As we wrap up 2016, Magenta turns to the new year and looks forward to what it may bring. 2016 began with a somewhat gloomy start what with the death of musician-cum- iconic entertainer extraordinaire Bowie. It ended with changed political prospects and a wave of uncertainty over many industries and sectors. The M people are hoping, and predicting that 2017 will A) get off to a much better start and B) will offer some stability. Here, we pick out the things in the world of work which we think are going to go big in the coming year (so you don’t have to).
Video killed the radio star… and pretty much every other form of digital media
I think we’ll become more used to, and expect more video in the workplace – in terms of communication between teams, training, interviews with potential candidates and new business meetings. In the world of travel unpredictability, cost reduction pressures and as infrastructure becomes more robust, we’ll learn to rely more on video. According to Cisco, 75 percent of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video by 2020, which cannot fail to have an impact on how we operate at work. – by Fiona Buckley
We’ll all get in some more ZZZ’s
I think sleep will move further up the agenda for employers, seeing as lack of sleep loses the economy £40 billion every year in lost productivity. Sleep is no longer seen as a weakness but rather as an essential human tool for human productivity. – by Thomas Went
We will all become yogis
Companies will get more creative with their employee benefit packages, to keep up with the competition. We’ll see more things like pilates / yoga classes classes, as opposed to just traditional cash bonuses or healthcare packages (which are important and valued too). The extras and perks will become more enticing, as a nod to the further integration of work and life. Now we’ve finally realised that workplace stress is a huge health factor in our overall wellbeing, not to mention productivity, it’s about time. Employers need to buck up there ideas in this department or lose out on recruiting and retaining the best new talent. – by Esme Bank Marr
Businesses will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Deliveroo
I think we will see more of the self-employed model in both PR and the wider built environment. Uber and Deliveroo are exciting businesses and despite the recent ruling that Uber drivers should be treated as employees, I think the self-employed model is challenging the way UK business operates. It’s certainly affecting many of our clients, the PR sector, and I’m excited to see it develop and refine further in 2017. In the meantime, I’ll just order my Uber… – by Cathy Hayward
Start-ups will lead the way forward
This year the major workplace trend revolved around co-working. And that trend was ignited by start-ups and small businesses. There has been a continual rise in the number of people taking the plunge and setting up their own companies and this, combined with the generational shifts in the workplace will mean that start-ups will continue to set the trends. – by Alice Finney
