Workplace Trends for 2023
It’s time for some latest trends in the workplace. Below are just some of the bigger trends for the year.
Flexibility
This trend was brought about by the pandemic, and it is likely to stay. There are obviously pros and cons to working at home or remotely. The fact is this is our new reality. This could take the form of work from anywhere or hybrid working which is between a physical office and online. Each company needs to decide what will work for them. Have this discussion with all your employees before implementing this as it may disadvantage some employees who might not have WIFI or equipment to perform at their best. Try to assist where possible and reasonable. Good companies do not leave anyone behind. Flexitime is also becoming a thing and could just be one of the things you could do to make your employees’ lives a bit easier. With children being at home when schools are closed, parents take strain and might not be able to strictly stick to the companies’ working hours. Giving a brief of what work needs to be done for the week or month and letting your employees get the work done their way is a huge weight off the shoulders and in most cases, the work will be done.
The great resignation.
People are resigning in numbers because of several reasons like job dissatisfaction, bad leadership, financial reasons, or new challenges. Of course, our friend Rona has had a devastating impact on our lives in almost all aspects. Many of the reasons for the resignations have birthed some of the trends for this year. I mean, the point is we want to attract and retain talented teams. Something interesting is that people resigning are not rushing to fill open positions.
Your employees are people
The pandemic and 2021 has been a year of focus on the employee as a person. This is going to be the vibe going into this year and likely will be around for a while. And it is a good one. You want your employees to be productive right? Well, they need to be happy and healthy, both mentally and physically. Mental health programs and increased paid time off along with wellness programs are already some trends many companies are following. It is all about that work-life balance, and the boundaries have shifted with many working from home with children that would otherwise be at school. People are taking strain.
Reskilling and upskilling
The two buzzwords around the interwebs. With many resignations happening along with the fact that the skills required in the workplace have changed dramatically, means companies are increasingly focused on reskilling and upskilling their talent through a variety of inventive ways.
Reskilling is all about staying current with advances in certain fields and as such new skills need to be gained to keep current. Upskilling can be in the form of giving your staff skills that will enable them to grow in their career. One important aspect of upskilling is that it should also encompass skills needed for future growth. You want your staff to have certain skills even before they actually need them. There is no time to do this reactively. Be proactive.
Human Resources
Going into this year there is a huge focus on HR. In most cases, it will be HR that will be developing and running employee benefit programs like wellness workshops. As mentioned above, the focus for HR will be an integrated approach to employees as people and HR is no longer about hiring and firing but will move into the space of retaining and attracting talent for the long haul. HR will become more involved in employee well being which again is a great trend and hopefully, it will be around in the future.
Greater use of AI and tech
With many employees working from home and with a much more focused shift on digital working, it makes sense that employers and employees will need to embrace AI and modern technology to keep up with the competition. The digital realm is expanding massively thanks to the pandemic and using the most up-to-date technology will keep your teams current. Innovative technology could be in the form of new programs to manage your workflows or to manage your employees that are working remotely. Whichever programs you choose, they should be easy to understand, user-friendly, and easy enough to train your employees on how to use them. This fits right into the upskilling spot above. Another part of this is that with such skills shortages, using AI to fill in the gaps might just fit your company perfectly.
Focus on diversity and inclusion
This is a big one and one that needs to be worked on genuinely. People want to work in companies that put diversity and inclusion front and centre of their HR hiring and retaining strategies. Employees know if this is being done. What is more, employees know if the company is genuine in its efforts. They will support this trend if they can see it brings about meaningful change. It is 2022 and it is about time that every company gets on board with this trend. Having a diverse team will only increase your skills basket, bring innovative ideas and solutions to many issues. Having many people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experiences brings just that to the table. A melting pot of different ideas and solutions. Which company does not want that? Surely having all these different experiences is much more beneficial to your company than having a team of people all of the same race, age, gender, and social standing who all bring the same life experiences to the table. Embracing people’s differences can only bring about positive change.
Before following any of these trends, think about how you will execute the ideas, involve your team in discussions, and where possible decisions. Transparency and involvement will get you the buy-in needed. In general, the majority of the trends for this year are centred around employee wellbeing and growth. Both of which your company needs. It looks like this year will be a positive one for your employees if you can get this right.