Work as we know it is changing. The pandemic, the Great Resignation, economic uncertainty, remote work, and so much more have changed the way we think about, and accomplish, our work. And it all will reshape HR this year.
In order to balance employee expectations and organizational needs in a time of upheaval, focus on the following trends for 2023:
- Ensure work has purpose
- Provide flexible work arrangements
- Improve employee-manager relationships
- Implement more recognition and rewards
- Focus on wellbeing, not just results, and
- Enhance diversity, equity and inclusion.
Ensure work has purpose to reshape HR
In 2022, 82% of employees said that it’s important for their work to have a purpose, and 72% said that purpose should be more important than profit.
On the flip side, only 42% of employees say their organizations’ purpose statements drive impact. So, for 2023, consider these questions:
- What does your business stand for?
- Do you have a concrete mission statement that resonates with your people?
- How does each individual employee contribute to that mission?
Answering these questions can help employees feel that what they do really matters.
Provide flexible work arrangements
Employees want flexible arrangements at work, and are willing to quit or take a pay cut to ensure they have the flexibility to work where they want.
As we move into 2023 we need to support remote and hybrid employees, and provide more opportunities for employees to engage in this kind of work. This includes training managers to avoid proximity bias, implementing better technology for collaboration and communication and streamlining work for both in-office and at-home employees.
Improve employee-boss relationships
Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce states that managers account for 70% of team engagement. Remember the old adage – Employees don’t leave jobs, they leave bad managers? The numbers support this idea. Job dissatisfaction, disengagement and burnout are all soaring, and the most effective way to fix those problems is better management.
Employees need to know that they’re supported by their leaders. They need to know that they can turn to them in difficult times, and they need to feel confident that their managers have their best interests at heart. In short, employees need to trust their managers. No manager becomes effective overnight, but through proper training and support any manager can become one that will engender trust in their employees.
Use more recognition and rewards
A culture of employee recognition can have a huge impact on your employees. In fact, when employees feel appreciated:
- relationships, motivation and engagement improve, and
- turnover, health complaints, and frustration drop.
Employees need to feel valued. Value-based recognition can be expressed through things like pay, equity, retirement benefits, health and wellness benefits, development opportunities and flexibility. You can create recognition programs to recognize and reward employees in easy and effective ways, as well.
Focus on well-being, not just results
Over half of employees suffer from work-related stress, 70% of employees worry about inflation, and a whopping 98% of HR professionals report feeling burned out recently.
No one is immune from stress, but leaders are in the unique position to do something about it. Workplaces need to focus on total wellbeing for all employees, including:
- Physical well-being and healthy habit incentives
- Financial coaching and education
- Strict work-life balance policies, and
- Mental health support avenues.
These types of programs can help employees in a holistic way, reducing stress and improving wellbeing.
Enhance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
While diversity, equity, and inclusion are a big focus for many organizations during the recruiting stage, DEI needs to be a focus throughout the employee experience. According to research, only 15-20% of S&P 500 companies include DEI metrics in executive incentive plans, and only 5-10% of those companies have an objective DEI metric.
It’s time for that to change. Every employee has the right to feel supported and compensated in a fair way, no matter what. In 2023, make plans to create quantifiable, objective DEI metrics to ensure that your employees feel like they belong.
Pave your way to a phenomenal 2023
HR leaders have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, but they also have the unique ability to initiate transformative changes in a business. By focusing on the work, the workforce and the workplace in 2023, leaders can take a huge step in negating the rising dissatisfaction, disengagement and unhappiness levels in employees.