Hybrid work practices are set to remain complex in 2023. Business leaders and employees alike are grappling to understand how to best adjust practices to meet their needs. Amidst the global cost-of-living crisis, employers must now consider the well-being, mental health, and financial wellness of their employees. Jane Craven, Sales Director, EPOS shares the key trends set to shape the future of hybrid work over the next year and beyond.
Employers and employees must choose their battles carefully
Research indicates that as many as 50 per cent of global leaders say their company is planning a return to the office full-time within the next year. However, a lack of flexibility in a business’s hybrid strategy can be dangerous. Mandating a full-time return to the office can sometimes trigger an employee mass exodus.
Employers will need to meet employees in the middle when it comes to inflation-adjusted salaries, advancement opportunities, and flexible hours. If these needs aren't met, workers will look for opportunities elsewhere, consider career changes, or retrain to maximize their work potential.
Technology: In a period of maturity
Businesses operating under a hybrid working model have been relying on tech-based solutions to bring cohesion and collaboration to desynchronised work environments. Hybrid meetings, however, are not yet operating at optimum level and 43 per cent of remote workers globally do not feel included in meetings.
With 52 per cent of global employees considering a switch to remote or hybrid working in the year ahead, businesses must ensure that virtual meetings are inclusive and engaging, and participation is only required when necessary to maximise employee productivity levels.
Employers forming part of the employee well-being ecosystem
In 2023 there will be a greater expectation for employers to better support employees mental and physical well-being. Former nice-to-have benefits like subsidised counselling, wellness days, and ergonomic equipment allowances will become must-haves. Many employees will look for formal support for their well-being and encouragement for employees to take annual leave and time off for their mental health.
Amid the current cost-of-living crisis and with inflation rates at the highest level for 41 years, employees are also seeking support for financial wellness to help deal with stress – 60 per cent of global consumers can’t save as much money as they would like because the cost of living is too high. Physical office spaces will be crucial in 2023 for the avoidance of employee isolation and as energy costs add to the confusion of where to work. For some, commuting into an office might even be cheaper than heating their own homes.
