Post-carnival 2024 promises the arrival of new trends in the job market. Is your company prepared?

“In Brazil, the year begins after Carnival.” This phrase is said at least once a day in companies across the country, throughout the endless month of January, which combines the return to the work routine after the festive period of Christmas and New Year, school holidays, the beginning of deadline for paying the main national taxes and preparing for the biggest party on the Brazilian calendar.

After the festive period, which lasts on average a week and divides opinions, schools resume their activities, many businesses reopen, people return to their routine and action plans are put into practice, giving the feeling that the year has begun in earnest. .

As we are about to go through the “second turn of the year”, companies need to be aware that 2024 arrives with new trends, and some revived, which are expected to impact the job market and influence employee productivity.

To adapt to changing dynamics and ensure a competitive advantage over your competitors — and to attract and retain the best talent — understand what are the five main global trends to implement in your company today:

1. Airplane mode

Commonly associated with electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, the term “airplane mode” means that all your wireless network connections are turned off. In the business context, allowing employees to adopt “airplane mode” involves the possibility of them temporarily disconnecting to focus fully on a certain task, thus avoiding distractions and optimizing their deliveries.

Prioritizing this “total focus”, hybrid work is maintained, with home office days allowing a deep dive into certain tasks to be performed individually, while office days involve more teamwork.

The privacy necessary to focus on a certain task also requires rethinking the architecture of organizations, with individual spaces for work or even libraries in offices, while desks without dividers, the big trend of recent decades, promote integration and benefit tasks that involve more than one team member.

2. Longer rest periods

Adopted in countries such as Belgium, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Japan, the four-day work week – in English, 4 Day Work Week – is a trend that also reaches Brazil. Working week model where employees work for four consecutive days rather than the traditional five days, the idea behind this approach is to offer workers more flexibility in their work-life balance, as well as potentially reducing stress and increasing job satisfaction.

The model can be implemented in several ways, such as extending working hours on the days you work to compensate for hours lost on your day off, or simply reducing the total weekly workload.

Although it sometimes means fewer hours worked, reducing the working day to four days has shown an increase in productivity rates and employee satisfaction levels.

3. Attention to team well-being

The flexible benefits package has been increasingly valued and stands out as a motivating element to attract and retain talent, as it has items that suit the needs and preferences of each employee. Thus, a flexible package allows the company to serve a diverse workforce, taking into account different ages, lifestyles, family backgrounds and preferences.

Traditional items such as discount cards and meal and food vouchers come into play, as well as benefits that promote physical and emotional well-being, such as flexibility in working hours, day off on birthdays, encouragement of physical activity and support for mental health. Other benefits are extended parental leave, profit sharing, private pension and benefits for pets.

Offering benefit options contributes to more efficient management of resources while allowing employees to feel more valued and recognized, contributing to greater engagement and motivation at work, as employees realize that the company is investing in their well-being -be. In this way, job satisfaction tends to increase, creating a more positive and productive environment, which contributes to a healthy organizational climate.

4. Use of generative artificial intelligence

The use of generative artificial intelligence in the workplace has grown significantly and is impacting several areas. Whether generating content, such as writing emails and correcting grammatical errors, automating processes or recruiting and selecting employees, generative AI has been applied in the workplace.

Generative artificial intelligence can be applied to automate repetitive and routine processes. This can include automating administrative tasks, which saves time for employees, allowing them to focus on more complex and strategic activities.

In relation to recruitment processes, generative AI can be applied to analyze CVs, identify qualified candidates and even conduct initial interviews, as is the case with Refuturiza 360º. This saves HR professionals time and helps identify talent more efficiently.

When implementing generative AI technologies, companies must consider ethical issues such as privacy, transparency and equity to ensure these tools are used in a responsible and inclusive way.

5. Support in employee career development

Supporting employees’ career development is essential for the satisfaction and retention of talent, as well as contributing to a more motivating work environment. Therefore, one way is to offer continuous training programs to develop technical skills and behavioral skills, especially online, allowing access at any time and space. Ecosystems like Refuturiza, for example, which continually develop their employees through the Individual Development Plan linked to their Corporate University.

It’s also important to recognize and reward employees who continually seek to improve their skills and knowledge, so offer financial support or other benefits to encourage participation in continuing education programs.

By adopting these practices, companies can create an environment that actively supports employees’ career development, promoting professional growth and contributing to building a motivated and engaged team.

*Cecília Barçante is Head of Employability at Refuturiza.