Workplace trends to expect in the world of HR this year

As we navigated through the pandemic, many usual work processes were shifted to reflect the new world we’ve entered. This had major impacts on all corners of business, especially HR.

Gartner released its HR Toolkit: Tackling 2023 Future of Work Trends, outlining what changes to HR we can expect to emerge in the coming year.

Taking advantage of ‘quiet hiring’

“Quiet hiring” is when you find talent internally and promote from within, rather than seeking external candidates. It can also refer to the use of contract and gig workers.

With talent shortages persisting, taking advantage of talent mobility will help businesses to stay ahead of the competition.

Not only does this ease the pressure of finding new hires, but it creates loyalty and incentives among current employees, as they’ll see that their hard work is rewarded. If opting for contract or gig workers, it can allow for flexibility without having to source full-time workers.

Hybrid work to extend to more industries

As hybrid work boomed through the pandemic, many frontline workers missed out on the opportunity.

According to Gartner, this trend will ease in 2023 as businesses will recognise the importance of offering flexible work to keep staff happy and attract talent.

HR Toolkit: Tackling 2023 Future of Work Trends said: “Investing in frontline worker flexibility can also improve business performance goals more managers at organisations investing in frontline worker flexibility believe their organisations have met or exceeded quality improvement goals … While desk-based and deskless workers will never have the same experience of flexibility, the best organisations will invest in maximising flexibility where they can for all types of workers.”

Increased pressure on managers

Gartner said that “managers are sandwiched by leader and employee expectations”. According to the report, 60 per cent of hybrid workers said that their manager is their most influential colleague.

This pressure from the business can impact the wellbeing and performance of managers. Gartner said organisations would benefit by relieving some of this stress by providing better training, support, role redesign, and delegation of responsibilities to assist their management teams.

Expanding talent pools

Businesses that are struggling to acquire talent may benefit by expanding their talent pipelines and recruiting non-traditional candidates.

This can be done by relaxing education and experience requirements, identifying skills similarities from other industries, and redesigning roles. Gartner said hiring “outside the box” would help businesses stay ahead.

Wellbeing front and centre after pandemic worries

According to Gartner, this year will see employee wellbeing become a key focus, as 2022 saw stress peak for workers.

Off the back of the pandemic, more staff will expect their wellbeing to be cared for, said Gartner. This can be achieved by providing flexibility, easing workloads, encouraging discussion to root out problems, and providing mental health support networks.

DEI will see resistance

In 2023, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy will see pushback from employees, said Gartner.

HR Toolkit: Tackling 2023 Future of Work Trends said that 42 per cent of employees believe their company’s DEI policy is divisive, and another 42 per cent dislike their organisation’s DEI efforts.

Gartner said that this resistance has burnt out leaders who are trying to implement policy, and the way forward is to provide these leaders with the tools and training to deal with any obstacles early to avoid the issues spiralling.

Use of more advanced tech creating data risks

As technology expands, especially the rise of AI, more data is being collected. This could have negative consequences as there are more avenues for this data to be leaked.

As technology expands faster than leaders can keep up with it, organisations may benefit by providing adequate training on any new systems and being transparent with staff about how their data is used.

Bias in AI leading to more regulation

Gartner believes that this rise in AI recruitment tech will see more regulation from governments in 2023.

According to HR Toolkit: Tackling 2023 Future of Work Trends: “For example, a new law in New York City that comes into effect on January 1, 2023, will limit employers’ use of AI recruiting tools, as well as require them to undergo annual bias audits and publicly disclose their hiring metrics.”

Gartner said the European Union is deploying similar legislation to make sure companies are being transparent about their use of artificial intelligence (AI), and give candidates a choice to opt out of AI-led processes.

Gen Z skills gap

Many Gen Z workers entered the workforce amid the height of the pandemic. Gartner said that this has resulted in many younger workers lacking the social skills needed to excel in their roles.

Organisations may benefit by putting more energy into creating a social workplace. This could be achieved through more face-to-face meetings, workplace social events, and regular video meetings when working from home.

To read Gartner’s full HR Toolkit: Tackling 2023 Future of Work Trends, click here.