Future of Work Trends.

 

9 Futures of Work Trends for 2023

 

Trend Number	Trend Name
1.	“Quiet hiring” offers new ways to snag in-demand talent
2.	Hybrid flexibility reaches the front lines
3.	Squeezed by competing leader and employee expectations, managers need support
4.	Pursuit of nontraditional candidates expands talent pipelines
5.	Healing pandemic trauma opens path to sustainable performance
6.	Organizations push DEI forward amid growing pushback
7.	Getting personal with employee support creates new data risks
8.	Algorithmic bias concerns lead to more transparency in recruiting tech
9.	Gen Z skills gaps reveal workforce-wide erosion of social skills

Trend No. 1: “Quiet hiring” offers new ways to snag in-demand talent

 

Anyone who uses LinkedIn will be familiar with the "quiet quitting" headlines that went viral in the second half of 2022, which focused on workers who chose to only perform the bare minimum of their employment instead of going "above and beyond." Organizations retain people when employees "quiet quit," but they lose their skills and talents. Smart HR leaders will use "quiet hiring" in 2023 to flip this strategy on its head and gain new skills and capabilities without employing more full-time workers. This will show up in a few significant ways:

 

• An emphasis on internal talent mobility to make sure workers meet the most important tasks without changing headcount

• Possibilities for existing personnel to advance their skills and adapt to changing organizational requirements

• Diverse strategies include utilizing alumni network

 

Trend No. 2: Hybrid flexibility reaches the front lines

 As we enter a more permanent era of hybrid work for desk-based employees, it’s time to find equitable flexibility for front line workers, like those in manufacturing and healthcare. According to the 2022 Gartner Front line Worker Experience Reinvented Survey, 58% of organizations that employ front line workers have invested in improving their employee experience in the past year. About a third of those who haven’t intended to do so in the next 12 months.

As organizations look to offer more flexibility for their frontline workforce, note that a recent Gartner survey shows the top role attractors for this segment include:

·         Control over work schedule

·         Paid leave

·         Stability in work schedule

Front-line workers also express interest in other types of flexibility, such as what they work on, who they work with and the amount they work.

 

 Trend No. 3: Squeezed by competing leader and employee expectations, managers need support

 

Managers are totally out of their element due to the expectations of the modern workplace. They are under pressure from both above and below because they need to implement corporate strategy for hybrid work while also offering purpose, flexibility, and career prospects.

Currently, low- and midlevel managers are the coworkers with whom their direct reports engage most frequently, and 60% of hybrid employees claim that their direct boss is the point of contact with the corporate culture that they have the closest.

For the majority of people, management is a talent that requires Management is a skill, and for most people, it takes practice. The dual pressures of remote work and employees’ evolving needs and expectations have amplified poor management. In 2023, the best organizations will take two key actions to relieve pressure on managers. They will:

 

 1. Offer new training and support to help close the growing managerial skills gap. The strategies that worked in 2019 are inappropriate for the workforce in 2023.

2. Make it obvious how managers should spend their time, establish manager priorities, and, if required, rethink management responsibilities.

 

 

 

Trend No. 4: Pursuit of nontraditional candidates expands talent pipelines

Organizations have long discussed the strategic benefits of diversifying and growing their talent pools. It's time to follow through on those promises with deeds now. There are now two major trends:

1. Employee career trajectories are becoming less linear In the upcoming years, we anticipate this number to increase further. Currently, 56% of candidates report applying for employment outside of their present field of competence.

2. Conventional sourcing techniques and candidate pools are no longer sufficient for organizations to meet their talent needs. Additionally, recruiting managers are less concerned today than they once were with technical expertise and industry experience.

Organizations will need to feel more at ease evaluating candidates entirely on their ability to perform in the post, rather than their qualifications and prior experience, in order to fill crucial roles in 2023

 

Trend No. 5: Healing pandemic trauma opens path to sustainable performance

Because of the recent sociological, economic, and political unrest, the majority of people, including present and new employees, continue to struggle with pervasive mental health issues. This could lead to a drop in output and performance, as well as an increase in irate outbursts, spontaneous resignations, friction at work, and underperformance.

