HR Trends in 2022 - Top 5

1. Quiet quitting

Over the past few months, the term "quiet quitting" has dominated the news and social media. While TikTok turned this phrase into a buzzword, the idea behind it is nothing new. Despite its name, quitting has little to do with silent resignation or quiet quitting. It is rather about an employee choosing to do the bare minimum, to put in the necessary time, and to accept no tasks outside the duties assigned to them and their contract.

Employers must prioritize their employees' needs, given that they are striving for a better work-life balance and many continue to leave their jobs or quietly quit despite an impending recession. However, there are still situations where companies need top-notch staff, for example when a startup is trying to fuel its growth or an accounting firm is preparing for a busy period. HR professionals can address this by encouraging managers to follow up more closely on employees' tasks and projects.

2. Training, or upskilling, is becoming essential to cope with the transformation of HR teams

Training, or upskilling, is becoming essential to cope with the transformation of HR teams. Future Workplace, in collaboration with GP Strategies, surveyed 549 HR and business executives around the world to see how learning is developing within organizations and what it means for the new skills HR teams will need. One important finding emerged: HR often neglects to upskill members of its own team in favor of training and upskilling other key roles in the company. HR and learning teams have been left to build their own skills on their own.

According to the report, the two main priorities for the years ahead are creating a lifelong learning culture within the company and strengthening the skills of HR team members, particularly those in learning and development. The professional skills most urgently needed by HR learning team members are data analysis, commercial and business acumen, and digital marketing. HR and learning leaders need to start asking themselves whether they expect their team members to gain new skills and capabilities, and if so, how.

3. Prioritizing employee well-being

Employee well-being is not limited to health coverage. Make sure staff members have access to personalized, high-quality healthcare. Likewise, access to fitness centers or discounts on gym memberships can motivate staff to focus on their physical well-being. Many studies suggest that you can create a happier, healthier, and more effective workplace by placing a strong emphasis on your employees' physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

In addition, it is important to remember that prioritizing employees' health and well-being can benefit your business in a variety of ways. For example, healthier staff members are more productive, take sick leave less often, and are more likely to stay with your company.

4. Organizing remote work

According to a Harvard Business Review study, the post-pandemic workforce will be comparatively more remote; in other words, almost all companies will see an increase in the amount of remote work they do compared with pre-pandemic baseline levels. Business leaders must decide how to implement the best remote work plan as the constraints of the pandemic begin to ease.

The study suggests that leaders take the following strategic factors into account when deciding on the best policy for their organization:

• Nature of the work: remote work is better suited to independent jobs that do not require much coordination or communication with other people. Although it demands more managerial effort, highly collaborative work can also be done successfully remotely. There is no doubt that some jobs cannot be done remotely, but there may be fewer of them than you think. By using technologies such as robotics and augmented reality to enable remote maintenance of machines in manufacturing and even certain medical screening and diagnostic operations, companies continue to push the boundaries of remote work.
• Level of experience: an initial period spent in the office is often beneficial for newcomers or those who have recently been promoted, as it helps build relationships and gain tacit knowledge that is more easily absorbed in a work environment.
• Employee preferences: given the diversity of personalities and preferences regarding remote work, individual preferences must be taken into account. Even if some employees may have explicit preferences, these discussions will need to be revisited as work patterns and routines become more standardized.
• Real estate costs and carbon footprint: from a sustainability or scalable expansion perspective, doing less may be more efficient.

5. Embracing HR technological transformation

The human resources sector must evolve to keep pace with the rapid technological improvements of the business world. Using and adopting technology in HR is known to boost productivity, accuracy, and efficiency. The use of technology in human resources has grown in popularity over the past few years.

To streamline HR procedures, many companies use software and technologies, including applicant tracking systems (ATS), human resources information systems (HRIS), and performance management software. Using these tools reduces the time and effort required to carry out administrative and repetitive tasks. They also provide real-time data and offer other benefits such as better insight and better communication.