a peek at workforce trends for 2023.

by jennifer blalock, edd

business year behind us that introduced a deluge of new workplace challenges, including “quiet quitting” and “the great resignation,” corporate leaders are cautiously readying their teams and organizations to prepare for another uncertain year ahead.

As they anxiously anticipate more change in an already rapidly evolving world of work, it makes good business sense to prepare for such fluctuations, disruptions and advances through a combination of training, research and forecasting of what’s to come. The Lens is here to dig in and examine the key emerging trends and expected opportunities that 2023 has in store for executives and the organizations they lead.

Make It Work

In the popular TV show Project Runway, a reality competition program where aspiring fashion designers work through challenges to create compelling designs, celebrated fashion guru Tim Gunn utters the infamous line “make it work!” to the contestants. The burgeoning professional artists scurry about, frantic, as they are faced with limited time, supplies, resources and other obstacles that threaten their success.

The coming year in business management will be no different. Managers can expect continued increases in utility and office space costs, supply chain issues and elongated vacancy to hire times. Companies will have to work with what they have and find ways to maximize efficiency, productivity and profitability in new and innovative ways. In short, leaders will be called to “make it work” despite less-than-ideal circumstances, without excuses and in anticipation of more significant external shifts.

Howard Guy, a corporate director with a Fortune 500 company in Evanston, Illinois, has been tapped to rejuvenate struggling teams and locations within his organization. As a new leader, Guy is committed to lead his team on a transformational journey by engaging both internal and external stakeholders to make the best of volatile and changing times.

“Whether we’ll be asked to cut our operational budget or identify departments and services to reimagine, I’m dedicated to approaching it with a growth mindset, a positive outlook and an eye toward the future,” Guys says. “Yes, we may have to make sacrifices, but ultimately, it’s my job as a leader to convince and convey that no matter what we’re faced with, we will make it work and support our mission. We’re going to come out on top and most importantly, provide excellent customer service.”

Guy’s work teams continue to maintain incredible customer service and satisfaction rates, with record growth and limited reductions to services and personnel. “No matter what, we’ll make it work,” he reiterates.

The impact and longterm benefit of training and developing currently employed team members versus recruiting new talent is immense, even more than in prior years, as companies continue to compete for top talent.

Employee Agency And Advocacy

With the power dynamic between employer and employee being redefined, the resulting lesson is for both parties to work with one another, collaboratively. In 2023, employers and leaders will be forced to work together more intentionally, and not just on projects and job duties, but in leadership, visioning and strategic planning. Employee benefits, work hours, remote work and other employee conditions will still be important considerations. But employees want more of a voice. This is their year to leverage that newly found self-advocacy and agency for greater good, including future organizational focus, expansion and innovation. Dante DelPozzo, an up-andcoming young professional who aspires to work for a major sports organization and is weighing several job offers, sums up this perspective.

“I want to know I’m part of the future at my organization,” DelPozzo says. “It really means a lot to be asked my opinion, thoughts and even share my ideas.” Even better, employers can celebrate those contributions, both large and small, with incentives, praise and recognition while integrating open and shared exchanges into the work culture.

How can employers demonstrate an authentic desire and willingness to work alongside, in partnership and collaboratively with employees to meet their needs? Future forward focus groups, inclusive surveys and even digital feedback forms measuring employee satisfaction and interests are all steps in the right direction, but 2023 will allow employees to set the direction of organizational effort and prioritization. Sure, they want to be invited to the table, but they are also eager to identify opportunities, guide conversation and architect their own career pathway.

Get ready for them to start helping to build the table and fully direct their organization and their own professional future. Consider feedback a gift.

Work With Me

This year, employers and employees will be encouraged to elevate the world of work by imploring one another to work with versus against one another. This means a shared sense of empathy and compassion between the company and the individual, embracing the work experience as a shared exchange with an ear, mind and heart that is truly prepared for collaboration as well as supporting each other’s success.

Employers must consider that the employee and their ideas and acumen extend beyond the workplace by encouraging and embracing their additional professional endeavors, including once they’re ready to move on.

Samantha Dean recently left her comfortable position as an executive administrator to launch her own marketing business. Despite the personal and professional risk, she was ready. “My previous positions all prepared me for this, and it’s a testament to the confidence I built over time with experience and education,” she says. “I was grateful to have the support of previous employers and organizations, and I see them as potential partners for the future.”

Deloitte recently identified employees living longer and having more opportunities as one of its top seven trends for the next decade. In 2023, employers would be wise to consider contracting outgoing employees for their organizational and historical knowledge and expertise. Dean credits the open market with opening the door to allow seasoned professionals like herself to transition into their own companies, on their own terms.

“I’d love to build and continue new relationships with prior employers that focus on my new company and professional services,” she says. Doing so affords companies a new avenue to procure proven talent while supporting their former employee’s next professional chapter.

Invest In And Develop Your Current Employees

Coach and author Amy Miller explains how companies can benefit from the resulting intangibles of the employee’s selfconfidence and self-awareness in the workplace. “The answers our employees are looking for are within them,” she says. “As a coach, I see that many people have gotten away from heeding their own intuition, and this has created anxiety, frustration and a lack of fulfillment.”

Miller cautions that without support, employee performance can suffer. “By working with a coach and investing in their development, individuals can identify the barriers to their success,” she says. “Together, they can uncover what drives them and take action, building self-esteem and confidence.”

Ultimately, such discovery creates a clear understanding of individual ownership of work performance. Happy, fulfilled employees are focused employees. “When we’re focused, we achieve more with less effort.”

Upskilling incumbent team members and onboarding new employees with focused support programs and coaching and mentoring will also continue to be wise investments for large and small businesses. The impact and long-term benefit of training and developing currently employed team members versus recruiting new talent is immense, even more than in prior years, as companies continue to compete for top talent. Strengths based training, individual talent assessments and customized coaching are all valuable options for individual upskilling.

Work Clearly

Get ready for employees to request greater transparency and communication from their leadership. What do you as an employer expect from them? How will you measure their performance? And what exactly is leadership focused on?

An open-door policy is being replaced by an open and shared experience of leading the organization to success. “It really means a lot to employee morale when executive leadership communicate regularly and clearly,” explains organizational culture consultant and motivational speaker Vincent Buggs.

Lifting the veil on organizational structure and decision making doesn’t have to be complicated. Open meetings, regular corporate communications and published corporate documents detailing current and future plans and achievements go a long way with establishing an inclusive spirit of transparency. Instead of simply focusing on how employees are performing, consider sharing leadership performance goals, achievements and areas for improvement. This will establish a company wide trust that defies organizational titles and hierarchies, bonding everyone together toward clearly defined outcomes and objectives.

Team Melita, an HR outsourcing agency, identified the importance of employees being inspired and motivated by the organization’s mission for the 2023 work year in their annual