Eighty-two percent of workers agree that it's critical for their employers to view them as more than just an employee. The top companies will do the following in the upcoming year:

 

·          Proactive rest, as opposed to rest as a recuperation measure once employees' performance and emotional resilience have declined. This might include preemptive PTO before busy work periods, no-meeting Fridays, designated wellness time, and managers setting goals for how much PTO their teams will take..

 

• Discussion chances to work through obstacles and challenging subjects without criticism or repercussions.

• On-site counseling from trauma counselors, as well as training and coaching for managers on workplace conflict and how to have uncomfortable talks with staff.

 

 Trend No. 6: Organizations push DEI forward amid growing push back

Some employees are displaying symptoms of resistance as firms step up their efforts in the areas of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI). Employees' perceptions of their company's DEI activities are divided, according to 42% of them. And two out of five concur that an increasing proportion of workers are becoming resentful of or alienated by their organization's DEI initiatives.

This resistance is amplified by political and ideological movements that portray DEI as social engineering or discrimination against historically privileged groups. Pushback from employees invalidates, interrupts, or disconnects programs designed to help marginalized populations. It may be overt or covert, planned or accidental, but frequently it is not.

 

Employee pushback is frequently ignored by organizations out of a concern of confirming it as legitimate, but if left unchecked, it might lower engagement and inclusiveness and ultimately lead to attrition. The opposition will be addressed early by astute leaders in 2023 to prevent it from developing into more disruptive forms of resistance.

 

Trend No. 7: Getting personal with employee support creates new data risks

Organizations are gathering information on employees' health, family situations, housing conditions, mental health, and even sleep patterns utilizing developing technology (AI assistants, wearable’s, etc.) in order to better meet their requirements.

As a result, a privacy crisis is impending. Leaders are unable to fully comprehend and manage how swiftly technological capabilities are increasing. Being a human organization requires learning more about individuals, not just employees, which is a change that may compromise the confidentiality of highly personal and private data.

 

Employers must prioritize transparency in 2023 regarding how they gather, utilize, and keep employee data and give workers the option to stop participating in procedures they find unacceptable.

 

Create an employee data bill of rights to support the requirement for healthy boundaries among your staff members as well as their general well-being.

 

 

Trend No. 8: Algorithmic bias concerns lead to more transparency in recruiting tech

 

In 2023, employers must place a priority on transparency with regard to how they collect, use, and retain employee data and provide employees with the choice to quit participating in practices they deem objectionable.

 

To encourage the necessity of healthy boundaries among your staff members as well as their general well-being, create an employee data bill

 

Trend No. 9: Gen Z skills gaps reveal workforce-wide erosion of social skills

Young people have been particularly hard-hit by the social isolation caused by the pandemic: The epidemic, according to 46% of Gen Z employees we recently questioned, made pursuing their educational or career aspirations more challenging, and 51% think their education has not adequately prepared them for the workforce. Gen Z has missed out on learning soft skills like negotiating, networking, speaking comfortably in front of crowds, building the social stamina required to work long hours, in a face-to-face setting, and more.

 

Organizations may suffer as a result of this lack of experience and readiness, particularly if they are trying to find inexpensive staff in a competitive labor market. However, since 2020, everyone's social skills have declined. It's not only Gen Z. Performance suffers as a result of burnout, weariness, and career instability, all of which are exacerbated by the epidemic. To meet this issue, organizations will need to redefine professionalism for the entire workforce.

In short:

• With a competitive recruitment market, an overworked workforce, and pressure to manage expenses, organizations face unprecedented problems.

• To snag in-demand talent, focus on employee mental health, and deal with data ethics in new HR technology, leaders will need to up their game in 2023.Organizations have an exciting opportunity to stand themselves as employers of choice thanks to these nine high-impact developments.

Emily Rose McRae leads the Future of Work and Talent Analytics research teams in Gartner's HR Practice. While Ms. McRae works across all issues that can lead to the future of work, her core areas of focus include emerging technologies and their impact on work and the workforce, new employment models, market and demographic shifts, and workforce planning to anticipate and prepare for these changes.

References

Joshbersin (2021). The Healthy Organization: Next Big Thing in Employee Wellbeing. [Online] JOSH BERSIN. Available at: https://joshbersin.com/2021/10/the-healthy-organization-the-next-big-thing-in-employee-wellbeing/.