2022 was a busy year in the world of HR, bringing us a wealth of new trends. But which shook up our workplaces the most, and which will continue to grow in the New Year?
The global HR company Remote has taken a look at the most talked about HR and workplace trends in the last 12 months, to reveal which top trends dominated the year and which we can expect to see continue into 2023.
Analysing Google Trends data, Remote reveals the top 20 HR and workplace trends of 2022 including quiet quitting, flexible working and ‘unretirement’.
Quiet quitting came out on top as the number one trend of the year, dominating HR discussions with a global monthly search volume of 246,000 and even ranking as one of Collins Dictionary’s words of the year. A new trend for 2022, quiet quitting describes a phenomenon where employees do the absolute bare minimum required at their jobs, putting in no extra time or effort than is necessary. ‘Quiet firing’ and ‘quiet hiring’ also ranked among the top 20 trends.
In second place was ‘digital nomad’ with a monthly search volume of 90,500 and a year-on-year change of 22%, highlighting our continually increasing interest in remote work.
Meanwhile, ‘The Great Resignation’ came third with 74,000 searches a month, but a YoY change of -91%, signaling that this trend has reached its peak and is on its way out.
Nadia Vatalidis, VP of People at Remote shared their predictions for HR and the workplace in 2023:
“The HR trends of the last 12 months revealed a continued interest in flexible and remote working, as well as raising concerns around employee engagement and wellbeing.”
Businesses will benefit from understanding the challenges and motivations that drive these trends. The best leaders will assess how their own employees may be affected and proactively implement tactics to improve their employee experience and boost retention rates.
To help employers get ahead of their competition in the New Year, these are the top trends we can expect to see continue into 2023:
1. Emphasising employee wellbeing
The top trend of 2022, quiet quitting, highlights the importance of prioritizing employee wellbeing in 2023 to reduce the risk of employees disengaging from their jobs.
We predict that the New Year will see an increased focus on employee wellbeing, with companies making efforts to offer more benefits designed to motivate and retain top performers, including cost-effective incentives like flexible work options and life/work balance support.
2. Focusing on flexible working
Digital nomads and flexible working both ranked among the top 10 trends in 2022, and this tendency towards flexibility is not likely to die down anytime soon.
Opportunities for flexible and remote working are rapidly becoming a priority for workers, and employers are also seeing the benefits of more flexible hiring practices. As the demand for flexibility continues into 2023, we can expect more companies to use flexible work as an incentive to attract elite global talent (and to help retain existing team members).
3. Recruitment and retention challenges
Although the peak of the Great Resignation is well behind us with the trend continuing to decline into 2023, employers will likely still face challenges around employee retention and recruitment.
Factors such as a lack of internal progression opportunities and mismatches in compensation amidst an unstable economic environment continue to drive employees to look elsewhere. With so many positions to be filled and the simplicity of global employment for remote workers – companies that restrict employees to office-based roles may continue to face fierce competition when it comes to recruiting the best new talent.
Employers focused on supporting a strong life/work balance for their teams, as well as implementing effective recruitment strategies for the year ahead, will be in the best position to drive sustained success into 2024 and beyond.
