Predictions for 2023: Key employee wellbeing trends for next year

Since the pandemic, the nature of work has changed considerably. This has had significant implications for how businesses operate and how they ensure a cohesive company culture. Oban’s HR Director, James Smith, looks at the key HR and employee wellbeing trends that will be influential in 2023.

#1: Companies will offer greater choice and flexibility

Employees are increasingly demanding flexibility. We have a generation of first jobbers who have not had the ability to travel or have never worked in the office full time and this experience has shaped their expectations. In 2023, we expect to see more companies respond to these expectations as they compete to attract and retain talent.

Organisations are increasingly being encouraged to support working when, how, and where an individual wants. In 2023, we will see more companies placing emphasis on  , remote working, removing set office hours each day, reduced working weeks, plus offering the ability to work as a digital nomad to support staff retention.

(Read Oban’s article on 10 great countries to be a digital nomad here.)

#2: Companies will place more emphasis on holistic wellbeing

Coupled to the increase in remote working, wellbeing has evolved from being an add-on to a core aspect of the employee experience. Progressive employers understand that wellbeing incorporates not just physical and mental health but financial and emotional support too.

In 2023, we will see greater corporate emphasis on ensuring that employee wellbeing packages are inclusive and holistic, to stem the tide of ‘quiet quitting’. We will see more initiatives such as:

• Physical support in the form of healthcare and subsidised gym memberships
• Mental health support in the form of employee assistance programmes
• Counselling and meditation app subscriptions
• Financial support, in the form of financial coaching or life and income protection
• Emotional support, including providing access to coaching and the buddy system.

(Read Oban’s 7 tips on how businesses can support mental health at work here.)

#3: Remote or hybrid working will continue to be the norm

Remote or hybrid working is here to stay, and the challenge for organisations is to ensure a consistent experience for all employees, no matter how they work with you. This means ensuring the full employee lifecycle from onboarding to performance management, team building to training and upskilling needs to reflect a different world to the one we were used to pre-pandemic.

With 73% of employees now working to a fully hybrid model, and some businesses still struggling to make this work as effectively as it could, now is the time to make sure that processes within the employee lifecycle are consistent and communicated throughout the business. Using online HR and training portals, making use of the full suite of communication tools, and ensuring individuals have access to the things they need to do their jobs wherever they work are paramount.

Remote or hybrid working creates a challenge for cohesive company culture. Individuals experience company culture differently when working from home and some of the pull factors for organisations that existed pre-pandemic have been diluted or removed. Expect to see companies continue to grapple with this cultural challenge in 2023.

#4: Organisations’ social actions will be a key factor in employee engagement

Contributing to social and charitable causes has been a popular HR trend for a while. But increasingly employees – especially younger ones – expect businesses to make a genuine social impact and integrate this across the company.

Nearly 80% of millennials cite corporate social responsibility as one of the reasons to join a company. Younger employees, especially Gen Z, will leave or avoid companies with poor records on issues such as diversity, inclusion and sustainability. According to Gartner, the proportion of high engaged employees increases 20% when their company takes action on social issues.

In 2023, expect to see this trend accelerate – employees increasingly making clear their desire to work with purpose, and employers working hard to tie their mission and values to employees’ personal principles.

. . .

Planning an international digital marketing campaign in 2023? Oban can help. To find out how, please get in touch.

Oban International is the digital marketing agency specialising in international expansion. Our LIME (Local In-Market Expert) Network provides up to date cultural input and insights from over 80 markets around the world, helping clients realise the best marketing opportunities and avoid the costliest mistakes.