Key Trends in 2023 for Employers from Industry Leaders

Late last month, myself and a few members of the team attended the Lattice Resources for Humans Virtual Conference, and Indeed FutureWorks and wow! We had the opportunity to hear from industry professionals on a variety of topics like learning and development, mitigating employee burnout, creating a culture of excellence and more.?

Also super cool to hear from Simon Sinek - whose work I’ve admired for years and whose Golden Circle model we apply in our Career Kickstarter? workshops to help people reflect on their individual whys related to career - and Viola Davis!!! To hear her journey of coming to herself and raw power is so dang inspiring. Really great to have this kind of content and speakers in HR conferences - it reminds us we’re all human and work is only one part of our identity and life, not all of those things. And yet they are becoming more intertwined as I’ll share below.?

Thinking about both events and the 10s of speakers plus hundreds of actively engaged HR professionals contributing in the chat, there were a few things that stood out. Here are my Top 10 key takeaways (and resources) for organizations to consider:

1. Culture of Excellence: Fostering a culture of excellence has never been more important; it’s part of an organization’s value proposition to potential and current employees. It requires emphasizing why the work is important and creating an environment where employees are enthusiastic about coming to work- everyday.?It’s paying attention to the small moments, not just the milestones.?It also means creating space (time and desire) for employees to invest in their #learninganddevelopment.?In a work world with many priorities, how do you help employees prioritize their growth??Listen to what your people are asking for (and what you’re observing they could benefit from) and find creative ways to integrate L&D into their daily routines.?Some killer ideas from panelists such as Jack Altman , Jared Erondu , Cara Brennan Allamano , Stan Massueras , and Eric Schuchman are available for you to check out here.
2. Dispelling the myth of high-performance organizations: High-performance organizations are only possible with and because of high - people based teams. When collaboration, synergy, trust and psychological safety among other things exist, then high-performance teams and organizations can too. A great company looks like one where most employees feel like they can ask for help and can own their mistakes, consistently striving to be better.?(Thanks for really driving this home Simon Sinek !)
3. Pace of Change is Both Frightening and an Opportunity: From Indeed ’s research, skills that post-secondary students are learning now may be obsolete by the time they graduate. Think about that. No wonder it’s difficult for schools and organizations to keep up with the fast-paced?world of AI. While the future is still unfolding it seems clear that while some jobs will go away, others will not.?However, ALL jobs will be impacted by AI in some way.?Organizations that embrace this chaos and use this time to redefine their work culture will succeed in the long-run.
4. Humans Still Matter: Despite advancements in AI we were reminded that it’s only as good as it’s creator. An important thing to not lose sight of as you adopt AI tools in your organization. While 90% of HR professionals are already using AI to help lighten their admin loads and support their people's practices, there was also a resounding sentiment that with this, it is even more critical to keep the “human” in HR. This profession is full of people who care - that’s why you get into it to begin with. Comments from attendees and speakers alike echoed the need to not lose that care and compassion in these times of big change.??
5. The Great Resignation is Over: It’s no secret that employees and employers alike are monitoring the economy closely which is likely a cause of this trend. Quit rates have now returned to pre-pandemic levels — although important to note pre-pandemic rates were already elevated.??

1. Employer Branding hits the Mainstage: 90,000 hours of an employee’s life is spent at work (hence our mission here at EnPoint of making sure that work is fulfilling).?It is not just up to the employee any longer to make them count for something. Employers who understand this will be the most successful in recruiting and retaining top talent. The time to think of branding as a primarily external exercise is over.?Your most important brand ambassadors are your people.

1. Let’s finally ban “soft skills”: There is no doubt that “human skills”, such as communication, adaptability, and resiliency are crucial in today’s world of work. There was a resounding call to stop belittling these skills as “soft skills” because there’s nothing “soft” or easy about them.?Better yet, going beyond vocabulary and building your metrics, rewards, and incentives to demonstrate that proficiency in these skills is important to your organization.?

"Fifty-four percent of U.S. employees said that they would be willing to take a pay cut to work at a company that actually shares their values. Job seekers are really trying to decide if your company is the right fit for their needs." - Bru M. , Indeed Director of Product Marketing

1. Mitigating Employee Burnout: It’s not just the responsibility of those in HR to ensure that employees are resting and taking care of their well-being, it’s the responsibility of ALL in the organization. Many organizations have and need to continue to place focus on allowing for flexible work schedules, social opportunities to foster human connection, and prioritizing time for recovery and breaks. This will only foster an authentic work environment and drive home that mental health is health. (There’s a lot more to unpack in this one given employee burnout seems to be a prevalent issue for many organizations in North America.)
2. Invest in Your Team: Showing up for those you work with and recognizing the good things they do in their roles is imperative to the overall success of the organization. It’s important to note this doesn’t fall just on managers or leaders; it’s something anyone in an organization, including peers, can do for other employees. Winning organizations are those that foster a feeling of ‘togetherness’ and make time for things like opportunities and celebrations of growth and employee development - consistently.?(Of course we are biased so love seeing #mentorship show up as one of many ways this can be accomplished.)

1. Create Career Champions: Given all of the above, there is no small amount of work to be started and integrated into organizational practices and philosophies. This means it’s not all on HR (nor was it ever).?Building company culture requires buy-in, participation, and a willingness to be vulnerable and learn across all organizations.?It requires that managers are supported in not just managing their people, but in leading.?It also requires that employees feel a sense of belonging and agency in their careers within the organization (or even industry). Organizations understand where you are today, where you want to be, and create a path and champions to help close that gap.

As the business landscape evolves, HR teams have the opportunity to be at the forefront of change, harnessing chaos to redefine work cultures and attract top talent. The future is bright for organizations that prioritize their people, embrace their mission, and make a positive impact on both their employees and the world. It is a call to action for organizational leaders, including HR leaders to lead by example and set the standard for excellence in their organizations, ultimately contributing to the success and resilience of their teams and the broader mission of their companies.?Our industries and communities will be better for it too.?

If you want to dive deeper into the themes above, here’s some additional reading!?

• Research by Accenture, Harvard, and Grads of Life shows why companies should consider the move toward skills based hiring - here.
• BBC posted an article detailing more info about the end of the great resignation here.
• Harvard Business Review speaks to the shift of the responsibility of mitigating employee burnout - less focused on the individual and more towards the organization to ensure the wellbeing of their employees.?
• Although A.I is changing industry landscapes, HR in particular, here’s an intuitive article detailing how HR professionals can leverage A.I. without losing human touch.
• Indeed released an article detailing how A.I. can be forecasted to impact the job market.
• Here are two articles relating to my 6th takeaway about employer branding and investing in your people: What To Do When Feeling Isolated & How to Help Employees Overcome Isolation at Work.
• Here's a few articles from the Indeed FutureWorks Conference: Indeed Future Works 2023 Top 5 Trends Recap & their 5 Mic Drop Moments.?
• How A.I is Revolutionizing the Way We Hire & the future of hiring spoken about in The New Era of Work For Everyone.
• You can also access the Lattice Resources for Humans conference sessions on demand here!

If you also attended these conferences, I’d love to know if there was something that stood out for you that we didn’t capture here! Learning together is what I’ve always appreciated from the HR industry.?

#mentorshipmatters #mentorshipchangeslives #formalmentorship #informalmentorship #careerdevelopment #futureofwork #futureworkplaces #talentanddevelopment #employeeexperience