During the last two years, one of the things that changed the most is the way we work, and the department that had to strain every nerve to catch out with this rapid evolution was HR. From the original transition to a fully remote working environment, through several curfews and health risks, to the back-in-the-office, the economic and organizational upheaval we’ve faced has been ongoing rather than one-time-thing.

Because of that, cultivating a healthy organizational culture is likely to be a year-round endeavor in 2022 (and probably the next year too). So, what exactly is an employee experience, and what are the key HR trends for creating a great workplace culture?

Defining employee experience (EX)

EX encourages us to observe our workplace from the employees’ standpoint rather than management’s. It helps HR  gain a thorough understanding of employees’ environment, the tools they operate with, and the groups and executives with whom they collaborate.

Simply said, EX is focused on making employees’ experiences as pleasant and fruitful as possible. But, it does not imply turning your workplace into a free-for-all. It’s about reducing interruptions and limitations so that your employees feel a positive change.

diversity equity and inclusion
Student group photo created by lookstudio – www.freepik.com

Important trends that will affect employee experience

  • Talent allocation

The first important conclusion gained from the crisis is that businesses can no longer count only on external recruitments. Alternatively, they have been compelled to make greater use of the personnel they already have due to the limited workforce.

Human Resources professionals are now more aware of the benefits that career development can provide to their employees. As a result, many businesses are considering forming joint talent platforms with their strategic collaborators.

According to a Harvard Business School study, around 60% of organizations increasingly prefer to loan or rent workers with specific expertise from other organizations rather than hire new full-time employees. When implementing this strategy, businesses bring in professionals on an as-required basis to assist or execute a particular job.

  • Workforce analytics and based-on-data HR

Keeping up with the evolution of HR management from an administrative to a conceptual discipline will cause a mainstreaming of a data-driven approach.

When using people analytics, Chief Human Resource Officers (CHRO) would no longer have to make decisions based on intuition. Analytics can help HR professionals make judgments in accordance with provided data. It can also aid in the assessment of the quality of HR initiatives. In this dynamic business world and general uncertainty, making the proper decisions is vital for navigating our new normal.

  • Matching values

Everyone’s work values are important, no matter the position in the company. An extensive BB Consulting and Future Workplace study found that eight out of ten employees believe that their company’s beliefs should reflect their own. When your work mirrors your viewpoints, it allows you to find purpose in what you do so that your job can be more than just a means of earning money. Maintaining workplace values can also help a person advance in their career.

BetterUp conducted a study on work meaning and purpose and discovered that employees who place a higher value on fulfilling labor are more likely to hold senior and skilled roles and stay with the same company longer.

  • Cyber security as a growing issue

As reported by CRA Business Intelligence, 78% of questioned companies had a maximum of 20% of their personnel working from home before the pandemic. After the crisis, nearly all companies claimed that more than 20% of their staff worked from home.

Viruses, social engineering attacks on unprotected personnel devices, and phishing are all privacy problems that come with a predominantly remote workforce. With dispersed teams, data leaks and security hazards have escalated. In order to fight security risks and protect company assets and information, businesses are actively working to strengthen cloud service defense, modify digital roadmaps and security technology, and implement effective training programs.

  • Hybrid work model

As we’re moving towards pre-pandemic life, the workplace is changing into a hybrid work paradigm suited to its personnel and performance. It’s a dynamic work style centered on the employee, with an in-office and virtual working mix.

Many organizations (especially IT companies) do not see this model as a disruption to their work concepts. Some have focused on providing the necessary solutions to their remote staff – for example, team management solutions are booming. Another current breakthrough that has the potential to create a reworking of the corporate environment is the Metaverse. On the other hand, a hybrid model is prone to higher staff turnover.

  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

HR system emphasize workplace diversity and the adoption of an open corporate culture. The same is projected in 2022, especially since it’s becoming a necessary component of a desirable employee experience. Recruitment proposals are a way to attract new candidates and motivate those who want the job. This is especially true when there’s an open position that you’re looking for but haven’t found yet or even if your current employees aren’t interested in taking on more work themselves.

Any organization that aspires to prosper must encourage workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diverse groups positively influence corporate creativity, efficiency, and team spirit. It allows workers to transfer their life experiences to the office enthusiastically, but It also makes labor markets more attractive for companies. Organizations with an assorted staff generated up to 19% more revenue than organizations with low diversity personnel.

  • Employees’ well-being as a norm

People have definitely been anxious for the last two years, which has resulted in many health disorders. Because of that, firms are now more concerned about employee well-being. and have started offering paid time off as well. According to the Global Wellness Institute, 65% of organizations boost their personnel’s psychosocial wellness investment.

Employees should have some break time in which they can go out, play some games, or just talk to their friends. It promotes a healthy and stress-free work-life balance.

Quality of work-life and general well-being of the employees will have to become a norm for every organization that wishes to operate successfully. The goal is to boost employee performance and commitment while improving their physical and mental health.

Wrapping it up

Human resource management is evolving at a breakneck pace, making this an exciting moment to be in HR. With so many obstacles, HR has never been more important in helping businesses stay relevant.

Be it by enabling effective coordination in the changing work era, supporting career advancement, developing internal platforms to alleviate the strain caused by staff shortages, or embracing company reforms, HR will be part of the answer and the core of all significant business concerns in years to come.