CHROs' top priority in 2023 will be the intersection of employee and organisational health.
Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, helps customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. Below are some of the key trends Workday SA country manager Kiv Moodley believes will define 2023 as Chief Human Resources Officers work to support their teams in an often uncertain operating environment.
Kiv said, “Workday believes that CHRO’s top priority in 2023 will be the intersection of employee and organisational health. As we emerge from the pandemic and navigate an uncertain economic environment, the companies that get ahead will develop programs and policies centred around creating an agile, resilient and high-performing workforce. The questions every CHRO will face when making decisions is: what do employees want, what does the organisation need to deliver results, and where can we find alignment between the two? The companies that thrive will make investments in initiatives that both support employees and drive business outcomes – bringing out the best in their talent.”
Skills-based talent strategies will shift from idea to execution
The war for talent isn’t slowing, as trends such as The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting continue to emphasise the need for an engaged and supported workforce. But as organisations look to cultivate talent to drive productivity and nurture career development, adopting skills-based talent strategies will move from ideation to execution. In 2023, we’ll see more businesses lean in on technologies that help connect the dots on skills and enable them to leverage all the skills in their workforce, helping them make more strategic, data-driven decisions around talent, staffing, and future workforce needs.
Supporting and retaining frontline managers will take centre stage in 2023
Talent retention has always been a major pain point for organisations, but inflation, the tight labour market, and the long tail of the pandemic are putting frontline managers under incredible pressure. In 2023 and beyond, HR leaders will focus on ways to retain this critical part of the workforce by automating repetitive tasks (such as managing payroll and labour), offering them more flexibility (such as shift swapping and scheduling preferences), and leveraging data (such as schedule quality and productivity) to understand their unique needs and preferences.
Hiring from within: The great internal mobility
In 2023, the tight labour market will continue to challenge organisations, leading them to tap into the most obvious talent pipeline available – their employees. To address evolving talent challenges, organisations will look within and build internal talent marketplaces that reflect the skills, attributes, and desires of their employees, helping them to better leverage their strengths and offer growth opportunities.
How companies can prevent their employees from quiet quitting
“Quiet quitting” isn’t just an issue with the employee, it signifies a larger issue in the company. How can you prevent your people from becoming disengaged? Listen and respond to what they’re telling you; spot the smoke signals that could turn into blazing fires; and most importantly, create a culture that emphasises mission and purpose. When you have those foundational elements in place, you will attract high performers and inspire your employees to bring their best selves to work.
Getting ahead of the great disengagement
While there may be temptation among employers to focus on short term issues like economic tightening, this approach risks playing into a growing “Great Disengagement”, with workers increasingly pulling back at work. Instead, employers should test their mettle next year and, to gain a competitive edge, listen closer than ever to the evolving needs of their people and respond with urgency. The companies that get ahead in 2023 will overcome rising burnout risk, disengagement, and attrition by keeping up their investment in people and taking their team of loyal and engaged employees along with them, through good times and bad.
