Gartner key workplace predictions for HR leaders in 2023

The report shows that HR leaders have many hurdles to cross if they must steer their organizational recruiting and employee welfare program better than they did in previous years.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have faced numerous uncertainties, whether it’s operational disruptions, staffing, and workplace changes or tasking leadership with greater responsibilities. Gartner predicts the following nine aspects of work will help HR leaders forge a more productive and profitable course in 2023.

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“Quiet hiring” will be an avenue for hiring more talent

Although sources including the World Bank have stated that there might be a global recession in 2023, Gartner believes that the labor market will remain competitive. HR leaders will likely resort to “quiet hiring” to fill talent gaps. Quiet hiring is a new trend that focuses on reskilling and upskilling employees without committing to hiring full-time employees.

HR managers will also rely more on HR analytics software to improve employee retention, recruitment and training.

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HR leaders will build more connections among employees

While the new generation of employees may relish the rise in remote and hybrid work options, there is a social gap that comes with it. For instance, sometimes new employees have limited or no face-to-face contact with their bosses and colleagues, which can make it difficult to understand the etiquette of their work environment. How do HR leaders solve this problem in 2023?

Gartner predicts that rather than creating policies that mandate new employees to work on-site, effort will be channeled into building intentional connections among employees across geographic and generational boundaries.

Gartner highlighted three key elements that will help create intentional interactions among employees: employee choice and autonomy, a sense of levity and fun, and a clear structure and purpose.

More organizations will deemphasize prior experience and formal education when hiring

The Gartner 2023 workplace predictions highlight that more organizations are faced with talent expansion and diversification challenges due to employees increasingly seeking new career paths. Consequently, factors like educational qualification and prior experience will give way to assessments based on candidates’ ability to perform in the new role.

“Organizations will take several approaches to do this, such as relaxing formal education and experience requirements in job postings and reaching out directly to internal or external candidates from non-traditional backgrounds,” the report says.

Help employees heal from pandemic trauma to ensure sustainable performance

To help employees heal properly from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced trauma and improve performance, Gartner predicts that many organizations will commit to offering proactive rest more than they did in the past.

This prediction follows previous Gartner research that recommended that in order for organizations to have better talent and business outcomes, they must actively provide frameworks that support proactive rest and intentional interactions for employees.

More transparency when using AI for recruiting

Gartner predicts HR leaders who use AI for recruiting will look for ways to be more transparent about such practices for two reasons:

• Due to new government regulations on artificial intelligence.
• To give people the choice to opt out of such processes.

Frontline workers will enjoy hybrid flexibility

Frontline workers are usually mandated to work on-site due to the critical nature of their roles; however, Gartner projects that this will no longer be the case in 2023. Gartner says more organizations will toe this path to actualize a fair workforce-wide experience that offers workers more flexibility.

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Organizations will try to enforce better DEI strategies amid growing complaints

Gartner predicts that HR will form new strategies in 2023 to address employees’ pushback to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

To achieve this, Gartner recommends that managers be equipped with tools that will not only help them engage resistant employees but sustain the momentum of DEI efforts to avoid further pushbacks.

New data risks will emerge as organizations get more personal with employee support

In order to provide more comprehensive support for their employees, more organizations are deploying AI assistants and other emerging technologies to collate employee data on family situations, health and living conditions.

Gartner claims that deploying these technologies has the potential to breach privacy regulations. To mitigate this privacy crisis in 2023, Gartner predicts that organizations will create an “employee data bill of rights” to improve transparency on how employee data is collected and allow employees to opt out of any privacy practices they deem necessary.

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Managers will struggle to balance corporate and employee expectations

While many HR managers are strategizing to meet corporate expectations in 2023, growing employee expectations is also a great concern.

“Many managers are struggling with balancing the need to implement corporate strategy on behalf of senior leaders and providing the sense of purpose, flexibility and career opportunities that their employees expect,” said Peter Aykens, chief of research in the Gartner HR practice.

Gartner predicts that more organizations will provide managerial training and support for managers and redefine their priorities and roles where necessary to cushion the pressure of these challenges.