It’s been roughly two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In those two years, enormous shifts have rocked the market, many catastrophic – in the UK alone, 1.42 million were unemployed between August and October in 2021 according to Government figures. In addition to this, the uncertainty of Brexit has completely changed the UK job market over the last two years, placing organisations under pressure to continuously motivate and upskill their workforce. While all this offered a considerable set of challenges going into 2021, many businesses have been able to navigate the challenges of the pandemic. They did so by adapting their business strategies, which allowed them to keep up with the unprecedented pace of change, and by bringing their people along with their transformations.
Now, in early 2022, companies are refocusing their attention on establishing future-ready organisations by reimagining new systems of work. This means a much-needed shift into “The Great Hiring”, an increase in skills-based self-directed learning, as well as an adoption and integration of AI into HR tech. Here are three major trends we believe organisations can expect 2022 to bring.
AI will help drive success for HR and for people
While AI has been increasingly introduced as a tool for HR departments – including for talent acquisition and L&D opportunities – the technology is not yet being used to its full potential for the entire workforce. This could change in 2022, with a study by Mercer finding more than 60% of executives say the most impactful HR trend is “using talent analytics to make decisions rooted in data”.
As new tools emerge, the adoption of AI into HR technology will continue to grow. By relying on HR data supported with AI-based solutions, HR leaders will eventually feel confident in making major decisions – both about the wider business and about their employees. For instance, AI can target the right growth opportunities to the right people by using it to surface and assign relevant projects. As such, with this combination in place, employees will directly benefit by having access to advanced, personalised tools that help them improve their efficiency and develop their skills and careers.
“The Great Hiring” gathers momentum
The first few months of the pandemic saw millions displaced from their jobs. Once some stability returned, a wave of ‘career curiosity’ quickly followed, resulting in many employees leaving roles of their own accord. This helped fuel “The Great Resignation”, which characterised the latter half of 2021, and which is still playing out today. Professional burnout, a lack of visibility into career advancement opportunities and pay discrepancies all continue to play a role in individuals’ decisions to seek employment elsewhere.
In the face of all this, it will be crucial for employers to do everything they can to hold onto their talent in 2022. This means setting and creating the necessary opportunities for the success of their people. To start, companies can no longer forego providing a clear view of individual career paths. Employees will be far more inclined to see a future in their company and remain in their current role if they can visualise their own growth potential. Making them aware of the learning and development opportunities available to them will be central to this.
Of course, though opportunities for internal advancement should remain a priority, they won’t fill every new role created by “The Great Hiring”. The businesses offering remote working opportunities will continue to be the ones to attract and retain top talent. Meanwhile, those unwilling to pivot to a remote work environment will need to reconsider their strategic approach to align with the expectations of today’s workforce.
Demand for self-directed learning will rise
Today’s work environment is moving at an accelerated, unparalleled pace. The pandemic has created new disruptions and demands that organisations must continually meet, with Gartner finding that 58% of the workforce will require new skills to do their jobs successfully as a result. Across all industries, employees are facing pressure, not just to hone their existing skillsets, but to develop new ones to keep pace with the expectations of their role or industry.
Now more than ever, employees want to learn. As such, in 2022, there will be a growing demand for learning resources which, in turn, will drive more self-directed learning. Self-directed learning is when employees, once given the right resources, make a concerted effort to learn new skills in their own time. This rise in self-directed learning will go beyond an interest to upskill and reskill to advance careers; employees are also focused on people skills, DEIB training and other empathy-related topics. By embracing this demand, organisations can attract individuals seeking to advance their careers and become more well-rounded, informed people at work.
While 2021 certainly presented its fair share of challenges, HR has continuously proven its value to the business. HR has been a core function in allowing organisations to adapt and overcome the challenges of the last two years. Now, in 2022, we can expect to witness further extraordinary progress and transformative changes as the world of work is reimagined.