By Jason Rowe, courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASE
ASE’s partner, McLean & Company, has released the ASE edition of its 2022 HR Trends Report. This report highlights ways traditional HR practices and assumptions are being challenged as we transition into this new decade.
The report identified four HR trends for 2022:
- Recruitment & Retention: Two Sides of the Same Coin – It’s an employee’s market, and it looks very different whether your organization is remote or on-site. Organizations’ employee value propositions need to evolve to not only recruit talent but to also retain the teams in place. Recruitment continues to be a top priority, with employee experience leaping to second (from fifth in 2021).
- Adapting to a New World of Work – Changing work conditions and increasing working hours are forcing a greater focus on employee wellbeing. Organizations that adopt this emphasis for 2022 can anticipate such benefits as increased employee availability, improved retention, enhanced ability to attract candidates, and expanded talent pools, all of which will be critical in the age of the ‘Great Resignation. 63% of organizations are not making changes to roles, work, or teams and are instead focusing on improving the employee experience within the existing work structures.
- DEI: After the Tipping Point – While organizations report that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) continues to be a focus, actions taken appear to be biased toward quick fixes rather than initiatives that enable long-term equity and inclusion. Only 5% of HR’s time is spent on DEI, the same as in 2021.
- Skills in an Age of Change – Remote work has uncovered significant gaps in managers’ skills. The rate and scale of changes to the world of work have rapidly altered what are considered essential skills. Competencies such as resilience, change management, and design thinking will be more important than ever over the coming year.
“There has been a lot of talk this year about the competitive labor market and organizations’ struggles to retain talent.”, says William Howard, senior manager of HR research and advisory services at McLean and Company and one of the principal research leads for the 2022 HR Trends Report. “Our data bears this out, and the benefits for employees are clear. Organizations are increasing base and variable pay, offering more vacation time, and improving flexibility to attract and retain employees. But there’s a dark side to these benefits; employees are working longer hours, and well-being is suffering. In 2022, organizations need to focus on improving the employee experience not just to hire and keep employees in the short term, but to ensure they’re healthy and productive in the long term.”
Survey Methodology: The McLean & Company 2022 HR Trends Report combines insights gathered from more than 800 business leaders and HR professionals across 13 Industries, including manufacturing, professional services, financial services, healthcare, not-for-profit, and government.