From health to hybrid: workplace trends in the year ahead
From Brexit and the pandemic to the Great Resignation and forecast economic recession: the last few years have been anything but settled for business.
So what does the rest of 2023 have in store for us?
We’ve taken a look at five of the top workplace trends, predictions and resolutions featured in leading training and management publications:
Uncertain times need diverse workplaces to survive and thrive, yet all too often diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives are casualties of financial pressures.
Ali Hanan, founder and CEO, Creative Equals, told Management Today that “the most successful organisations are not just working to retain diverse employees at junior levels, they are focusing on moving them through the leadership pipeline, too.”
The isolating impact of the pandemic challenged our mental health in ways that few of us had experienced before. It’s one of the reasons why OTD experienced such a demand for our groundbreaking Resilience and Deliberate Resilience programmes.
Anthony Cabrelli, Managing Director of Bupa Global, told the HR Director that “at a time like this, knowing there is help available can take a huge weight off current employees, and serve as an attractive proposition for talent looking for a new role.”
The pandemic didn’t just change the way we work, it also shook up the way we learn too. We’ve seen a soaring demand for virtual and online learning as employers have come to realise that some in-person learning can be done just as well, if not better, online.
It all points towards a move towards a hybrid solution. By combining the best of in-person and digital interactions, we can deliver effective workplace learning and create a culture where everyone takes responsibility for their own learning and development.
Technology is changing the way we work but the ability to build rapport and connection with others, cannot simply be automated.
What will employers be looking for in the future? Think communication and collaboration skills, attention to detail, customer service and leadership.
John Rogers, Vice President of Strategic Accounts and Partnerships at Pearson, told Forbes that “human skills … will be critical to one’s future employability, and underpinning all of this, is one’s commitment to continuous learning.”
The demands placed on traditional office space are changing and that’s leading employers to reimagine not just their working patterns, but their places of work too.
Converting cellular office space into vibrant activity-based workspaces creates more opportunities to hold community events and encourages greater collaboration between individuals and teams. It may also give employees a bigger incentive to travel to the office, too.
Agree or disagree?
Not everyone agrees with our top five. Allan McIntosh said on LinkedIn: “Interesting that teamwork and team performance development doesn’t appear explicitly as one of the trends, given that more organisations are tending to have teamwork as one of their key ‘values’ or at least contained within their competency frameworks.”
Tell us what you think in the comments box below …