Predictions of Three Challenges in 2023 and How Analytics Can Help

By?Serena H. Huang, Ph.D.

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As 2022 comes to an end, I have started to think about the challenges organizations will face in 2023 and how analytics can help address these issues. I'd love to hear from you on other challenges you'll be working on and ways we can collaborate.

Remote and Hybrid Work will Become (even more) Complicated

After nearly three years since the beginning of the pandemic, you’d think we would have figured out how to work and manage in a remote world. The headlines of employees pushing back on return-to-office mandates tell us otherwise. The constantly changing world means companies have had to quickly adapt and next year will be no different. The macro factors such as inflation, war, supply chain challenges, and stock market volatility are all putting pressure on employees and employers to rethink their 2023 planning. While organizations figure out how many days a month or year to get everyone together, the broader question of why employees need to go into the office remains unanswered by data. At this point, we understand employees not only desire flexibility but they want autonomy in how they work. The sense of disconnect and lower engagement in the workplace have caused some senior leaders to ask employees to return to the office, only to see low compliance rates. One reason employees may find it worthwhile to return to the office is to receive mentoring, coaching, or training that are otherwise more difficult virtually.

Could organizations consider a day a month for these activities so the commute or travel into the office would be a valuable use of everyone’s time? In times of economic uncertainty, presenteeism can be dangerous in unwinding the progress we have seen on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As women and people of color are more likely to bear caretaking responsibilities, they may choose to work from home more than their male or white counterparts. One recommendation from my experience leading people analytics for the past several years is to check on the retention, promotion, and merit decisions by the remote work status to ensure equity. Of course, this requires companies to track such data in their system in the first place so it would be possible to differentiate. Even then, everyone who is designated hybrid may spend different amount of time in the office. While badge swipe data can help paint a clearer picture, such analysis will need to clear with privacy and legal counsel beforehand. ?

Gen Z and Millennials will Continue to Push Employers to Address Their Needs

There is no shortage of headlines covering what Gen Z and Millennials want from work (Fortune, NYTimes). Growth and development opportunities, inclusion and belonging, flexibility and autonomy are some of the emerging themes. Organizations can no longer afford to ignore what Gen Z and Millennials need in this labor market. How can analytics help? I’ve written and spoken extensively about the role of skills in workforce strategy and internal mobility, you can check out this recent article on the topic for a detailed discussion (“Create a Data-Informed Workforce Strategy in the midst of Uncertainty”). Another important aspect is to keep a regular pulse on the workforce. In addition to regularly listen to employees using surveys and identifying opportunity areas continuously, there are other ways of listening to employees’ needs and understanding their wellbeing in more real-time. Dr. Yustina Saleh and I talked about this on the first episode of Data with Serena LIVE show yesterday, you can catch the replay of our 30-minute conversation here. ???

Mental Health at Work Will Heat Up Debate and the Tech Market

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity across the globe. Poor working environments – including discrimination and inequality, excessive workloads, low job control and job insecurity – pose a risk to mental health (WHO study). As many corporations expanded support for employees on their mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there is still a stigma in the workplace, negatively impacting employees’ willingness to seek help. Related to this, I recently spoke about the sense of disconnect in the workplace that deserves more attention. In the HBR article titled, “Gen Z Employees Are Feeling Disconnected. Here’s How Employers Can Help”, Adam Smiley Poswolsky suggests leaders put mental health front and center. He highlights that 66% of Gen Z want a company culture built on mental health and wellness. The mental health tech market has responded to the increased demand with increased products and services. There has been tremendous growth in this space, including meditation apps such as Headspace and Calm, and teletherapy such as TalkSpace and BetterHelp. ??

A few different dimensions of employee mental health are very relevant for data analytics. One is the measurement of employee mental health. Second is the effectiveness of mental health programs and apps offered by the employer. I’ll be speaking at the 2023 Wellbeing at Work Summit on this topic next March, so please stay tuned! ?

A question I have been pondering and would welcome a discussion on the topic is who is ultimately accountable for employees’ mental health in a corporate setting. It appears that some organizations have started to appoint new C-level roles such as Chief Wellbeing Officer, yet many organizations are still solely focusing on rolling out benefits programs and stopping there. I’ve also seen organizations take a different approach and have mental health advocates across the company or train managers to be well-versed in mental health. We have entered a critical time for previously tabooed topic around mental health to become more normalized, and I wonder when we’d have analysis to show what organizational structure best supports employee mental health in the long run. ?

Are you working on any of these challenges in 2023? Share with us in the comments!

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What’s in store for me in 2023? Several exciting new adventures!

• A new LinkedIn Learning course!!!
• Taking #DataWithSerena to two more continents ?
• Tech Startup advisory (to be announced)
• Academic institution partnerships (to be announced)
• January 2023 public events where I’ll be speaking:

?? Thursday, Jan 5th Courage to Create (LinkedIn Audio Event);

?? Saturday, Jan 14th Exec Women in Data (NYC);

?? Wed. Jan 18th - Thur. 19th Data & Analytics Live 2023?(Virtual)

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ICYMI Updates over the past month:

???I’ve put on 3 Video Events (Yes, I know. It’s a lot): You can watch the replay here (People analytics AMA, Reflection & Intention with Serena & Klay, Courageous conversation in Data Analytics)

?? My DataWithSerena U.S. tour has been a success – a full recap to come later along with announcements for 2023 schedule.

???I started sharing my own reflection journey and invited my community to join – Check out the thought-provoking questions and my response in the comments! ?

???My LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program learnings are here and “Be Well with Serena" on?YouTube?is born! Subscribe today for weekly meditations, workout, and mindful eating tips (https://www.youtube.com/@BeWellwithSerena/).

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?? Featured HR Tech This Month! ??

I am thrilled to feature 3 analytics-driven HR tech startups after seeing their demos. Check out a summary of what they do and their websites here: Workera, ABE.work, and FormScore!

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Dr. Serena Huang is a thought leader and professional keynote speaker in people analytics, HR technology, future of work, ethical AI, employee experience, and mental health. She brings deep analytics expertise and HR strategy experience spanning large multinationals including PayPal, GE, Kraft Heinz, Koch Industries, and Deloitte. Dr. Huang regularly guest lectures at top MBA programs including Kellogg, Wharton, and Haas. She is a LinkedIn Learning instructor of the newly released course “The Data Science of People Analytics” and a LinkedIn influencer from the highly-selective LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program focused on Innovation and Technology. Her monthly newsletter “From Data to Action” already has thousands of subscribers and delivered directly to the inbox of CHROs, CIOs, and CDAOs. Featured in Profile Magazine as one of the Board Ready Leaders and Women in Tech Code Breakers, Dr. Huang is passionate about helping organizations create value with data analytics. DM her on LinkedIn to book her for speaking engagements in Q2-Q4 2023. Get to know her by checking out her recent interviews on?Profile Magazine,?Tech Talks,?People Matters,?Women in AI podcast,?Data Chief podcast,?HR Leaders podcast?and more.

VIEWS ARE THE AUTHOR'S OWN.