The past couple of years have tested business leaders and HR professionals like never seen before. We have worked with businesses across all industry sectors and seen throughout 2022 a significant increase in resignations, flexible/remote working requests, hostile or unstable working environments due to behaviour and an increase in employees’ expectations. Read more to find out about the HR trends in 2023
Employee relations issues, well-being policies and benefits, flexible working requests and diversity issues in the workplace are prevalent now more than ever. But what does this mean for businesses and how can they prepare for the business year ahead? In this blog, we are going to be talking about our predicted HR trends for 2023 and how your business can priorities for the year ahead.
The Employee Experience
Due to the onset of the pandemic, employee expectations have shifted. We are currently seeing an employee-led environment throughout businesses industry-wide, but what does this mean for businesses and how can they positively influence an employee’s experience in the workplace?
Encounters such as the interview process, onboarding, building relationships with colleagues, employee development and career progression all add up to the employee’s overall experience at work.
When candidates are looking for new jobs, one of the very first things they consider is how the companies treat their employees and what the culture is like. Often employees appreciate businesses that have a strong purpose, trust their employees, have flexibility and prioritise employee wellbeing. However, this is also true in terms of underpinning staff retention.
Have you reviewed your employee’s experience from their perspective? What do you think you could do differently this year to ensure that your business has an employee-centric approach?
Employee-Manager Relationships
With job dissatisfaction soaring and employee burnout rising, managers need to adapt and change with the current times. Workplaces are ever-changing, and managers need to be agile and prepared to adapt and listen to their colleague’s needs. Frequent 1-2-1 meetings with your employees are a very traditional management technique but did you know it’s been reported that employees find they are too structured, conducting the exact same conversation in each meeting?
To adapt to employee needs, managers need to focus on the following factors:
- Shared accountability and commitment
- Trust your employees, you have hired them for a reason
- Regularly check in on your employees
- Praise and recognise employee’s hard work
If you carry on as you always have, following traditional management techniques, you will begin to struggle in this current climate. The best thing you can do as a manager is to learn and develop alongside your employees to shape your management style.
Perfecting Hybrid Working
The hybrid working model is based on working between the office and remotely from home. As a result of the pandemic, businesses and their employees have seen both the positives and negatives of hybrid/remote working, becoming the new working norm in many organisations. Businesses will be working throughout 2023 to perfect the flexible/hybrid working model, as the management approach required is very different to managing resources that are all office based. Don’t ignore the challenges managers face as a result of hybrid working.
Did you know that over half of the employees with remote capabilities within their role expect to work within hybrid working arrangements? Many business leaders have said they are going to be using hybrid working models in the future of their business. Is this something you have already integrated within your business or is the hybrid working model something you are looking to introduce in 2023?
Employee Visibility
Measuring employee performance and productivity is becoming difficult in the new working environment – hybrid working. More businesses are supporting flexible working, encouraging employees to choose how and when they work ensuring they meet the needs of the business and their job role.
Visibility in the workplace is becoming exceedingly difficult for employees and in many cases leads to a feeling of not being involved and recognised within a business regardless of if they work remotely or in the office. But how can you conquer this to ensure your team feel involved and appreciated at work? Presenting your entire team with equal opportunity for growth and to thrive in their role is an exceptionally good place to start. This trend is going to pave the way for development and inclusivity in the workplace. There is no time like the present to have conversations with your employees to understand the direction they want to go in 2023 and align this to your business goals and objectives.
Employee Progression and Development
This leads nicely to the next trend, progression, and development in the workplace. Progression and development are tailored specifically to the person, the role and their chosen career path.
Employees who feel a lack of progression and support within their role don’t feel fulfilled and go on to look for opportunities elsewhere where they can progress and go further in their careers. Certain individuals thrive from learning, growing and developing, others are set in their career path and are happy with where they are and their roles. It is essential you can differentiate between the two and support your employees in the appropriate way.
Supporting your employees with training and development opportunities is a great retention opportunity, it shows your employees you are invested in them and their career. For more information about upskilling and developing your employees, visit our website to find out about the training courses at Park City Consulting.
Financial Wellbeing
With the cost-of-living crisis soaring, many employees are experiencing financial difficulties, but what can businesses do to support staff in this position to avoid them leaving just for financial reasons? Recent surveys have shown that salaries are the biggest concern for employees nationwide as most people are saying their pay isn’t keeping up with the cost of living. To avoid losing talent, it is predicted that businesses will need to continue to review salaries annually and pay equity and benchmarking will become more critical to business planning through 2023. This is something our HR professionals can help you with, we will sit down with you to devise a strategic plan to ensure that your employees are supported, and your business retains talented staff.
Leadership and Management Training
Leadership and Management training is already the most significant investment across Park City’s client base both existing programmes and planned through 2023. As generational expectations of employees are shifting, it is time for managers to adjust and move with the times, they need to become agile and competent to manage in this volatile environment.
For this reason, it is highly likely that we are going to see a continued increase in businesses investing in high-quality accredited training for their management teams. Did you know that 96% of chartered managers and organisations use CMI qualifications to showcase continual learning and growth? Park City Consulting is an approved CMI training centre, one of only two in East Anglia, we work with businesses across all sectors to upskill and train managers through CMI diplomas.
Our diplomas are designed to equip managers with the necessary skills to implement in their organisations. Level 3 CMI Diplomas are for aspiring or new managers and Level 5 diploma is for middle managers and leaders. For more information, visit our website here.
Talent attraction and recruitment
Trends are suggesting that competition within recruitment for top talent it going to escalate and continue throughout 2023. Businesses have recognised that their current recruitment strategy isn’t attracting the right talent and they need change their approach in order to recruit the right people for their business. As part of our HR services, we work with our clients to devise an effective recruitment strategy to make sure they are up to date with the latest hiring trends. For more information on recruitment support at Park City, visit our website here.
Looking for the right tools to implement the HR trends for 2023 in your business?
We hope this blog post “Top HR Trends and Priorities for 2023” has given you an insightful look into the upcoming trends for 2023. Have you considered outsourcing your human resources to a trusted business partner?
Choosing to work with Park City Consulting you gain in-house knowledge from your HR consultants for a fraction of the price of an internal HR professional. Our extensive portfolio of clients across all industry sectors sets us apart and ensures you are receiving the latest advice and guidance for HR in your organisation. Our 24/7 helpline service enables you to contact our HR professionals whenever and wherever you like, putting your mind at ease knowing you are supported by industry experts. For more information about our HR services, contact Park City today.
We are delighted to let you know our second webinar of the volatile working environment series is launching in March. More information to follow, keep an eye out for your invitation to join the session
Never alone and Stronger together with Park City Consulting.
