.

2020 taught HR leaders and hiring managers how critical it is to adapt their hiring plans to meet the new job landscape. There’s a good chance we will see even more shifts in the job market as the pandemic continues, the economy changes as a result, and COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out. Here are some 2021 hiring trends and insights predicted by employment website Monster.com to watch for:

1. Remote work will be the norm. Many organizations were quickly thrown into managing a remote workforce when the pandemic started. Remote flexibility was the second largest workplace policy change made by employers in 2020, according to research conducted by Monster. Working from home has allowed organizations to maintain safety protocols and continue to keep business moving forward. Overall, telecommuting was proven to be a successful way to work in 2020. When things return to normal, it’s likely that many companies will still operate remotely, at least partially.

2. Training current employees to expand their skill sets to fill roles will become critical. Although the unemployment rate is increasing, employers are finding it challenging to fill roles with qualified candidates. In 2021, we will likely see more organizations that engage in “upskilling” to train current workers to learn other skills that will help the company in areas that they are unable to fill positions with talented candidates. Consider finding those team members with transferrable skills that could fit well in the critical roles you need to fill.

3. There will be a focus on diversity and inclusion in hiring. 86% of candidates globally say that diversity, equity, and inclusion at work is important to them, and 62% of professionals would even turn down a job offer from a workplace that didn’t support diversity. Make sure to include across your brand messaging and job descriptions that you’re committed to diversity and inclusion. Focus on hiring individuals from a diverse array of backgrounds. Experience and qualifications shouldn’t be the sole things you hire based on. Look for traits like enthusiasm, adaptability, and creativity in EHS job candidates, which can help drive your organization forward. Candidates with these types of qualities are able to learn quickly and bring a positive attitude to the workplace.

4. Job candidates will want to know that your company is maintaining a safe workplace. Safety is a top priority for job applicants during the pandemic. Consider including your COVID-19 safety protocols in your job descriptions and on your career websites. It’s essential for your recruitment efforts to demonstrate that you care about the safety and health of your staff and that you’re taking implementing specific practices, such as social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing.

It’s difficult to make solid hiring predictions for 2021 amidst the pandemic. Staying on top of EHS workplace trends and insights as we move forward into the first quarter of the new year will be crucial in helping your organization navigate hiring. 

Resources:

2021 Hiring Trends: Monster’s Predictions for the New Year, Monster, Hiring.Monster.com.

3 EHS Trends Defining How Americans Will Work in 2021, Custom Truck One Source, CustomTruck.com.