As the world of work continues to transform in 2022, businesses are facing new operational and compliance challenges in addition to others – from retention, recruiting and staff management to return to workplace policies and managing a remote workforce. To confidently navigate forward, employers are relying on data to inform their decision-making. Access to employee data can provide a wide array of necessary “pulse checks” as in-person indicators are tabled.
As some employees begin to trickle back into the physical workplace in 2022, organizations will require timeline information and reliable data around COVID-19 vaccine testing and tracking, especially those with multiple work locations and varied government legislation and organizational mandates.
According to an ADP survey, 20 percent of organizations with 25 to 99 employees say they're struggling with compliance and regulatory issues. Regulation is difficult on companies of all sizes, but it’s particularly hard on small employers that do not have capital or scalable economies to easily assume new compliance burdens. These challenges are dynamically changing one-size-fits-all HR policies. Instead, real-time data is informing more flexible HR policies, as well as helping executives navigate regulatory change, add efficiencies and enhance the benefits of new rules. An HR strategy that’s responsive to regulatory change can result in better business outcomes.
Real-time, reliable people data for businesses will be imperative to ensure employees feel safe at work. This same data will also be used to make informed decisions and meet compliance expectations. The good news is that there is a wealth of new data to mine with employees working fully remote or in a hybrid workplace (ADP found two in three mid-sized U.S. employers have hybrid work models in place). And these employers rely on employees to manage their time and workload autonomously. This new model provides employees new-found independence, which fosters a sense of connection. In fact, an ADP Research Institute study found 79 percent of hybrid workers felt more connected to their teams.
Data Beyond Compliance
While data is useful to guide compliance and regulatory direction, it can also help companies determine competitive compensation and benefits packages, DEI targets and goals, as well as employee sentiment about jobs and culture. Worker sentiment is becoming increasingly more important as companies compete in a tight talent market and employees reassess their goals and priorities. Employers can gauge employee sentiment around connection, engagement, and resilience.
ADP Research Institute® found that U.S. employees who are categorized as “strongly connected” to their employers are more engaged than those “not connected.” The “strongly connected” employees are 75 times more likely to be fully engaged at work, 19 times more likely to feel like they belong at work and 28 times more likely to feel completely accepted at work.
It’s true that with 4.4M people leaving their jobs in the U.S. in Q4 2021, the labor market is challenged. While technology and innovation are important, the last two years have taught us that people are what power company performance. Quality data can help companies better understand their people and provide them with the tools and workplace environment they need to thrive.
