LinkedIn has published a new report into the latest shifts in company and work culture, largely as a result of the pandemic, with many people’s approach to their career and professional development changing amid the ongoing re-shaping of the workforce and place.

As outlined by LinkedIn:

“Because of the pandemic, employees are rethinking their priorities and their relationships with employers. They’re seeking flexible work arrangements and more work-life balance. They want to work for employers who value their physical and emotional well-being. And they’re ready to walk away from those who don’t.”

LinkedIn’s 67-page ‘Reinvention of Company Culture’ report provides a detailed analysis of these changing attitudes and approaches, and how businesses can look to cater to employee needs, in order to build a better work environment.

The report looks at how people’s approach to their work is changing, particularly in regards to who they work for, and what they both represent and provide.

As you can see in this graphic, company culture is becoming a much bigger consideration, which is arguably because we now have more insight than ever into what each company represents, via social media posts and profiles. That underlines the importance of brands managing their external perception, and building a strong employer brand, which could also include empowering their employees to share relevant updates, reinforcing culture and ethos.

The report also looks at the changing approach to workplace flexibility, which is fast becoming a must-have for many organizations.

The pandemic has shown that many companies can, in fact, operate remotely, and many employees have found that the freedom that can bring affords them many lifestyle benefits, which they’re not so willing to give up by returning to the office full-time.

Of course, that varies. Some people like the structure and organization of the office environment, along with the social benefits, and there are strong arguments to be made for both approaches. But the stats here, and included in the report, point to the potential value of incorporating more flexible working arrangements.

Employee well-being is another point of focus, with interest in the topic on the rise:

Which is another valuable element to this report – in addition to the overall notes on workplace shifts, LinkedIn has also incorporated data on key platform posting trends, which could help to inform your own strategy.

Clearly, there is significant, and rising interest in these elements, and it’s worth considering how you can integrate such, both in terms of how you evolve your own workplace models to cater to such demand, and how you represent the same in your external posts and updates.

There are some valuable notes here, and some interesting points to consider in the coming post-pandemic shift. Because we’re not there just yet, with newer COVID variants still parking new waves of concern, and subsequent mitigation efforts. But as we progress towards the next stage, it is worth noting the broader impacts that the COVID shift has had on work, and how prospective employees are now looking at job postings and companies in their job search efforts.

Your social media presence can play a big role in this, and your LinkedIn presence in particular, and it’s worth taking in the various trends and considering what they could mean for your brand.

You can read LinkedIn’s full ‘Reinvention of Company Culture’ report here.

Throughout the pandemic, Black-owned businesses in the US have been significantly impacted, with closure and revenue rates far worse than non-minority organizations in most regions.

According to Meta’s ‘State of Small Business Report’, more than half of minority-led businesses have reported a drop in sales within the period, which is 6 percentage points higher than other SMBs, while almost two-thirds of Black-led businesses, specifically, have reported a drop in sales of more than 50%.

With these sobering stats in mind, Meta has been working to provide more support for Black-owned brands, in order to lift their performance, where possible, and eliminate ongoing social inequality as a result of this shift.

Meta’s latest effort on this front is a new series of events to provide insights for Black-owned businesses, while it’s also announced the participants in a new training and support program for impacted SMBs.

As explained by Meta:

“Throughout Black History Month, Meta Elevate will be kicking off weekly events with industry experts, small business owners and influencers to inspire and educate Black-owned small businesses with a new theme “Black365.” These events, which will start during Black History Month, will continue beyond February to support this community and provide new ways to help their businesses thrive.”

As noted, the events are the latest in Meta’s efforts to provide more support and training for Black-owned SMBs, with both Facebook and Instagram running a range of initiatives over the last year to highlight and support these brands.

In addition to this, Meta has also announced a group of 10 Black-owned businesses that have been chosen to take part in a new training program, as nominated by singer and philanthropist Ciara.

These business owners will take part in a 6-week marketing mentorship, facilitated by Meta Elevate, while Meta will also provide $100,000 in ad credits and creative support so that each business can put their learnings into action following the mentorship.

This is a key area of focus for Meta, in allocating business support where it’s needed most, and lessening the compounding impacts of social inequality. Meta, through Facebook and Instagram, has made a strong commitment to providing more support for minority-owned businesses, and this latest initiative is another step in working to address rising concerns, and empower all business owners to maximize their opportunities equally.

Meta’s ‘Black365’ events will be held throughout February.

Have you noticed this alert in your Instagram Stories sticker tray yet?

As shared by social media advisor Meg Coffey, Instagram has quietly updated its Poll sticker for Instagram Stories, which now enables you to add up to four response options for your poll, doubling your response choices.

That could great for social media managers who are looking to generate more engagement with their Stories, with the simple, one-tap response process of polls providing a great lure for interaction, which can then help to maximize both response and reach.

But it can be hard to narrow polls down to just two responses. There’s always the gray area in between, the ‘both’ responses, and with four reply panels, that makes it much easier to get more in-depth, integrated replies on each topic, which again could be valuable as both a research and engagement option.

In addition to this, user Hammod Oh has also reported that users can now change the color of the poll sticker question text.

Both are small updates within the broader scheme, but each could provide value and utility in different ways.

If you don’t see the new alert in your Stories sticker tray just yet, update to the latest version of the app – and hope that it gets rolled out to you sometime soon.