The year that was: reflecting on 2023!

This year, we've seen employees vote with their feet, and more recently, employers increasingly mandating more structured workstyle policies to balance connection time with focus time. We've witnessed more DEI initiatives and corporations investing in better infrastructure around people's mental health and wellness. We’re also beginning to see the more pervasive use of occupancy technology and AI to help inform workplace decisions.

As we reflect on the year that was, we want to share a couple of our #futureofwork highlights with some crystal ball gazing at what might be around the corner in 2024. Here's what a few of our team had to say.

Workplace insights and research we loved.

Workplace discourse has focused on circular discussions around the effectiveness of remote work and how to best structure hybrid policy with a good dash of the evolving role of data and the impact of AI. But what has been our team's most standout workplace nugget(s)?

Heidi says:

In the slew of research that influenced our thinking in 2023, I keep returning to Microsoft's Work Trend Index.? What particularly resonates with me are the insights around the value of the workplace - things like the importance of social connections and how the physical office and digital workspaces can enable, distract, or enhance those connections.? This year has seen so much research that takes a binary approach to where work is best.? It's important that we take a more nuanced look at the different ways people are supported at work.? Some areas explored in Microsoft's research begin to build that broader perspective.

Caroline says:

Symbolic of the uncertainty around evolving ways of working and leading in post-pandemic industry 4.0 is the story of Future Forum, a consortium backed by Slack in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, MillerKnoll, and Management Leadership for Tomorrow.? For almost three years until its premature closure earlier this year by Salesforce - Slack’s new owners - it shed light on the complex and shape-shifting nature of work, positing useful insights based on robust global data.? The final report issued in February 2023 continued to counter persistent myths around work flexibility being less productive, weakening corporate culture and fueling isolation and burnout.? With this and other robust research, leaders have access to data that can help them navigate, evaluate and clearly communicate an appropriate workstyle strategy for their organisation.?

Disappointingly, it seems the consortium was shuttered because it was not aligned with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s push for workers to return to the office in early 2023, which, to my mind, illustrates the persistence of management attachment to structure and conformity versus flexibility, agency and distributed responsibility as a pathway to team and business success.?

I’d also like to personally call out a book I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and purchased for our entire team and Community, 35 Smart Choices by Anetta Pizag.? Drawing on personal stories and an incredibly wide-ranging body of research, Pizag makes the way we work interesting and important for everyone, clearly demonstrating how valuable workstyle awareness is in supporting our work effectiveness, physical and mental well-being, job satisfaction and overall experience of work – whatever that may be for each of us.?

And with a look ahead to my reading list for 2024, I’m keen to get stuck into Designing Regenerative Cultures by Daniel Christian Wahl, described as a ‘Whole Earth Catalogue’ for the 21st century: a wide-ranging analysis of what’s not working with our societies, organisations, ideologies, worldviews and cultures, and how we might improve them to evolve a more equitable and sustainable future for our planet and our civilisation.

Katrina says:

While not from a traditional article, this year I saw a large rise in awareness surrounding workplace accommodations with insightful debates across TikTok.

As we came out of the pandemic, a traumatic and mass-disabling global event, we saw an increase in Long-Covid diagnoses. With that, a new set of accommodations was being developed to assist workers returning to the workplace. This catalyst led to more nuanced conversations on different disabilities, with people sharing their personal experiences, advice to one another for how they personally manage their day-to-day challenges and work relationships, and overall, an understanding of how simple (and often free!) accommodations are to implement into the workplace.

It’s through these types of conversations that stigma is broken down, and we’re able to educate each other through organic avenues. For those of us who are passionate about DE&I, it’s truly heartwarming to see human empathy working to bring us closer to a better future.

Work trend surprises!

As the physical office goes through its own existential crisis and we're seeing businesses grapple with the realities of hybrid work, 2023 has been anything but uneventful. What surprised us most this year?

Katrina says:

It may have been wishful thinking on my part, but I was honestly surprised to see how many companies embraced ‘return to office’ mandates and, less surprisingly, the pushback from employees we are seeing. ?It seemed the world had developed both technologically and socially to be able to ‘work from home/anywhere’, and we were all just beginning to thrive within this new social contract.

Regardless, there are still countless companies working fully remote or with less strict hybrid policies that I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on to see how they will be navigating the unique challenges they’ll face.

Caroline says:

This year, I've continued to be surprised by how embracing of change people are – when we instigate or have agency over this ourselves.? For better or worse, our curiosity and ability to embrace new things reminds us that no matter how much we may delegate to Chat GPT or other forms of machine learning, our capability to create, adapt and share - individually and collectively - is uniquely and preciously human.

Heidi says:

Perhaps less surprising, but I’ve been reflecting on how hybrid working resembles traditional workplaces with multiple offices. ?Many of the old arguments and fears of pre-open plan workplaces have resurfaced.? People have become more mindful about how and where they work, and they find themselves scheduling time with people for things that used to happen more naturally, like social catchups or reviewing/approving something.? This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and plenty of digital tools (think Slack, Teams and digital workflows) go some way to recreate those spontaneous and organic interactions.? However, as we navigate how to best support and enable more hybrid workstyles, we need to be conscious of the added layer of decision-making that may be placed on people.

Looking ahead

What will be the hot topics for 2024? AI, data-driven decision-making, DEI initiatives taking centre stage, and an unwavering focus on employee experience? Here's what our team thinks.

Caroline says:

I feel the tension between collectivism and individualism will continue to manifest in different ways worldwide in 2024 – in our politics, organisations and institutions, communities and work, and lifestyle choices.? While at the extremes and in the short term, this catalyses friction and limits opportunity; it can also fuel healthy dialogue, awareness and growth over the longer term.

Katrina says:

The changing role of middle management and how we approach career progression. This has been a bubbling argument in online spaces for a few years, and we’ve even seen some fledgling start-ups begin taking different approaches.?I’m a firm believer that a great manager takes a specific set of skills and, in some part, takes a specific type of personality to lead a team effectively and gracefully.

In many situations, we see people take the role of manager or leader without the necessary support or training – in short, companies aren’t setting these managers up for success. On the other hand, a common sentiment I hear from my peers is, “I’d never actually want to take a manager role, but that’s the only way to progress my career and make sure I’m going to increase my salary.”

I think we’ll see more companies embrace different aspects of this philosophy, either hiring people as managers because they would make a great manager and not simply because of tenure or an increased emphasis on training great employees to be great team leaders.

Heidi says:

At the workplace level, we’re likely to see a shift in workplace priorities and strategies.? As many companies reduce their workforce and a bigger expectation of efficiency/cutting costs takes hold, we're also likely to see more pressure on workplaces to contribute to productivity more demonstrably.? This shift may lead to workplace teams adapting by incorporating broader skills, such as employee experience expertise and data analysis, resulting in significant changes to workplace team structures and/or closer collaboration with existing functions.

That’s a wrap!

This year has been fascinating for the evolution of work and workplace. ?As we venture into 2024, we look forward to seeing how broader social, environmental, and economic factors impact how people work. ?We’re sure there’ll be a few more surprises in there, too! ?Sincere thanks to our Clients, Community of Awesome Partners, Colleagues and Collaborators for a fascinating 2023 - here's to a new year of growth, productivity, and a great experience for all!?