Today's world is a place of constant change, which means as long as events continue to happen, trends will continue to occur. As the world economy experiences a shift, many leaders and owners of companies try as much as possible to make frantic efforts in either creating a new business or changing the way they operate their existing business, as to meet up with emerging trends.
Since the inception of the pandemic, many adjustments have had to be made by company owners to ensure that they are not in distress. This means it's essential for you to learn about the current trends that are in the market and take a look at them so you know which are best to apply to your specific business.
How Company Trends Are Changing
Well, you can't deny that many changes are occurring right now in the business world, and they are things that you shouldn't ignore if you still want your company to succeed. This means that whether you like it or not, you must understand these trends to keep up with them.
1. Embracing the Gig Economy
Nowadays, many companies are now sending specialized projects to freelancers who are more qualified, and this includes digital nomads as well. Doesn't this sound great? Rather than burdening employees who may not live up to the task or enjoy it, most businesses have now resorted to the internet, sorting out the best of the best individuals that can carry out their projects without even having to show up in person!
In fact, if you really want to keep up with the trends of the gig economy, some companies have even taken to paying in virtual currency because of the fast delivery and fewer chances for error involved in transactions. Companies can now pay remote workers in a digital and well-appreciated manner, ensuring they are happy and ready to work more efficiently.
2. Placing More Importance on Company Culture
There's nothing as great as having a workplace where everyone vibes positively and celebrates executing projects and tasks to the best of their abilities. This is why most companies now place more importance on company culture. Putting SOPs in place and setting up work systems is an excellent way to move toward a good company culture, along with inclusivity and diversity policies.
3. Encouraging Continued Learning
Do you know that having your workers learn continuously is the same as investing in them to become more efficient in carrying out their jobs? Yes, it would help if you encouraged continued learning in your company so employees can always try to gain knowledge and apply it. Also, you can carry out onboarding training for new workers in your business.
It's not good to go through the endless process of hiring and rehiring employees for your company. This is why, when you employ new people, make sure that you have a few team members who excel in the proper onboarding training. They will ensure that new hires know what is expected of them in their organization and how to go about their tasks correctly.
4. Encouraging Innovation and Creativity
Another trend that occurs in most companies is how business owners put efforts into encouraging the innovation and creativity of their employees. Some workers just naturally think of creative ideas that can drive growth and success, while others may take a little nudge. Either way, you should try as much as possible to ensure that you are supporting them by providing incentives that can serve as a source of encouragement.
Giving workers a reason to develop a passion for bringing innovations to the table is an excellent way of progressing in your business. Apart from encouraging everyone that can bring innovation and creativity, you can also create a competition for other employees to make them develop an attitude towards thinking in this manner.
5. Improving Data Security
You can't have employees in your company with privacy and data security issues. Paying attention to improving data security is essential to protect vital information. This will help maintain your company's reputation and allow your business to gain even more respect.
Summary
Changing trends is not a bad thing; rather, it shows how much the world and the industry is undergoing evolution. Businesses that have been able to last for more than 10 years achieve that because they try to adapt to trends that occur during a particular period. Try to embrace these trends for your company so that you can be seen as both relevant and visible.
There has never been a more perfect time to become a freelancer.
With so much of the workforce switching to the gig economy, it might be time for you to take a look at your own career and see if serial side hustling is the way to go.
Today, we are going to look at 38 freelancer statistics that you need to know for 2021 that might surprise you.The freelancer population grew from 17% of full-time freelancers up to 27% from 2014-2019.Making up 36% of the global workforce in 2020, freelancers are becoming more of a demand in many niches.In 2020, the second most common insurance policies sold were from freelance and consultant insurance workers.Over 90% of freelancers are optimistic about their future in freelancing.From 2019 to 2020, there was an 8% increase in freelancers, which totaled about a 2 million freelancer increase.With the current pandemic, freelance job postings increased by a little over 40% during Q2 of 2020.
Freelance and consultant policies that were purchased over the last year grew by 26%At the beginning of 2020, freelance policied dropped heavily up until the height of the pandemic.
The freelance community bounced back dramatically in the later months with policies being purchased through freelance and consultant insurance workers doubled each month.While Gen Z has seen a tougher job market, over 50% of 18-22-year-olds have claimed to freelance in the past year.A little over 40% of millennials have reported having freelanced over the last year.Due to COVID-19, 36% of Gen Z freelancers started after the onset of the pandemic.Over the past year, over 59 million Americans have participated in some type of freelance work.When it comes to 39-54-year-olds (Gen X) 30% of them are freelancers.When it comes to Boomers (55+ years old) 26% have or currently freelance.When it comes down to gender, 60% of freelancers are men while 40% are women.Freelancers who perform skilled services earn on average $28/hour, which is more than 70% of workers in the US economy.
When it comes to wages, over 30% of freelancers are making $75,000 or more.For freelancer copywriters, the national average salary is $81,748An average workweek consists of 43 hours for most freelancers.With COVID-19, 23% of freelancers have lowered their hourly rate.Over the past 6 months, 58% of freelancers worked with more than 5 clientsIn the total arts and design workforce, freelancers had made up around 75% in 2019.When it came to freelancer policies sold, 50% were sold to photographers in 2020.Over 60% off all freelancers sell 2-3 different skill sets.
Why should you bother so much about employee onboarding, and why should you consider blended learning for your organization’s onboarding program?
It’s because around 20% of newly hired employees leave within the first 45 days of employment (Forbes).
So, the question is, how do you reduce employee turnover?Creating an Effective Blended Learning Program for Successful OnboardingOnline portal for initial greet-and-meet sessionsVideo-based eLearning modules for brand presentationBlended approach for formal training sessionsScenario-based online training for role clarityMicrolearning nuggets for critical supportBy building an effective onboarding program!According to a Brandon Hall report, organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.
An effective onboarding program ensures your new employees are given enough support during their integration into your organization and remain a great fit in the long run.
All in all, a good onboarding program is critical, and a blended learning approach can offer a mix of different training types to maximize its success.That was all about the “Why?” of blended learning for onboarding training.
Provide an online welcome package on your portal, including:The schedule for the onboarding processContact information of team members, mentors, reporting managersVideo messages from team membersAnswers to FAQs regarding onboardingObjectives and expected deliverables….. or anything else you feel is important from your organization’s perspective.In addition, you can also host a virtual conferencing session to set the ball rolling for interactions – an informal meet to socialize and make the new-hires feel they’re all in this together.This way you’ll ensure your new hires are better prepared and well-supported for their onboarding experience when they come to work.2.
