HR trends 2022: Ten issues that will keep HR departments busy

In 2021, HR departments also felt the effects of the pandemic situation much more strongly than other corporate divisions: HR employees often became conductors of the company's internal pandemic management and - mostly working from home themselves - had to integrate the new working models into the company's daily routine, keep an open ear for employees and at the same time keep an eye on the company's goals.

HR trends 2022 in ten points

Based on the experience of this period, HR managers are gearing up for a year of consolidation and realignment. Dr. Arne Sjöström, Senior People Scientist at Culture Amp outlined:

1. 2022 will be a year of new beginnings: The introduction of home office and hybrid work models has turned many things upside down in companies, but some routine has now returned. Companies will therefore use the coming year to consolidate: They will subject their values, their mission and their vision as a company to close scrutiny, and then adjust the set screws accordingly. The readjustment must then meet the challenges of the new working world.
2. Managers feel drained: In many companies, managers and team leaders are at the end of their rope. If they have been holding the line until now, more and more managers are now quitting and looking for new jobs. If they leave the company, however, this can have far-reaching effects on the entire organization: their employees can lose the support they need and the backing they are accustomed to in the company, which can set in motion a domino effect of resignations.
3. Employment contracts are becoming more and more individualized: Full-time, part-time or temporary - contracts are becoming increasingly diverse. On the one hand, this presents managers with the challenge of keeping track of which employees can do what. On the other hand, these different contract models also unsettle the employees themselves, because they become aware of how easily their own employment status can be changed to suit the company's respective needs.
4. Interest in issues related to equality and DEI is increasing: Due to the pandemic, internal company initiatives on diversity and inclusion had initially slowed down, which had exacerbated existing inequalities. In the DACH region, these topics will increasingly come into focus in 2022. As a first step, they must also overcome structural problems, for example, in order to collect internal data on diversity in the company, e.g., by means of a topic-related employee survey. HR managers will have to do more to convince and educate employees about the necessity of this data. This is the only way to make existing social injustices and the unequal treatment of women and men visible. Only then will it be possible to shape an inclusive, diverse working world with targeted measures.
5. Human Resources - a key area for the regeneration of organizations: With this role comes an increase in the level of respect and trust shown to HR officers. Covid has changed companies so fundamentally that HR employees have been forced to take on the additional role of internal Covid representatives. In the process, plans for a better workplace were put on hold as they instead had to deal with increasing employee uncertainty, the logistics of working from home, and internal measures to combat the pandemic. In 2022, HR leaders will be able to hit the ground running again with their plans. All of this comes with a bonus of trust, which in turn will lead to high levels of employee recognition and engagement.
6. New job titles: The modified work models require new roles within HR departments. Even if job titles such as Head of Workplace Systems, Head of Organizational Operation Systems or Head of Remote are still very rare in DACH - experience teaches that such developments will also gain a foothold in this country. The hybrid working world has to be designed, organized and set up, and the new designations better describe the scope of the respective function. In addition, these roles also see themselves as interfaces with other departments, such as IT. This in turn will attract more male applicants to positions in HR departments, where more women mostly work.
7. The HR toolbox is changing: Employees still need the support of HR departments, because the changing world of work also means that employees' expectations of their employers are changing. Discounted lunch offers or a company gym don't make much sense in a home office. Instead, employees want benefits that really make their lives easier, such as flexible working conditions.
8. Re-onboarding for all employees: The balance of power between home office workers recruited in the last two years and those who still know office hours has shifted. Companies will no longer return to pure face-to-face work - the changes have been too drastic for that. In order to avoid a divide between these two groups, who have come to know companies from very different situations, a period of re-onboarding becomes necessary for all. This re-onboarding ensures that everyone is on the same footing and that the new start is successful - regardless of the work model chosen.
9. The spectrum of generations is widening: A company's workforce will be more demographically diverse than ever before: companies employ both people with 50 years of professional experience and young Generation Z entrants. Encouraged by flexible working models, experienced employees with sound market knowledge can postpone retirement and stay with the company longer. In order to benefit from this and successfully shape the transfer of knowledge within the company, opportunities must be created for the generations to learn from each other.
10. The level of transparency is being reconsidered: Employees are already drowning in a flood of notifications as soon as they log on to their workplace. On the way to a corporate culture that is as transparent as possible, companies increasingly run the risk of unsettling their employees: an overflowing flood of information leads to a loss of overview. As a result, the feeling of being overwhelmed is growing. The challenge in the future will be to find the right level of transparency and provide employees with the right information at the right time.

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