RWS_Q1_22

Increasing Employing Apathy Increases Importance of Employee Experience People aren’t built to be resilient for years on end, warn researchers at the Workplace Institute at UKG. Yet the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to grapple with continuously interrupted personal lives, career pathing and planning for the future. “Constant resilience gives way to apathy as employees prioritize personal preservation and self-care over professional passions and performance,” said the Workplace Institute in a report of its annual predictions of the top trends that will impact the global workforce in 2022. “As this workplace apathy will impact millions of people and fuel continued jobhopping, the frontline workforce reaches its breaking point as everchanging business operations and inflated consumer expectations and poor behavior clash with prolonged health concerns and burnout,” continued the report. In turn, the importance of listening to employees and acting on their feedback will take center stage as business leaders and people managers work to grow engagement, respect personal and professional lives, and ultimately boost brand loyalty, said Workplace Institute researchers. “By establishing necessary support mechanisms, employers will be better poised to build a caring culture where people can enjoy meaningful work,” said the report. This means the life component of life-work balance will take precedent. “Employers will foster a culture of compassion and respect to support employees through their uniquely challenging circumstances,” continued the report. “More than ever before, people leaders will value and enable the holistic health and wellbeing of the whole employee, including physical health, mental and emotional support, and financial wellness.” According to a recent survey by XpertHR covering the HR challenges of U.S. organizations, nearly nine in 10 employers said recruiting and hiring will be either “somewhat” or “very” challenging in 2022 — making the tight labor market and Great Resignation more challenging for the recovering U.S. economy. Yet despite these concerns, approximately two-thirds of employers expect their workforces to grow in 2022. Indeed, organizations appear more bullish concerning the size of their workforce going into 2022 than they were a year ago, as the percentage of employers expecting to expand their workforce grew from 48 percent in last year’s survey to 69 percent this year. HR Issues for 2022, Rated ‘Somewhat’ or ‘Very’ Challenging Recruiting and hiring 89% Employee retention 79% Workplace planning 67% Vaccine mandates 66% Hybrid workforce 47% Diversity, equity and inclusion 46% Workplace health/safety/security 46% Employee benefits 46% State and local compliance 43% Employee leaves 41% Employee handbook 32% Data privacy 25% Source: XpertHR Nearly nine in 10 respondents also said recruiting and hiring will be either “somewhat” or “very” challenging for their HR function in 2022, followed by employee retention (79 percent), workforce planning (67 percent), vaccine mandates (66 percent) and hybrid workforces (47 percent). The data represents a 23 percent jump in recruiting and hiring concerns, compared with last year. Survey Suggest Employers Are Preparing for Epic Talent War RESOURCES 10 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com

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