Workplace Trends for 2023

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Workplace Trends for 2023

By Mary Beth Dallman

The workplace is an ever-evolving environment. For years, the experts studied and prepped for baby boomer retirement, but the pandemic accelerated this turnover. As middle generations are moving into leadership roles and the younger generations are entering the workforce, values are shifting.

Flexibility is the key. The challenging news is that certain businesses and roles are not able to hop on the flexibility bandwagon. The good news is that the workforce is constantly evolving. This article may strike some ideas regarding the focus of technology and flexibility as we move into the new year.

Hybrid Working

Studies are being conducted on the mental health and productivity of employees that are given the opportunity of a hybrid work environment, and early studies have shown one remote or flexible day a week contributes to a more engaged employee. McKinsey and Ipsos reported that 58 percent of Americans had the opportunity to work from home at least once a week, while 38 percent were not required to be in the office at all during the pandemic. In the category of jobs for which remote or hybrid work is not an option, some fantastic culture boosters are listed at WNCBusiness.com/Employee-Retention.

Employee Surveillance

Since so many individuals have gone virtual, programs to monitor productivity have become widely popular. This will continue to grow as remote work evolves; however, the purpose of these systems is important to understand. Employee surveillance or monitoring programs should be used to track productivity, but to also serve as a tool to make sure employees are taking much needed breaks. The flexibility of not driving to work and being around their workspace for 24 hours a day should not be misinterpreted that employees are always on the clock. Mental and physical breaks are still important.

Metaverse

Have you noticed that as we’ve evolved with technology and flexibility within the workplace, training has become a challenge? Bringing remote and in-person employees together can be difficult, and some employees may feel they are not able to break away for proper training due to their time commitments. Whether employees are remote or in an office, training, support, and collaboration are important for employees and businesses to progress alongside the economy. We are seeing that organizational development and meetings have moved from a classroom setting and whiteboardstyle to online video-chatting platforms like Zoom. The next step is to integrate that technology to create an extraordinary experience. Meta is currently working on a platform called Horizon, and Nvidia is promoting Omniverse. Imagine putting on a virtual headset, interacting with avatars and watching your training or a sales pitch!

Flexible Hours

A four-day work week is a topic of discussion in many businesses. This is a four-day work week policy that maintains the same workload and salary. There are multiple factors regarding how this can be achieved. Employees are also deciding what non-productive activities can be cut from their workdays. Companies put so much energy into making sure employees have support, praise, and celebrations. What if employers honored what employees wanted to do individually by giving them a day to do just that? What would the cost savings be? What would the efficiency look like? What would a progressive feel do for the culture of the company? As a subject matter expert in the field of people, I see the trouble that the lack of applicants, productivity, and critical thinking are causing within businesses. If we can spice up the workplace with the above trends in 2023, we will more than likely get ahead of the curve with candidates that want to stay, grow, and thrive within the workforce.

Mary Beth Dallman is an Asheville native and national executive/ leadership coach, with an extensive career in Human Resources and Organizational Development. Learn more at ThisLeaderLife.com.