Workplace Trends, Resolutions And Strategies in 2023

As you pop the champagne and sing a chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, no doubt your sights are set on a successful and prosperous 2023. But in order to achieve that success, we’ve got to study some interesting workplace trends and prepare accordingly.

As we usher in 2023, my watchword is balance. This applies to every aspect of your organization, but at the heart of your company are your people. Adopting a people-first culture should be priority No. 1. The challenge is balancing the needs of your staff with the demands of the business. Yes, it’s a struggle, but it’s an important issue to pursue.

The Year(s) In Review

We will likely continue to see a push and pull when it comes to employee retention, satisfaction, performance and development. As people leaders, we have dealt with pivots and the new normal for years now, and it’s time to acclimate. We have had to punt when it comes to where employees want to work, whether that’s in person, hybrid or remote.

We have transformed technology to work in teams with people chiming in from all over the globe. We have fine-tuned this pandemic-era innovation to make it mainstream.

We have weathered the storm of the Great Resignation as more than 47 million Americans left their jobs by the end of 2021 looking for better overall working conditions, including better respect, higher salary and flexibility. We are making it through the quiet quitting phenomenon as more than half of the American workforce wants to do no more than what is minimally expected on the job.

Our takeaway is that the American workforce is changing; employees are looking for something different and they will continue their search until they’ve found it. That’s where leadership steps in.

Put People First

The resolution for the new year should be human-centric. Case in point, a new Gartner survey reports that only one out of four employees expressed confidence about their career at their organization. With all the career jumping we’ve seen since 2020, it’s time to focus on growing our workforce, providing for their needs to improve retention and consistency through development. Part of the challenge these last few years is that the job market has been very strong. But that may change with inflation and a potential recession looming over us.

There is a shifting attitude, and it’s reflected in a recent Gallup poll that says more than half (53%) of the workers surveyed were looking for jobs that have a greater degree of security than they currently have. Here’s where we need to find a better balance. On one hand, staff is worried about job security and growth. On the other, leadership is concerned about losing trained staff and not knowing how to properly fill those vacancies.

And, well, they should be. When 75% of your staff is looking for a new role, and the jobs they seek are not within their current organization, there is a problem. It used to be that career development meant setting your sights on internal promotion. But as the Gartner survey points out, for a myriad of reasons, aiming toward the next career goal has become muddy.

That attitude shift really casts a spotlight on the desire for better work-life integration. This new generation has new ideas. Their career does not define them the way it has for perhaps the Boomers and Millennials. Here again, as leaders, we must find a balance.

Three Workplace Strategies For 2023

1. Give workers a voice.

Let them be heard. I am a huge proponent of communication, but I challenge you to take it to the next level. Really connect. Engage with your staff to glean valuable feedback about what motivates and inspires them. As you get to know employees better, you will gain perspective and learn how to cultivate their development.

2. Commit to providing reviews and feedback.

Performance reviews promote growth. It’s a starting point. The experience should be a positive one. Find out employee goals and how they want to reach them—and how the company can help. Many times, an employee feels dissatisfied because they want more, but they literally don’t know how to get there. They feel like the grass has got to be greener somewhere else, and they depart. Or maybe they see others around them advancing, but they have no clear path.

You’ve got a new hat to wear—that of a coach and mentor. Let valuable employees know they are valued and you want them to stick around. Employees like to feel needed. It’s a huge boost for them to know they have someone looking out for them to achieve their goals.

3. Do it.

Provide development training. Let fellow colleagues train each other. Put it out there. Those who are truly motivated will likely participate and appreciate that you want to invest in them and help them develop new, next-level skills. Based on a 2019 LinkedIn “Workforce Learning Report,” 94% of employees surveyed stated “that they would stay at a company longer if it simply invested in helping them learn.”

In 2023, resolve to find that balance by strengthening your workforce through development. In doing this, you show the team you care and genuinely want them to stick around. That retention is job security to them and an asset to you, as you’ll likely find less resignation and quiet quitting, and instead, you’ll likely experience boosts in productivity, engagement and your bottom line.

Article link – https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2023/01/03/2023-workplace-trends-resolutions-and-strategies/?sh=43b27b124ad9