Trend Watch, Office Edition

5 Office Trends to Watch in 2012.

1. Mobile Devices. Is this news? Probably not, however the restrictions on how and when you use them in the work place are decreasing by the day.  Some companies have even gone as far as making workplaces BYOD, or “bring your own device.” My biggest concern with this trend is confidentiality. 
2. Telecommuting. Otherwise known as working from your mobile device off site. According to AARP research the baby boomers are the biggest advocates for this movement.  In many cases its win-win. Telecommuting offers employees more flexible schedules and it offers employers a way to curb office expenses.
3. Open Office Space. Let the creative juices flow! More and more companies are deconstructing the cubicle and creating communal spaces and shared workspaces.  The hope is this will increase the exchange of ideas and lead to improved productivity.
4. Instant Communication. We have already bid adieu to the fax machine, however will we parting ways with email soon as well?  I tend to say no, however more and more people feel that email is a bit slow for communication and find text, social media, and other alternatives faster and more economical.
5. Reverse Mentoring. Now this one is new…and probably is freaking some people out.  Not only are companies having new employees be mentored by longer standing employees, but they are also having younger employees mentor older employees in software and other techy areas.

Need A Laugh?

Say Yes to Temp!

“I’ve always been hired directly by the company”, “I will only consider permanent work”, “A temporary job isn’t a real job.” Recruiters everywhere, including us, hear phrases like these almost every day.  Getting candidates to consider temporary work is tough.  A lot of the time candidates just simply don’t understand or have not been educated as to how the market has changed and how temporary work can benefit them. 

According to a survey done by CareerBuilder and the American Staffing Association, less than a quarter of employers intend to hire full time, permanent employees in 2012.  However, the same survey revealed that 36% of employers intend to hire contract and temporary workers.  Of the employers who plan to hire temporary or contract workers, 35% of them say they plan to make the temporary role permanent if everything works out.

To translate that into City Personnel terms, 35% of the employers surveyed intent to hire for temp-perm positions in 2012.  A temp-perm situation makes a lot of candidates nervous, however there is less reason to be nervous than they think.  A temp period really isn’t so different from a probationary period and as we tell all our candidates, if you do a great job you’ll have a job.  The huge upside of this arrangement is that both candidate and employer get a change to evaluate one another before making any long term costly decisions.  A good job, as everyone knows, is important in one’s overall happiness.   For an employer the benefit is clear, no great financial risk until you know the candidate is exactly what you want.