What's coming in 2022

Workplace change is happening rapidly, and it’s only going to speed up. Digital adoption curves, shifts to hybrid/remote, how we work - it’s all accelerating.?

Below is our redux of what happened in 2021 and our top 10 predictions for what’s coming in the world of workplace culture in 2022. These predictions are based on our (many) conversations with experts, employees, teams, senior leaders, ERG leaders, and all of you. Take a look and let us know what you’d add - we welcome your insights!

2021: in a few words

1. Power to the people: After more than a decade of wage stagnation and employers holding the cards, the tables have finally turned - wages are rising, the ‘Great Resignation ’ is real, and competition for talent is fierce . Expect employees to continue to hold the power in ‘22.
2. All about the flex: The genie is out of the bottle: flexibility is table stakes for knowledge workers. A full return to the office seems unlikely (and would be met with significant resistance ). But what “flex” means will be different everywhere.?
3. Cards on the table: Following intense social unrest, people demanded to know where organizations stood. Leaders confronted and defined their stance. Clear lines in the sand emerged. Companies like Coinbase focused inwards, unifying around their business mission. Others like Ben & Jerry’s took clear advocacy stances - conveying their values on global issues. Your orientation to these issues must be crystal clear.
4. Burn, baby, burn: Blurred lines between life and work made burnout the number one challenge uniting Executives, HR, Benefits, Wellness, and DEI strategies. New policies like no meeting hours/days became commonplace. B2B vendors stepped up - EAPs pivoted, Ginger & Headspace merged, Talkspace went public, Lyra Health, Spring Health, & Modern Health became unicorns. How companies combat burnout and support mental health will continue to be a strategic imperative.
5. Show don’t tell: Faced with unprecedented change, employees wanted to know their employers cared about them as individuals. It’s a paradigm shift that many employers have been slow to adapt to (see #1 above). Companies that view employees as people, adapt and lead with culture will win the war for talent and leave competitors behind.?

2022: What’s on deck:

Given the magnitude of change in 2021, what’s next? For knowledge workers and their employers, what big changes are coming down the road??

1. ERG 3.0: ERGs will rise in prominence, and organizations without them will launch them with fervor . They will more directly influence DEI initiatives (expect ERG collaboration, moving beyond the 1 identity model), hiring strategies, and business decisions. Companies will increasingly compensate leads, expand budgets, push executive engagement, and dedicate infrastructure to support them. The next wave of leaders will credit their ERG leadership experience.?
2. DEI 3.0: DEI will move away from educational training (which has lacked impact ) and focus on connecting people through their everyday lived experiences. DEI 3.0 will focus on full identities, moving away from “checkboxes” (see ERG). Budgets will expand and be focused internally, used to upskill internal capabilities, laying the foundation for achieving longer term goals.
3. Mental wellness moves beyond apps: Remote work is amplifying isolation and loneliness while we’re simultaneously facing a mental health crisis. Traditional mental health offerings focused on the individual, but did little to combat feelings of isolation. We expect to see a new wave of benefits focused on bringing people together through shared experiences & challenges to combat isolation and stress while driving belonging.
4. “Intentional” becomes the new HR buzzword: Intentionality’s prominence will be driven by the need to bring meaning to occasions where teams, departments and entire companies come together synchronously. “Intentional” will usurp terms like “authentic self”, “business transformation”, “flexibility” and “future of work”. Being “intentional” about how, when, and if you come together will be in your lexicon. The highest performing teams will be the most “intentional”.
5. Organizational trust - the biggest organizational friction point: Remote work is based on trust. Teams must trust that their manager will help them get unstuck and propel them forward. Individuals must trust their colleagues will complement, execute and enhance their efforts - asynchronously. When done well, this builds leverage that allows teams to perform at their best. Companies will invest heavily into tools, systems, and behaviors that emphasize trust.
6. Wearables & systems data go mainstream: Companies will increasingly leverage technology to create and monitor alternative datasets that measure productivity, optimize employee efficiency, and identify trends. Will we monitor heart rates and sleep? Expect Slack, Teams, G-Suite, and collaboration tools to increasingly produce analytics that evaluate performance and predict emerging issues. How do you slice the data and what do you do with it once you have it? We suspect these new tools and analysis will build entirely new roles (and titles) within organizations.
7. The “future of work” morphs into the “future of living”: This reframing will become a critical factor in organizational planning and talent success. How do workplaces position themselves as enablers of people who want to lead great lives? Data from Airbnb shows how remote work is untethering people from working in specific locations at specific times.? Your people are working from anywhere. How do you support them everywhere? Hint: you may want to consider hiring a ‘Head of Remote’ .
8. Managers are ‘Make or Break’ in the future of work:? Managers are critical to making hybrid work a success, but leading a hybrid/remote team foreign to most. Training will focus on helping managers evolve from directing work to unblocking work. Expect more personalization, new learning methods, and a lot of iteration. Employers who fast track managerial training to meet the demands of a hybrid world will excel - everyone else will be left behind.?
9. Talent Mobility becomes employee retention: In ‘22 we will shift from? attracting the best talent to retaining the elite talent you already have. Recruiting and training a new employee is extremely expensive . It’s far more effective to invest in systems, data & programs that help you identify internal talent and provide opportunities for them to grow (including cross-functionally). Re-recruit, re-onboard, start ‘stay surveys’, and refresh your employee experience.
10. ‘Culture’ is ‘Conversation’: Remote and hybrid workspaces have neutered in-person culture-building efforts. The result is an increasing need for “intentional ” conversations to build the bonds that come about from casual moments, especially as teams hire remote/hybrid employees. The ability to foster safe spaces for earnest conversations and sharing will become the dominant form of community building across high performing organizations.?