HR Stakes: the Top 5 Trends in 2023

Over the past two years, HR functions have been put to the test. Widespread shift to remote work, mass resignations, economic volatility… So what new HR challenges can we expect in the future? According to a study by Gartner, HR functions will face 5 main challenges in 2023:

• Managing hybrid work,
• Recruiting talent,
• Improving the employee experience and managing careers,
• Leadership with a more human approach,
• Change management.

Let’s explore each of these points together.

1. Managing hybrid work

The future of work seems to be synonymous with hybrid and remote work. In this form of organization, employees work in the office, in coworking spaces or at home. In other words, they have flexibility between different work spaces.

Note that there are a variety of models for hybrid work: such as 100% onsite and full remote, among others. In some companies, employees have a maximum of one day of telecommuting per week. Others prefer to give teams the flexibility to allocate their time as they see fit.

You should be aware that hybrid work is not necessarily about digitalization. Before implementing this kind of environment, there must be collaboration between the HR (human resources), FM (facility management) and IT departments. These three entities must agree on the right tools to deploy and use.

In addition, human resources must work to maintain employability in good conditions. In other words, they must strive to maintain a sustainable employment model, promote the evolution of skills and the quality of life at work of employees throughout their career.

2. Recruiting talent

In a changing market, you need to define new recruitment strategies. The best way to do this? Equip yourself with tools and rely on reliable data, especially in terms of People Analytics. To help you, here is an overview of the HR software market in France.

Talent recruitment is a major challenge, as it promotes a perfect diversity of teams. Generally speaking, a company’s innovation and creativity come from the teams that make it up. To ensure the performance of the department’s activities, you need to hire dynamic talent.

3. Improving employee experience and career management

For 47% of HR, employee experience is one of the top priorities for 2023 (according to a study by Gartner). And for good reason, their expectations have changed significantly since 2020. They are looking for more flexibility, a better consideration of the QWL…

By refocusing HR thinking around employees and their experiences in the company, you can attract talent, retain them and involve them in the company. Here are the three levers triggered by the employee experience:

Attracting talent

For many years, the war for talent has been in full swing. It is therefore essential that each company distinguish itself to attract better candidates. In order to do so, it is necessary to take care of its image, which is more and more exposed since the appearance of company rating sites. Employees and former employees have the opportunity to give their opinion about their employer. A disgruntled employee will not hesitate to share his bad experience on these platforms.

Retaining new talent

For the past fifteen years, retention has been a dreaded HR issue for companies. Today, newcomers no longer see themselves in the same company for their entire career. Many of them swear by the multiplicity of experiences and challenges. So the key to avoiding routine is skills upgrading . Combined with a strong employee experience, regular training and evolution allow to keep employees loyal.

Creating and strengthening a sense of belonging

By working on the employee experience, it is easy to engage your employees by creating a sense of belonging. To create a good employee experience, you need to show your employees that you appreciate the work they do every day. Feeling recognized creates job satisfaction, which leads to strong commitment. And all this leads to better productivity.

4. Leadership with a more human approach

Expectations of leaders have also become more numerous. Management is becoming more complex, especially with hybrid work. The challenge in 2023? Adopting leadership with a more authentic and empathetic approach.

Empathy can be defined as the intuitive ability to put oneself in the shoes of others and to perceive what they are feeling. It improves understanding of the other person and helps to adapt one’s posture and speech. The empathic leader must be able to identify the state of mind and expectations of his collaborators. By adopting an empathetic and more human approach, companies can gain in efficiency. They can communicate better and develop a strong commitment among their employees.

5. Change management

Employees are becoming more resistant to organizational changes. Faced with persistent uncertainties and possible new developments, HR must reduce the impact of change on the work and well-being of employees.

Change management is not just a simple communication operation aimed at getting people to accept transformations within a company.

Any change must be accompanied by practices that facilitate the transition, while improving the way employees accept the company’s transformations. Note that change management sends a clear message to every level of the company. Transformations can manifest themselves on several levels:

• The use of new technologies;
• The adoption of new legal frameworks;
• The introduction of new products;
• The implementation of a new management;

The most important thing is to involve employees as much as possible in the upcoming changes. The HR challenge in 2023 is to successfully implement a new strategy, but without much friction.