We're in it now!

We’re in it now!?

In every sense of ‘it’, but I’m mostly referring to the new year.?

The calendar may have changed, but 2023 seems to be lacking that ‘jump in feet first, grab the bull by the horns’ new year energy. There’s anxiety, stress, exhaustion - all driven by uncertainty and continued challenges from 2022. It’s impacting everything from output to team dynamics and it’s something we want to talk about. We’ll be diving into what this means at work in an upcoming newsletter (if you’ve noticed the same or have thoughts, let us know!).

But for today, we’re looking ahead! Our team has been reflecting on the many powerful conversations we had last year - both with leaders and peers like you, and in our Kunik Conversations with employers. What’s clear is that we will continue to see rapid, meaningful changes in how we work this year. It’s not slowing down yet.?

As we look towards an evolving and shifting future, these are top trends we’re watching

Here’s what’s coming: Kunik’s top 10 trends to watch in 2023:?

1. Cohorts take center stage: Communities of experience & practice
2. DEI & L&D Blur: ERG Leadership Training?
3. Digital & real world converge: AI, Data, VR, Offsites, Workflows
4. Execs go social…media?
5. The employee listening tour: Next stop, action?
6. High Trust > High Tech
7. Multigenerational workplace: Retirees as mentors & tattoo removal?
8. Battle of the (personal) brands
9. Bold organizational resets become the norm?
10. The big squeeze: managers get a closer look & deeper refresh?

Below are the details on why we think these trends will accelerate and how we expect to see them play out in the workplace. Of course, we don’t have a Magic 8 Ball (yet!), so we know there are other trends out there too. We’re curious to hear from each of you: what resonates here? What else is on your radar??

Happy 2023, dear readers! We’re thrilled to be back and looking forward to an exciting year ahead.?

10 Trends to Watch in 2023: The Deets?

1. Cohorts take center stage…

• Communities of Practice: Manager Cohorts: Often exclusively for Execs or High-Po’s, companies will increasingly create cohorts for managers at all levels. Cohorts drive connection across the org, unlock the power of peer learning, and unify the employee experience (3 challenges many are struggling with). Use Cohorts to reinforce your LMS or skills specific to your needs?
• Communities of Experience: Cohorts for All: To further combat isolation and develop culture, employers will increasingly build “untraditional” cohorts: New Parents, Onboarding, ERG Leadership - any group works here! Expect organizations to spearhead their construction vs prior laissez-faire grassroots efforts - back it up with content and logistical support and you’ll build a retention hook

2. DEI & L&D Blur: ERG Leadership Training?

As companies emphasize ERGs, ERG Leaders will (finally) get support in the form of training. At Kunik, we purpose built an ERG Leader Academy. We develop Leads operational & people management skills - creating a fourfold impact:?

• Better run ERGs?
• Deeper impact on the business?
• Investment in your talent pipeline?
• Recognition to volunteer ERG Leaders?

*Curious to learn more about Kunik’s approach to Cohorts & ERG Leadership? Check it out here*

3. Digital & real world converge further: AI, Data, VR, Offsites, Workflows

It’s no secret that AI, VR, and data is changing how we work. Big tech and VCs are continuing to invest massively (Meta alone has poured >$36B into the metaverse!). How we experience work & communication will continue to evolve at a rapid rate. We see a few areas ripe for growth & innovation

• Data overload: New tech will come to provide more meta analysis & interpretation combatting disparate sourcing and general feelings of being overwhelmed
• Onsites/Offsites: out with the company-wide palooza, in with micro-gatherings: 2-3 days, focused on specific groups, departments or teams. Gather with purpose, build culture & connection?
• AI & VR: Tech is coming for our meetings, our workflows, and the office at large. Solving the hybrid meeting, accessible AR, ChatGPT (for everything?) and lots of innovation to come here

4. Execs go social….media?

The CEO just tweeted me?! More leaders will use social media to engage directly with employees, customers & clients, usurping traditional media and PR approaches. While authentic, we expect many more controversies to arise from this more casual (and less edited) interaction?

5. The employee listening tour: Next stop, action?

We also could have called this: why you need to be thinking about EX. With the growth in employee engagement surveys, the question is now ‘what do we do with that feedback’? Answer: Employee Experience. Companies will revamp and overhaul everything from hiring & onboarding to career development & exits. Those ahead of the curve will increasingly link employee & customer experience to drive success?

6. High Trust > High Tech

Smaller budgets & teams means everyone is doing more with less. This places a larger emphasis on high trust and performance relationships. Companies will increasingly only partner with vendors who can act as an extension of the team, reliable thought partner and bandwidth enhancer

7. Multigenerational workplaces: Retirees as mentors & tattoo removal benefits

Your newsfeeds have been filled with ‘GenZ’, but with the most generationally diverse workplace to date, here are other top trends we’re watching:

• Retire & expire no more. Increasingly the 60+ crowd is looking for ways to slowly off-ramp. Companies will develop new programs that leverage their experience to help train emerging leaders and sustain institutional knowledge?
• Benefits unexpected. As millennials demanded pet insurance and Kombucha, Gen Z will expect a new suite of fringe benefits. Our fun guess? Tattoo removal! ~40% of Gen Z have tattoos, we’re betting a good percentage will regret them
• GenZ & Millennials butt-heads. Millennials are GenZ’s managers and few are prepared to lead them. We expect to see more clashes and rifts in expectations. Manager Cohorts will be a big part of the solution here

8. Battle of the (personal) brands

With “gig-ification” of work, companies will increasingly have to navigate how employees build their personal brands and offer services they may view as being competitive to the core work they’ve been hired for. The recent FTC focus on non-competes may further muddy the waters for HR. On the flip side, some companies are actively encouraging the employee brand to help drive traffic, awareness and grow their customer base. ?The best and most effective communications & content are not necessarily from "corporate" but from the experts inside the business - your people

9. Bold organizational resets become the norm?

With economic headwinds, Twitter becomes a beacon on the hill. Whether one agrees with Musk or not, he is building in public and making Twitter's new culture very clear. We expect to see more executive teams attempt broad organizational resets & shake-ups, cherry picking off of areas where Elon succeeds

10. The big squeeze: managers get a closer look & deeper refresh?

Managers will continue to be squeezed between leader & employee expectations. Organizations will address the widening managerial skills gap & clarify manager priorities - completely redesigning the role of “manager” in many cases. It’s also an area that’s been heavily impacted in both lay-offs & the great resignation - the read: managers are unhappy, employers are uncertain how to solve the ‘manager role now’ question. We expect this role to change more than any other in the coming year?

What we’re reading:

• HR’s new operating model
• Elon Musk, Management Guru?
• The open questions of hybrid working
• Rethink your employee value proposition?
• When having it all means it’s all falling apart?
• The four horseman of the mandated return to the office?
• Does DEI training work? We don’t know. And here’s why
• Looking back - and ahead - to set your team up for success?
• What’s holding back manager effectiveness, and how to fix it?
• Where managers and employees disagree about remote work?
• The debate swirling inside HR Departments: how to lay off workers