Workplace trends to watch this year

Daniela Thom

In the space of just five years, the workplace has seen more change than in the previous decade. From the rise of 24/7 remote work to volatile business environments, extreme quitting and hiring trends, rapid technological advancements, and rising numbers of workplace burnout, it’s not surprising that today’s day and age has been referred to as both ‘The Great Exhaustion’ and ‘The Overwhelm Era’.

Feeling a bit dazed and confused about the time that has passed? It’s only natural. But what’s next? The events of the past few years have made forecasting quite challenging, but despite the many shifts and disruptions we’ve seen in the workplace, there are a few clear-cut trends that I believe will continue to dominate workplace activity this year and further shape the years ahead. 

Unpacking Key Trends:

Hybrid work is here to stay (no matter what):

With many businesses having returned to their fully in-office operations, a high number of employers are tired of entertaining the hybrid work discussion – but this could be to their detriment. More and more talent today are unwilling to return to a full in-office week and will not settle for positions that don’t offer at least one or two work-from-home days a week. 

Disagreements over hybrid work arrangements have led many people to change jobs and take on fully remote international positions, and this is set to continue. Remote worker productivity is still a highly contested issue, but it really shouldn’t be. Scores of studies, including a recent one from Stanford University, have revealed that hybrid workers have a much higher job satisfaction, which in turn makes them happier and more productive. The hybrid work conversation isn’t going anywhere, so it’s advisable for businesses to give it serious consideration when planning for the rest of this year and the years to come.

Re-engagement and employee well-being should take centre stage:

It’s often said that change is as good as a holiday, but the amount of change the workplace has experienced since 2020 has been extremely jarring, and this has taken its toll on workers. From huge redundancy drives to tight job markets, the cost-of-living crisis, and a general feeling of fatigue, many workers have felt highly disengaged. Finding ways to re-engage workers is crucial right now.

Employees are less productive, more prone to burnout, and more likely to leave their jobs, so it’s essential that business owners prioritise employee wellbeing initiatives to combat this. Creating a positive company culture, offering impactful employee benefits, providing necessary support mechanisms to prevent burnout, and proactively addressing employee wellbeing concerns are just a few ways to achieve this.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the road ahead:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been one of the most talked-about concepts in recent years. And as AI tools like ChatGPT become an increasingly larger part of our daily lives, questions abound about how this technology will impact the way we do our jobs and whether we’ll have these jobs at all.While we are acutely aware that many roles are vulnerable to automation, human experience will always remain vitally important. It’s also crucial to consider that many businesses aren’t currently in a place to fully harness the power of AI. That said, it does differ from industry to industry, with some flying miles ahead, while others still have a way to go.

No matter where business leaders are on their journey, AI is now becoming more accessible than ever, offering businesses, big and small, powerful tools that empower them to automate tasks, optimise decision-making, and drive sales with greater precision. When implemented ethically and with economic growth as an objective, businesses and employees alike stand to gain dramatically from AI technology, and it will be exciting to see how things unfold this year and further down the line.

Daniela Thom is a Business Development Manager at Strider Digital.
BUSINESS REPORT