PODCAST: Celebrate Your 2016 Accomplishments | Workplace Trends for 2017
Get Ready for 2017 By Celebrating 2016 Accomplishments
As 2016 winds down and before you start making resolutions, take the opportunity to remember the things you accomplished this year. Start by rifling through your old to-do lists and noticing the boxes you checked off or the tasks you crossed off your list.
Revisit your calendar. Find meetings or events you attended that moved important plans forward. Which long-standing projects did you finally complete? What new and beneficial relationships did you begin? What’s something new you learned about your ability to achieve? Mentally celebrate the things you said “yes” to, in spite of fears or anxiety.
Taking stock of your 2016 accomplishments will not only remind you that you’re capable of great things, it will boost your confidence as you take on new challenges in 2017. Before you start making resolutions and thinking about how you’ll tackle the new year, acknowledge the ways you made a difference in your own life or in the lives of others this year.
Workplace Trends To Watch For in 2017
Forbes Contributor Dan Schawbel’s article “10 Workplace Trends You’ll See in 2017” provides some insight as you prepare for the coming year.
Schawbel predicts that the blended workforce will increase. Full time and permanent employees will work side-by-side with freelancers as companies hire on-demand to control costs.
Generation Z will begin to have an impact in the workplace. They’ll place new demands on employers and widen the technology gap. Millennials and Gen Z’s will continue to put pressure on employers to transform office life, reward employees, embrace flexibility and align with causes.
Workplace wellness and well-being will become important for attracting top talent. As leaders realize that workplace stress is the biggest health issue employees face, they will invest in more relaxing and healthier work environments.
Companies will get more creative with their benefits packages and perks. Fair compensation is important to all, but it can’t stand alone in attracting and retaining key employees. In 2014, Schwabel began to see the desire for work flexibility out pace health care coverage. He expects that trend to continue.
Office attire and workplace culture will become even more casual. Younger generations and remote workers are influencing this trend. The bureau of labor statistics says that one third of American employees do some or all of their work from home. Already, fifty percent of managers say employees dress less formally than five years ago. One third of workers prefer companies with a business-casual dress code.