The top workplace trends for 2023

Upskilling, the rise of AI, and fine-tuning hybrid working are some of the trends that might affect your organisation this year. Below we look at six of the most prominent trends we expect to see in 2023.

 

 

Refining hybrid working 

 

We’re all accustomed to hybrid working now, and for many of us it’s the way we want to work. In fact, the CharityComms ‘Salary and Organisational Culture Survey 2022’ found that 97% of respondents would expect flexible conditions as part of a future job.

 

Organisations are starting to settle into patterns, with many introducing a Tuesday-Thursday core working week, and some office spaces being near empty on Mondays and Fridays.

 

Global organisational consulting firm Korn Ferry talk about the shift from work-life balance towards “work-life integration”. Rather than defined working hours, people want the flexibility to be able to, for example, take time out for the school run or break for a physio appointment.

 

 

Recruitment is still likely to be tough

 

Recruitment was a challenge for many charities last year, and that’s likely to continue into 2023. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development discovered that 46% of all employers surveyed had hard-to-fill vacancies, and this rose to 56% in the voluntary sector.

 

There are lots of reasons for this, not least because charity workers are paid 7% less than workers in other sectors. This lower level of pay makes it harder to attract candidates, particularly as the cost of living continues to put financial pressure on many.

 

Offering hybrid or remote roles will attract candidates from a wider geographical pool, as well as people who need to be more flexible with their time, including carers. For more ideas on tackling recruitment challenges, read our tips and hints.

 

 

Upskilling employees 

 

Salesforce’s recent Nonprofit Trends Report found that the need to reskill or upskill employees was the top internal issue facing organisations over the last year (at 36%). 

 

CharityJob describes this as one way to combat the candidate shortage. This can be through promoting, seconding, or training existing staff – and is significantly cheaper than recruiting someone new.

 

And it’s what employees want. According to Forbes, 76% of employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training. Upskilling helps employees learn new skills that can help them grow in their current position and feel more motivated and engaged. It can open them up to new opportunities in your charity including internal progression.

 

 

Prioritising wellbeing and supporting staff

 

Supporting staff wellbeing has been essential over the last few years, and this focus will continue throughout 2023.

 

It appears we’re getting better at talking about wellbeing in the workplace. CharityComms found that 85% of the comms professionals they surveyed felt able to talk about their wellbeing at work (an increase from 82% in 2021).

 

That’s all well and good. But it also flagged up the importance of not only talking about the issues, but making concrete, practical changes to address workplace issues, in particular making sure workloads are manageable.

 

Increasing resilience, better engagement, and fewer sick days are just some of the benefits of investing in employee wellbeing. So finding ways to support your team is an all-round win, particularly so during what could be another year of uncertainties.

 

 

Continuing the drive for diversity and inclusion 

 

Creating an inclusive culture was never going to be a quick fix, and diversity and inclusion will continue to be a key focus for many organisations.

 

Cultivating a diverse and inclusive culture isn’t only the right thing to do. It leads to greater creativity within teams, better decision making, and greater job satisfaction. It also has benefits for recruitment, with one study showing that job seekers are willing to explore jobs with lower salaries, when the companies are more diverse. This could be particularly helpful for charities who are struggling to recruit and are unable to offer enticing salaries.

 

Zoe Amar’s recent blog shares some great resources to help you and your team meaningfully address inclusion in the workplace, and we share ten practical ideas for you to take EDI action.

 

 

The rise of automation and AI

 

If the flurry of excitement around ChatGPT is anything to go by, AI is going to make a big impact this year.

 

Some charities have already cottoned on to the benefits of using AI. Core functions, including talent management and finance, are using it to make repetitive processes more efficient and cost effective. While some organisations are using chatbots to signpost people quickly and easily to the support they need and are responsive 24/7, AI is also being used to boost user experience and potentially create content.

 

AI tools are only set to evolve into who knows what, so now might be a good time to explore how it could help your charity.