Workplace trends for 2023

Workplace trends for 2023

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1. Gen Z to challenge business thinking

Gen-Z (those born between 1997 and early 2010) may be the newest kid on the block but it’s also the largest, accounting for a fifth of the  workforce. And this group of millennials brings an entirely new dimension to the table with it.  Nurtured in a fast moving, always on, digital-centric world, Gen Zs are pragmatic when it comes to the workplace and 

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1. Gen Z to challenge business thinking

hold high expectations around wellbeing, social responsibility and the adoption of digital work and collaboration tools. Which means essential catch-up time for business.  Whilst the demands may be high and the motivations need unpicking, investment in Gen Z is absolutely key to maintaining a thriving, forward thinking, tech savvy workplace that keeps us ahead of the game.

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2. Hybrid working comes to the fore

Severely disrupting the business world, the pandemic forced companies to rapidly adopt new practices and accelerated the move towards remote working.   Aided by substantial technological advancements, employers and employees found they were able to effectively achieve and monitor KPIs and deliver against 

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2. Hybrid working comes to the fore

their business goals, remotely. Employees also discovered the numerous benefits, including freedom and flexibility, that remote working brings.  So, as the threat of Covid subsides, the demand for remote and hybrid working remains. What’s more, the trend brings plentiful rewards to businesses as this new norm attracts talent, increases 

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2. Hybrid working comes to the fore

diversity and, naturally, improves employee wellbeing – making for a healthier and happier workforce and, in turn, a low turnover, highly motivated and profitable business.

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3. Flexible working gathers apace

Flexible working, in all its guises, has long been recognised as a motivational driver for employees. Yet employers have historically been slow to propel the movement for flexible working forward.  Adoption barriers have arisen due to the ambiguous nature of the term and the courage to trust in employees to identify 

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3. Flexible working gathers apace

and harness their own productivity patterns. This slump was identified as a key issue pre-Covid, resulting in the CIPD setting up a Flexible Working Taskforce with the government and other stakeholders to boost understanding and adoption of flexible working policies. The epidemic, however, forced this issue upon employers

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3. Flexible working gathers apace

and thankfully the is experiencing a sea change in the way that employees are expected to work.  In a candidate driven market and with 55% of employees stating that the option to work flexibly will impact on their decision to stay with their current employer (Gartner), it seems that flexible working is at last here to stay. The good 

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3. Flexible working gathers apace

news for business is that flexible working policies result in higher job satisfaction, commitment and more effort, ultimately meaning improved productivity (Sage).

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4. Call for centralised communications

A once relished advancement, the onslaught of innovative business communications tools, whether that be instant messaging, chat apps, video conferencing software or social media, has created an ‘always on’ culture that demands instant response and is devoid of space for thinking or critical downtime. Moreover, our workforces are suffering from severe information overload 

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4. Call for centralised communications

and a multitude of open tabs– a recipe that is ripe for driving stress, anxiety and burnout. This new epidemic has prompted the need for streamlined and centralised communication tools, ensuring relevant and timely conversations around business goals.

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5. The race to embrace work life balance

Whether it’s having the autonomy to choose your working hours, hybrid working policies or access to wellness resources, work life balance has become a top priority for employees and employers alike in today’s candidate driven market. With 50% of workers reporting work as disruptive to personal life and increasing reports of 

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5. The race to embrace work life balance

burnout, calls to redefine work life balance are on the rise (Glassdoor 2021). As unemployment rates hit a low and salary incentives no longer cut the mustard, the onus is now firmly on business to adapt policy and practice to attract and retain top talent.

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6. Shining a light on gender equality

Sadly, the battle to achieve gender equality is far from over. Hence, it remains a key priority for  business.  Whilst recent years have seen a plethora of diversity campaigns and gender recruitment and retention initiatives, the data still isn’t stacking up and the gender gap is still too wide. That said, affecting cultural change takes time, and as 

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6. Shining a light on gender equality

businesses and wider society adapt and fine tune practices, we should expect to see the uptake of women into leadership roles grow.  We know that a gender diverse workforce reaps plentiful returns. Companies with female board directors report a 0.7% increase in turnover compared to those without whilst gender diverse companies also cite 

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6. Shining a light on gender equality

improved communications, innovation and boosted morale (Nominet). The figures speak for themselves – gender diversity is great for people, team effectiveness, morale, business and, of course, the economy.

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7. The search for social purpose

Today’s businesses find themselves operating in a fiercely competitive environment in which both career hopping and personal expectations are high.  With lifers few and far between the onus is on employers to understand and exceed employee expectations if they wish to attract and retain talent. Whilst wellbeing and 

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7. The search for social purpose

upskilling both top the priorities list, employees also seek to work for firms that care about their community and wider social issues. And this is where corporate social responsibility (or social purpose) comes into play.  Historically adopted by some of the bigger players, supporting community and ‘giving back’ has now entered the domain 

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7. The search for social purpose

of the SMEs. Whether that be offering volunteer hours to employees, partnering with community projects or upskilling beneficiaries, those companies that really grasp what sits at the heart of CSR – incorporating it into their mission and pursuing thoughtful relationships that mirror their values and business activities – will be the real game changers that are set to thrive.

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8. Proliferation of the gig economy

The gig economy is on the up. Now supported by a plethora of online talent markets, the real joy of gig is in the fact that it allows the worker freedom – to set their own schedule, to choose where to work from and to decide who to work for.  It is pretty much the golden chalice of every workforce. And, what’s more, gig is no longer the domain of creatives. 

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8. Proliferation of the gig economy

Thanks to technological advancements, gig works across a broad brush of sectors, providing flexible opportunities for workers in those industries that were traditionally office centric.   The good news for the business world is that this growing trend is a win for conglomerates and SMES alike. Providing expertise on tap, 

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8. Proliferation of the gig economy

without the overheads of a typical employee, it enables businesses of every size to be flexible, adaptable and, above all, cost efficient. All motives and drivers considered, the gig economy is here to stay.

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9. Upskilling takes centre stage

With employment at an all-time high and companies clambering to fill positions, employees have the unusual advantage of being incredibly mobile and demanding in their search for the perfect role. With these demands comes the need for businesses to redefine their recruitment and retention strategies to include very clear pathways for employees to 

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9. Upskilling takes centre stage

upskill. As employers are beginning to discover, progression paths and skills development are a crucial driver in employee decisions to accept, stay or move on from a role.  Aside from this deciding factor, companies that choose to invest are assured of broader business achievements including the promise of high-

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9. Upskilling takes centre stage

performing teams. And as Covid restrictions have proven, upskilling needn’t be laborious, time intensive or flexible to deliver. As a multitude of businesses took their functions online, with it has come the discovery that training can, in many cases, be delivered swiftly, remotely and flexibly.

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10. Continued growth in AI

The evolution of AI has enabled workers to move away from the more mundane tasks to focus on those that require thought and human interaction, and that deliver greater productivity.  Despite an initial reluctance to embrace AI, employees are becoming more accepting and find themselves working harmoniously alongside robots in the workplace.

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10. Continued growth in AI

Whilst there is still some concern around the impact of AI on the labour market, it is becoming ever clearer that bots deliver greater benefits than drawbacks both for employees and employers. Improvements in operational efficiency, reductions in costs and its ability to bridge the skills gap means that AI is on the up and here to stay.

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