In 2022, we were thrilled to see organisations all over the world trying out new approaches and adapting to new norms.

Much of this change was the result of a significant shift in the power balance between employers and employees: the early days of the pandemic gave many people an opportunity to rethink what was important to them. Some retrained; others changed employers as part of The Great Resignation. The result was a wake-up call for employers to start reshaping the way they designed both jobs and workplace experiences to attract and retain talent.

This shift has had a knock-on effect on the role of the middle manager, which has had to evolve to encompass a broader range of performance-focused, human-focused and practical skills. And after prolonged periods of remote working, 2022 saw a resurgence in appreciation for making human connections at work – in particular the sort of social connections that help build resilience and strengthen networks.

We expect all of these trends to continue into year ahead. But what’s new on the horizon? These are our predictions for 2023.

1. Renegotiating experience – we see organisations acknowledging the new employer/employee power balance by renegotiating the design, meaning and experience of work. This is a crucial opportunity to move away from a parent-child dynamic towards an adult-adult one where employees have greater choice and autonomy.

2. Creating a human workplace – hybrid working has made seeing our colleagues’ private selves the norm – and this year we’ll start seeing that reflected in the workplace as organisations strive to create spaces and experiences that promote feelings of joy, positivity and psychological safety as well as productivity.

3. Addressing inequality – the recent rise in flexibility has highlighted existing inequalities a in the workplace – and 2023 will see employers starting to address this. A key starting point is to understand that flexibility – which may not be accessible to everyone – is chiefly experienced as autonomy – which can be built into every role.

Our HSM Advisory 2023 World Outlook white paper discusses the key trends we saw in 2022, as well as our big bets for the coming year. You can download it here.