2023 workplace trends: how yours will be healthier, happier and more productive
What will the workplace look like a year from now?'
The snow globe of work has been undeniably shaken to its core since the arrival of Covid-19. And the swirling mist is far from settled.
But one thing is clear: the working assumption that office life can “go back” to what it was before 2020 is just wrong.
Three out of every four workers say that working hybrid is now non-negotiable for them.
In Hong Kong, a recent survey conducted by Lingnan University found that more than 80 per cent of respondents preferred working from home for at least one day per week. More than 70 per cent said working remotely allowed them more time to rest, while 64 per cent said it helped reduce work stress.
The coming year will see a return of a kind for the office, but one which is organised in a very different way. Here are three predictions for a healthier, happier and more productive workplace.
1. An end to flex-shaming
Early in 2022, the British human resources expert Gemma Dale coined the phrase “flex-shaming” in a LinkedIn post. It captured well the bad faith some leaders showed to workers who weren’t physically in front of them. Among the most famous is David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, who in 2021 called working from home “an aberration we’re going to correct as quickly as possible”. In October, Solomon told CNBC that about 75 per cent of his company’s people were in the office on any given day of the week pre-pandemic and now it’s about 65 per cent.
What matters is creating a culture of trust and transparency between bosses and employees to reach solutions, not as dry policy but by mutual agreement. There’s no place for flex-shaming in 2023.
2. Softening hybrid’s hard edges
This is not to say that hybrid work is a picnic. Recent global data from property consultancy JLL shows that compartmentalising between office and home is a major problem.
Some 25 per cent of hybrid workforces feel socially isolated and 59 per cent expect wherever they work to pay attention to their health and well-being.
Anxiety around social cohesion and productivity in hybrid offices is gaining traction.
Marc Benioff, the founder and CEO of technology firm Salesforce, who also sits on the board of the World Economic Forum, recently told a companywide Slack forum that new hires weren’t being productive enough and asked: “Are we not building tribal knowledge with new employees without an office culture?”
The year 2023 will see a return of a kind for the office, but one which is organised in a very different way, predicts Julia Hobsbawm, an expert on workplace trends.
What will the workplace look like a year from now?
The snow globe of work has been undeniably shaken to its core since the arrival of Covid-19. And the swirling mist is far from settled.
But one thing is clear: the working assumption that office life can “go back” to what it was before 2020 is just wrong.
Three out of every four workers say that working hybrid is now non-negotiable for them. Hybrid working is now a non-negotiable for many workers. Photo: Shutterstock In Hong Kong, a recent survey conducted by Lingnan University found that more than 80 percent of respondents preferred working from home for at least one day per week. More than 70 percent said working remotely allowed them more time to rest, while 64 percent said it helped reduce work stress. The coming year will see a return of a kind for the office, but one which is organized in a very different way. Here are three predictions for a healthier, happier and more productive workplace.
3. The workplace as social space Although data shows that 84 per cent of the anticipated reduction in US office space is associated with hybrid working, the repurposing of offices to be more social, plus an investment in the experience of work, is growing. The US Office Occupier Sentiment Survey from property firm CBRE shows that 36 per cent of leaders are curating workplace experiences and events as part of their strategy to create community and increase presence in offices.
People need a reason to come to a place that goes beyond mobile technology they can access from anywhere. That reason is simple: other people.
While the base of work’s snow globe has shifted from place to person, we all do need to work and meet somewhere. Here’s hoping 2023 is the return of the office in its new, improved form.