4 positive things in the world of work in 2021

Whatever industry you work in, 2020 no doubt had a big impact on your career. Whether you lost your job, were placed on furlough, had to work under new health and safety measures or switched to working from home full time, it was a year of big changes and hard adjustments.

With yet another lockdown and a long waiting list for vaccinations, it might feel as though 2021 will be another challenging year. While we’re not going to get back to ‘normal’ as quickly as we hoped, at s1jobs we’re always keen to seek out the positives. Here are a few things that we can look forward to in the world of work in 2021.

#1 Employee wellbeing is high on companies’ agendas

Often seen as just a box-ticking exercise for HR teams, employee wellbeing policies have now been pushed to the top of the corporate agenda. Our mental health understandably took a collective hit last year as we all struggled to cope with our bizarre new reality and many employers have stepped up their game in supporting their staff.

Employers have realised that while they can operate effectively without office space and other corporate trappings, they simply can’t function without healthy and motivated staff. This has led to managers taking mental health and wellbeing concerns more seriously which can only be a good thing for us all going forward

#2 Remote and flexible working are here to stay

A few years ago, it would have been unimaginable that such a large proportion of the workforce would be working from home, yet here we are. Businesses of all sizes have successfully made the shift to remote working with many also offering their staff the opportunity to work their hours more flexibly to best suit their work/life balance.

Love it or loathe it, remote and flexible working is here to stay as many employers are planning to downsize their office space or even give it up entirely in the future.

This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for those searching for new jobs. In the future, you might not have to dismiss your dream job just because you live in a completely different city – as not having to commute means that you could theoretically work anywhere.

#3 A bigger focus on workplace diversity and inclusion

The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 brought issues surrounding racism, inequality, diversity and inclusion back into the national discourse. This has led to companies across all industries taking a closer look at what they are doing to encourage more diversity and inclusion.

In 2021, we expect to see firms taking this even further and looking for ways to make their recruitment process as fair and inclusive as possible. This will be a crucial part of ensuring they attract talented candidates to apply for their roles and will be to the benefit of everyone applying for a new job this year.

#4 There are still jobs out there

During the early stages of the pandemic, most businesses took a knock, and many have had to make staff cuts to overcome the sudden loss of revenue.  However, that doesn’t mean there are no jobs to be found. Now that businesses have had time to adjust to the situation, they’ve developed new strategies to become profitable in this ‘new normal’ and many are now taking on new staff.

The number of vacancies advertised at the end of 2020 was still less than the year before, but the numbers have been slowly climbing since the end of the first lockdown in the spring. We have high hopes that they will continue to rise throughout January. It may take a bit longer to find a new job than it would have in 2019, but it can be done.

2021 might not bring the instant return to normality that we all long for, but there are still things to be positive about. Whether you’re unemployed or looking to change jobs, back yourself, you can still find 1000’s of great jobs plus career help and advice at jobs24.com.

Start your 2021 job search now at jobs24.com.

Posted on January 19, 2021