2015 has almost come to a close. While the holiday season is typically viewed as a more “quiet” time in the corporate world, it can also be a great opportunity for businesses to recruit top talent to hit the ground running for next year. To help reinvigorate your hiring drive and get a head start, here are some HR trends to keep an eye out for in 2016.

• Data & Analytics: Ohr tver the past few years, the use of “Big Data” in HR has been widely talked about, but often rarely implemented. Companies are starting to turn the corner, however. Now it’s not just about gathering data. It’s about compiling and analyzing data and making actionable insight in hiring decisions and people strategies. One columnist recently noted that continuing to channel budget to sales, marketing and product development, while ignoring technological innovation in HR, is a huge mistake because “quality talent fuels growth.”
• HR + Marketing & Social Media: Who owns a company’s brand and image? Marketing? HR? Both? And is there a difference between a company’s employer brand and their consumer image? Depends on who you ask. One thing is certain though…HR and marketing, and perhaps even members from the executive team, need to work together to create a cohesive brand message that attracts and helps retain top talent. And many organizations are doing just that. According to recent research, roughly 33% of organizations are taking branding into account during strategy development.
• Boomerangs & Job Hoppers: Recent research shows that 76% of organizations are now more accepting of hiring boomerang workers (i.e. a worker who leaves the company only to return later). Furthermore, 55% of companies say they have hired a “job hopper” and 32% said they actually expect workers to job hop. In what is increasingly become a tightened labor market, companies will need to get creative with their recruiting strategy and that includes tapping both of these often overlooked segments of workers.
• Millennials and Gen Z: Millennial workers now make up the largest percentage of the workforce. As more and more Baby Boomers retire, these Millennials will need to step into critical management and leadership roles. But many wonder if they are equipped with the necessary skills to do so. Adding to the mix will be the influx of the next generation of workers, dubbed Gen Z. These workers are even more technologically savvy than their predecessors, so companies need to keep that is mind when interacting with this group.
• Workplace Flexibility: Parental leave has been splashed across the news the past few months. Between Netflix announcing an extending parental leave plan, following closely behind by Adobe and Microsoft, the makeup of the workplace is slowly, but surely, changing. And while more companies offer flexible work programs, like telecommuting or reduced scheduling, research has found that many employees aren’t taking advantage of said programs for fear of seeming less committed to their career. This stark divide is something companies of all sizes will need to address in order to attract and retain Millennial workers, many of whom are starting families and desperately need flexible work options.

From BrightMove Recruiting Software