Flexibility working, harassment prevention, pay transparency and a reliance on soft skills are the main trends affecting Canadian human resources leaders, according to a new report by LinkedIn Corp.
The report, which is based on a survey of more than 5,000 HR professionals in 35 countries including nearly 300 in Canada, found companies are adapting to workplace flexibility, with 69 per cent of Canadian respondents noting they believe allowing employees to work remotely improves morale. However, survey respondents also agreed these benefits come with their own unique challenges, as fewer than half (49 per cent) said they believe it’s an attractive perk that helps to hire talent.
Read: Majority of Canadian organizations offer flexible working options: survey
The report also found harassment prevention is taking a front seat in modern workplaces. Nearly half (49 per cent) of Canadian HR professionals said they’ve noticed employees are more empowered and willing to say something when they feel uncomfortable, while only 22 per cent said they’ve seen no changes in workplace dynamics and culture.
Globally, about a third of HR professionals said their company is taking anti-harassment action, including highlighting existing policies (37 per cent), promoting ways to safely report harassment (37 per cent), adding or improving policies (35 per cent), establishing a zero-tolerance policy (34 per cent), hosting training sessions (33 per cent) and increasing the gender diversity of their leadership (26 per cent).
When it comes to pay transparency, many organizations globally are proactively sharing salary information and many are planning to do so in the future. About a quarter (27 per cent) of HR professionals said their company shares salary ranges with employees or candidates early in the hiring process, while 22 per cent said they’re likely to start in the next five years.
Read: Ontario sets out pay transparency legislation
But 51 per cent of global respondents said they don’t share salary ranges and they don’t plan to do so.
Finally, survey respondents agreed the future of work relies on soft skills. Nearly all (94 per cent) of Canadian respondents said soft stills are an important trend for the future of hiring.