Employers have recognized the concerns and changes within HR over the last few years and have shifted their priorities during these uncertain times. HR managers believe burnout has serious consequences for employee retention, but according to CareerBuilder, 61% of workers say they are burned out in their current job.
As 2022 has come to an end, 2023 will continue to challenge new changes and adjustments to companies’ work policy as a result of employee concerns for work/life balance. In this article, we’ll share three HR predictions for 2023.
The Rise of Digital Nomads
We’ve seen offices open back up for employees to return to in-person interactions this year, but the need to be in the office to work has diminished, as employees have been able to adapt to remote work due to the pandemic. A study by Stanford shares that working from home increases productivity by 13%, which has caused many companies to move to hybrid environments.
The new age of digital nomads will continue into 2023. Companies will begin to regulate and formalize policies to support these nomadic work trends to reduce the risk of social bonds’ disintegrating, as well as to reduce tax and social security risks. If this trend of nomadism is inevitable, employers must invent new “employee experiences” to make them want to reinvest in their workplace. If skillfully combined with a culture of trust and acceptance of nomadic work, this can create great corporate cultures that are recognized by both current talent and potential candidates.
Quiet Quitting and the Great Resignation
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, drastic changes affected work/life balance, which kick-started the Great Resignation that emerged across the United States and in other countries. Then, the “quiet quitting” trend surfaced in 2022, as employees refused to engage in any additional commitments outside their scope of work such as staying late, working overtime, and attending nonmandatory meetings.
Quiet quitting will continue in 2023 because in a labor market with a shortage of talent, workers are increasingly putting their personal lives and their commitments first and making decisions on their professional, financial, and economic choices following these criteria. Gallup estimates that at least 50% of the American workforce is now quietly quitting, which means companies will have to prioritize how to reengage, motivate, and empower their employees.
Successful Employers Increase Investment in Employee Experience and Skill Development
The power of employee investment contributes to overall business success.
In 2022, arguably the most important challenges employers aimed to address were employee health and wellness; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) (as they apply to culture, benefits, etc.); employee retention; work setup (hybrid, in person, remote, or a mixture); and quiet quitting.
Employers that work ahead and want to minimize quiet quitting must take employee investment and experience seriously. The topics of employee health and wellness and DEI will continue to remain critical for employees in 2023:
- The investment of talent development and support in employees’ growth within the company.
- The question of how the company positions itself with regard to its social responsibility and defines the meaning of work and the convergence of personal impact and collective impact.
- Employers will be challenged to hear employee concerns and feedback regarding their health and wellness and how their employers will address their concerns to improve their work environment.
- Mental wellness will continue to be a major priority for employees, and employers will need to acknowledge their role in providing the proper resources.
What we expect to see in 2023 will be a continued focus on enhancing employee experiences and normalizing hybrid/remote working environments. The “quiet quitting” trend will be ongoing, as well, as employees continue to put their mental health and wellness first. Therefore, companies must address these concerns to keep their employees engaged and motivated.
Laure Rudelle Arnaud is Chief People and Impact Officer at Sendinblue, an all-in-one digital marketing platform for small to midsize businesses. In her role, she oversees the company’s talent management, employer brand, competitive benefits, and social and environmental strategy while reinforcing Sendinblue’s role as a technology company that prioritizes employee development and workplace culture. Arnaud has 15 years of HR, strategy consulting, and public affairs experience and was most recently the Head of People for NFT start-up LaCollection.io and previously was SVP of HR for HQ & Group Executives for Sodexo. Under her watch at Sodexo, Arnaud deployed comprehensive leadership development programs for high-potential and C-level employees and launched global diversity and inclusion initiatives for its employees.