The New Work World and the Top 7 HR Trends of 2022

Adapting Quickly to Rapid Change

The rapid changes observed in our world due to the pandemic have since become the foundation of the new normal of work, and HR professionals have had to adapt quickly. Acting as mediators between a turbulent economy and a frustrated, stressed workforce, HR leaders have had to navigate their new role and anticipate how to best serve their organization and employees in 2022.

The route to appreciating the current challenges faced by HR professionals begins with understanding the new normal of work. Not surprisingly, remote/hybrid work is a permanent change in our work world, with nearly half of all working Canadians preferring to do most of their weekly work away from the office. 

Another non-surprising truth about our workforce is that many are currently suffering with mental health issues. In fact, roughly one-third of workers report a decrease in their mental health in the past year, and nearly 80 percent said that the pandemic has been a significant source of stress in their lives.

Currently, half of our modern workforce is made up of Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1995ish) with Generation Z starting to enter the workforce (people born after 2001). This segment of the population is motivated very differently from previous generations. For instance, they don’t ‘live to work’, like they watched their parents do, but instead they ‘work to live’, placing more importance on striking a work-life balance. This means they expect things like remote work and flexible schedules as basic must-haves. They also care that their work has meaning and that they’re contributing to the world. Finally, Millennials thrive on constant collaboration and feedback from their supervisors. They want to feel like they’re being mentored, included, and appreciated at work.

Another perhaps surprisingly new normal of work is that today’s organizations are struggling to recruit and retain good workers. In fact, HR professionals rated this as their top challenge in 2022. After listening to the tunes of ‘unemployment rates’ and ‘joblessness’ for decades, the tides have turned, and good workers have more power and control than ever.

Finally, a new normal of work is a push toward creating an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workforce. Not only does this mirror the trend in our popular culture, but organizations that are more diverse are likely to have higher profits than their less diverse competitors.

Seven 2022 HR Trends

Given this new normal work world, here are seven HR Trends for 2022:

1. Prepare for permanent hybrid/remote work. This is the biggest change to our modern workplace, and HR can adjust to it in several ways:
   • Online self-support systems for employees to do whatever they can themselves
   • Employee tracking – keeping track of what everyone is doing, when, and for how much time
   • Reliance on technology and cloud-based systems
     • Ensure everyone knows the technology and offer regular training and upgrading
     • Cybersecurity is a concern with more remote work and 55 percent of people working remotely have experienced a cybersecurity issue in the past year (e.g., phishing and malware).
   • Less need for physical office space in the future
2. Make workplaces more inclusive and diverse from using a different recruitment strategy to AI or other tech-driven HR tools to minimize bias in applicant screening.
3. Emphasize mental health support. Help keep employee assistance programs, wellness and life skills programs top of mind and ease to assess for employees
4. Revamp the onboarding experience to ensure recruitment and training is designed to meet today’s ways of working. This could include use of AI for recruitment and screening to eliminate bias.
5. Focus on performance management data to gain insights on the “great resignation”, retention trends, and ways to personalize employee development.
6. Prioritize employee happiness. Although technology has automated many of the tasks previously taken on by HR professional, the human element cannot be overlooked especially when it pertains to employee well-being. HR professionals pay a major role in supporting a positive company culture and recommending benefits that match the needs of today’s workforce.
7. Mobilize talent from the inside – doing so improves employee retention, decreases the hiring process and the times it takes a new hire to become productive. 

New HR Roles

We have all seen how the pandemic has changed our work world and HR’s role in it. As a result, there will be new HR roles that become commonplace, particularly in larger organizations including a work-from-home facilitator, a well-being administrator, and an employee data trend analyst. Also, more demand for outsourced HR expertise will be required, especially for smaller organizations, as the role of HR becomes more complex.

We’re Here to Help

In whatever way your organization’s HR role may change in 2022, we are here to help and invite you to contact us at info@primebenefitsgroup.com. Let’s work together and create solutions that work best for you and your organization.

Additional Resources

Top HR Software https://hr-management.financesonline.com/

Suggested Readings

21 HR Jobs of the Future https://hbr.org/2020/08/21-hr-jobs-of-the-future

COVID’s Impact on Mental Health and Returning to Work Https://www.conferenceboard.ca/insights/blogs/covid-19-s-impact-on-mental-health-and-returning-to-the-workplace