[UK and Europe] 50% of workforce prioritise good working hours and flexible options

New research from Europe’s leading HR and payroll service provider has revealed that 47 per cent of employees rank working hours and flexible forms of working as the top two considerations when it comes to choosing a place of work, HR News reports.

SD Worx’s findings came from a survey of over 4,000 companies in the UK and across Europe and highlight major worker expectations as employers continue to step up initiatives to attract, hire and retain top-tier talent. 

Many organisations are reportedly expanding the reach of recruitment drives and seeking new ways to convince candidates of their credentials. In such a climate, companies are waking up to the value of HR data and analytics. 61 per cent of companies in the UK alone are using HR and people analytics to gain insights into key areas such as staff shortages, absenteeism and reporting.  

The impetus is for employers to assemble attractive offers for employees with flexible offers and digital working solutions to improve the employee experience while maintaining productivity. Data and insights bring new opportunities to revamp company culture for the new working world.  

Data for smarter workforce management  

The survey’s findings show that organisations are beginning to feel the benefits of deploying data. Many are reportedly leaning into data on absences (44 per cent) and working times (44 per cent) when completing staff reporting tasks, to provide a better overview of workforce efficiency and productivity.  

69 per cent of European employees consciously keep track of their working times while 55 per cent use a time management system to do so. In Norway (56 per cent), Spain (54 per cent), Germany (53 per cent), Sweden (53 per cent), Finland (51 per cent) and Italy (46 per cent), SD Worx’s research reveals it is particularly common for employees to use an existing system to monitor their working times. However, the figure is significantly lower in the Netherlands (33 per cent) and France (32 per cent).    

Quantitative data is not the only important factor for efficient workforce planning and reporting. Qualitative data - such as an overview of skills, talents and expertise - also helps ensure that employees can utilise their talents across other business areas which can create new opportunities for career development.

One in three companies (29 per cent) already keep qualitative data on talents and skills, being led by businesses in Ireland (38 per cent), Finland (38 per cent) and France (35 per cent), while Dutch (23 per cent), Swedish (22 per cent) and Norwegian (20 per cent) companies are less likely to store this data.  

Employees in control 

In terms of logging productivity data, the survey found that one in three European companies uses employee self-service tools (ESS) to enable staff to enter and manage their own data. This investment reportedly allows employees to manage their own working hours and identify how and where they used their time.  

Employee self-service tools give employees the ability to not only register working hours (32 per cent) but also to log absence requests (33 per cent), submit expenses (28 per cent) and consult remuneration (24 per cent).    

This then frees up HR departments to focus on core and high-value activities, rather than waste valued time imputing productivity data manually. ESS tools are currently most popular in the Nordic regions (30 per cent) and Ireland (29 per cent), with significantly lower levels in France (14 per cent), Italy (14 per cent) and Austria (15 per cent), according to SD Worx’s findings.  

Rachel Clough - UK Country Lead at SD Worx - said, “Globally, we’re seeing employers lean into the value of HR data and analytics tools to support the habits and expectations of the new working world. At a time when businesses face a myriad of challenges – from winning the war on talent to tackling rising costs and ensuring smooth employee relationships in a hybrid world – workforce management tools offer essential solutions to often complex business challenges.

"In this current climate, gaining a firm overview of employee needs and business goals is critical.  Reliable, robust workforce management systems bring data and visibility to strategy, playing a key role in your decision-making today while being there to help anticipate future working challenges.”    

Source: HR News

(Quotes via original reporting)

New research from Europe’s leading HR and payroll service provider has revealed that 47 per cent of employees rank working hours and flexible forms of working as the top two considerations when it comes to choosing a place of work, HR News reports.

SD Worx’s findings came from a survey of over 4,000 companies in the UK and across Europe and highlight major worker expectations as employers continue to step up initiatives to attract, hire and retain top-tier talent. 

Many organisations are reportedly expanding the reach of recruitment drives and seeking new ways to convince candidates of their credentials. In such a climate, companies are waking up to the value of HR data and analytics. 61 per cent of companies in the UK alone are using HR and people analytics to gain insights into key areas such as staff shortages, absenteeism and reporting.  

The impetus is for employers to assemble attractive offers for employees with flexible offers and digital working solutions to improve the employee experience while maintaining productivity. Data and insights bring new opportunities to revamp company culture for the new working world.  

Data for smarter workforce management  

The survey’s findings show that organisations are beginning to feel the benefits of deploying data. Many are reportedly leaning into data on absences (44 per cent) and working times (44 per cent) when completing staff reporting tasks, to provide a better overview of workforce efficiency and productivity.  

69 per cent of European employees consciously keep track of their working times while 55 per cent use a time management system to do so. In Norway (56 per cent), Spain (54 per cent), Germany (53 per cent), Sweden (53 per cent), Finland (51 per cent) and Italy (46 per cent), SD Worx’s research reveals it is particularly common for employees to use an existing system to monitor their working times. However, the figure is significantly lower in the Netherlands (33 per cent) and France (32 per cent).    

Quantitative data is not the only important factor for efficient workforce planning and reporting. Qualitative data - such as an overview of skills, talents and expertise - also helps ensure that employees can utilise their talents across other business areas which can create new opportunities for career development.

One in three companies (29 per cent) already keep qualitative data on talents and skills, being led by businesses in Ireland (38 per cent), Finland (38 per cent) and France (35 per cent), while Dutch (23 per cent), Swedish (22 per cent) and Norwegian (20 per cent) companies are less likely to store this data.  

Employees in control 

In terms of logging productivity data, the survey found that one in three European companies uses employee self-service tools (ESS) to enable staff to enter and manage their own data. This investment reportedly allows employees to manage their own working hours and identify how and where they used their time.  

Employee self-service tools give employees the ability to not only register working hours (32 per cent) but also to log absence requests (33 per cent), submit expenses (28 per cent) and consult remuneration (24 per cent).    

This then frees up HR departments to focus on core and high-value activities, rather than waste valued time imputing productivity data manually. ESS tools are currently most popular in the Nordic regions (30 per cent) and Ireland (29 per cent), with significantly lower levels in France (14 per cent), Italy (14 per cent) and Austria (15 per cent), according to SD Worx’s findings.  

Rachel Clough - UK Country Lead at SD Worx - said, “Globally, we’re seeing employers lean into the value of HR data and analytics tools to support the habits and expectations of the new working world. At a time when businesses face a myriad of challenges – from winning the war on talent to tackling rising costs and ensuring smooth employee relationships in a hybrid world – workforce management tools offer essential solutions to often complex business challenges.

"In this current climate, gaining a firm overview of employee needs and business goals is critical.  Reliable, robust workforce management systems bring data and visibility to strategy, playing a key role in your decision-making today while being there to help anticipate future working challenges.”    

Source: HR News

(Quotes via original reporting)