Prepare For 2023 – Essential Future Of Work Trends

The last few years were marked by a focus on customer and marketing practices. But the trends will bring a shift in the sector, and the next years will focus on the employee, HR, and the organisation. Businesses must learn how to acquire talent, retain it, and maximise the impact and value the workforce brings to an organisation. 

The working environment has fundamentally changed, and so have the expectations between employers and workers. No one denies the impact work has on employees and workers have on organisations. 

2023 shouldn’t be the year when companies let their guard down because the future is predicted to bring shifting political tides, a recession, and climate disasters. Their effects could be severe for companies that fail to adapt to the trend. In a challenging environment, organisations must tackle work trends to remain competitive in the market. 

Quiet hiring

Both employers and employees remember the quiet quitting headlines from 2022 when workers decided they no longer wanted to go above and beyond for an employer that didn’t appreciate them and resumed doing the minimum required in their jobs. When the workforce decides to quit quietly, businesses keep the employees but lose their capabilities and skills. In 2023 organisations are left to employ their best HR techniques to turn this practice into quiet hiring to acquire new capabilities and skills without hiring new people. 

How will this work?

– Companies will focus on internal talent mobility to ensure their workforces address organisational priorities. 

– Businesses will offer upskilling opportunities for the existing workforce to meet the evolving organisations’ requirements.

– Employers will use alternate approaches to bring in talent only when needed, so they’ll take advantage of freelancers and alumni networks. 

Companies find a balance between resignation and retention

Organisations worldwide are dealing with a push-and-pull pattern with their workforces as they try to call them back to the office and are dealing with the threat of resignations or actual resignations because workers prefer to work remotely. With people quitting their job for so many different reasons, the classic retention methods won’t be successful in 2023. 

Companies should make significant investments in staffing because their organisational impact will grow in time. Dealing with employee resignations is more costly than investing in retention techniques. The average cost to replace an experienced worker is 2x their salary. Most employers don’t afford to deal with high resignation rates, but unfortunately, the trend will continue. 

Instead of focusing all efforts on reducing employee turnover, businesses should prioritise practices that improve the employee retention rate. 

Mental health focus 

With the economic stress that’s going on worldwide from the possible recession, people are stressed out about the future and security of their jobs. And while employers have come a long way over the last few years and have embraced wellness and mental health trends, they still need to work to improve their range of benefits to meet their employees’ needs. 

Companies should also focus their efforts on creating injury recovery plans that integrate mental health treatment for employees because the impact of a workplace accident is extensive. It’s also crucial to improve workplace safety because workplace accidents can cripple companies that have to pay compensation to injured workers. Recently more and more people have worked with companies like https://www.accidentclaims.co.uk/ to claim compensation assisted by a professional. In such instances, employers have no chance of winning a workplace accident lawsuit. 

Pursuit of non-traditional candidates

For a long time, companies have discussed the strategic value of diversifying and expanding their talent pipelines. But in 2023, they’ll have to put those words into actions because the recruitment sector promotes two strong trends. 

– Companies fail to meet their talent needs through traditional candidate pools and sourcing techniques. Also, managers are less concerned about technical skills and industry experience because they’re aware that companies can acquire the necessary abilities at the job. 

– Applicants are charting nonlinear career paths. Over 50% of people report applying for jobs outside their current area of expertise, and the figure will climb in the next few years. 

To fill their available position in 2021, employers should become comfortable with assessing candidates on their ability to perform in the role they apply for and not on their experience and credentials. 

Companies push DEI forward

Even if companies have bolstered diversity, equity, and inclusion over the last few years, some workforces have shown signs of resistance. 42% of workers think their company’s DEI efforts are divisive. Ideological and political trends characterising DEI as discrimination against historically favoured groups or social engineering amplify resentment and resistance. Employee pushback can disconnect, disrupt, or invalidate corporate programs that aim to enable marginalised groups. Depending on the situation, the behaviour can be deliberate, subtle, or obvious; however, most of the time, it’s unintentional. 

While more and more employers ignore employee pushback because they are afraid to validate it as legitimate, leaving it unchecked can make it challenging to promote inclusion. In 2023 companies must address the opposition in the early stages before it disrupts their DEI programs.

Training opportunities

Workers that benefit from development and training opportunities tend to be more productive and engaged than those who feel ignored and underappreciated at their workplace. Studies show that businesses with high levels of engagement among employees outperform companies that don’t offer growth opportunities in terms of profitability. 

However, employers must offer training opportunities relevant to the business’ objectives and goals. 

Employee recognition

A simple but effective way to keep employees happy is to recognise their efforts and hard work. Rewards and recognition go hand in hand with motivation. When companies recognise their workers’ hard work, they make people feel appreciated and valued. In 2023 companies should develop all three types of employee recognition programs:

– Performance awards

– Non-monetary awards

– Cash rewards

Employers must understand that the only way to prevent resignation and boost retention is to compensate their workforce for their performance. 

The above trends can help companies create a great business culture that prevents employees from leaving.