10 leaders tell us which trends will shape HR in 2022
We asked ten HR leaders what they think will be the next most talked about HR topic in 2022. Here are their answers.
2021 was no walk in the park. The ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, the vain hope of a “return to normal” followed by acute talent shortage and The Great Resignation – all required many organizations to reinvent the role of HR.
The way we work has not changed – it’s been profoundly altered. HR departments have had to adapt quickly to the ever-changing reality. It appears that 2022 will bring no slowdown. HR leaders will not only weather these turbulent times, but also prove the value HR brings to the business.
We asked ten HR executives what trends will shape human resource management in 2022. Here are their answers.
Marie Toby, Head of People at Taxfix
Mental wellbeing
“I feel that several trends are emerging. On the one hand, I am seeing a lot of discussion about the empathetic, servant leadership style, which seems justified given the pandemic and what we have all been through. Today, as an employer, you’re almost obliged to offer mental health support and a flexible work schedule, or candidates will not choose you. To me, this is a clear shift in the employer-employee power dynamic.
Still, I regularly observe employees on the verge of burnout, hesitant to ask for a day off when work and life all at once become too much. This makes me wonder about how much we have collectively learned so far, what are our individual levels of resilience, and eventually how much more power will be in the hands of employees to shape the type of workplaces we want to create. I am really curious to see if we will actually emerge from this crisis weaker or stronger as a human workforce.”
Simon Kubicki, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Spendesk
Hybrid work culture
“The past year has shown us that employee mental health – especially when your business is scaling quickly – is just as important – if not more important – than their productivity. With that in mind, how we create a flexible, hybrid, and remote work culture and workflow for the entire company will be critical to me in 2022. In 2022, HR will need to attract the right talent and ensure quality hires.
The key metrics of HR will definitely be employee engagement rate and eNPS as they help measure employee engagement, satisfaction and retention.” Read the entire interview with Simon.
Natalia Florek, Career Coach and Consultant
Employee wellbeing, employer branding, digitalization
“The topics of employee wellbeing and mental health are already present in almost all conversations about HR and these trends are likely to continue. Another trend I see is the importance of employer branding, i.e. promoting employee interests, inclusion and relationship building.
In the area of technology, I see the trend toward further digitization. To be competitive today, you need to stay data-driven and up to date with tools that facilitate your HR processes.” Check out other future predictions by Natalia.
Iza Bartnicka, Digital University
Remote and hybrid work
“In 2022, we will see another massive shift to remote working. This will lead to an increase in home-based work and a new market for remote work. More than 80% of employers emphasize that they plan to accelerate the digitalization of the work process and create more opportunities for remote work.
The pandemic has driven digital transformation for many companies, and it has meant a real revolution for some.
Employers have faced the challenge of finding a way to work remotely effectively. It has been particularly difficult with tasks and jobs that were considered impossible to do remotely. Despite these limitations, demand from employers for remote work is growing rapidly, and it’s almost certain that remote and hybrid work will persist on a larger scale. Discover more trends for 2022 by Iza.
Chiara de Filippo, Senior Talent Acquisition Manager at e-bot7
Hybrid work, candidate experience
“I think the most important trend will be the transformative impact the pandemic will have on recruitment and talent management. We, the people of HR, now have a responsibility to ensure that the positive changes that have taken place are maintained – and it’s not so obvious.
For example, the pandemic has dramatically changed the employee experience through hybrid or remote working. So now is the time to rethink. Table tennis in the office is no longer a perk because sometimes we do not even have an office! Perks like this need to be replaced with employee mental health and wellbeing strategies.
At e-bot7, we just launched a free platform where our employees can access professional coaches and psychologists.
Another area worth mentioning is the candidate experience, which has changed and will continue to evolve. The fact that we hire globally brings new challenges, the most basic being working in different time zones. How do you create a sense of connection between team members on the other side of the globe? We, HR, are responsible for making everyone feel welcome, included and important to the company.” Read the interview with Chiara.
Kinga Makowska, HR Rebels
Mental wellbeing and flexibility
“The year 2022 will be shaped by external factors and the key question of whether the pandemic will persist or recede. How will we work in the hybrid environment? What will our lives look like? Is there a risk that we will take on too much?
In the long term, employers need to focus on the mental wellbeing of their employees and consider how they can address the challenges in this area. Many of these problems were caused by our short-sighted approach to managing workload during the pandemic, leading to burnout and turnover. This means more than just online therapy or telemedicine – it means creating a work environment that positively impacts people’s psyches.
Another factor is work flexibility – we will continue to have a need for greater flexibility because ‘the old days’ will never return. That’s why we need to start building organizational knowledge centers based on data – to know where we are and what we stand for in all people’s lives.” Learn more about employer branding from Kinga.
Paulina Zygadło-Peroń, HR Cluster Manager at Radisson
Candidate and employee experience
“In my opinion, the top trends of 2022 will be ‘recruitment and retention’. We will focus on providing the best possible applicant experience and streamlining the hiring process. What will help us do this is automation and standardization. It is important to have a transparent and unbiased process and be consistent in all recruiting and employer branding efforts? Discover more insights about recruitment from Paulina.
Martyna Łapaj, Head of Recruitment at Talent47
Flexibility and productivity
“I think in 2022 HR will focus on flexibility and productivity. Flexibility will be necessary to attract the right talent and might even become more important than ‘standard’ benefits. The pandemic has already shown us that it is possible to stay productive while working remotely, but employers need to trust employees.” Dig into more insights by Martyna.
Katarzyna Gutmańska
Talent marketplace and data-driven approach
“In 2022, HR managers will need to focus on measuring the efficiency of their teams’ remote work and setting measurable KPIs in HR departments. A data-driven approach and analytical thinking will be a must in this context.
Another key trend is talent sourcing and management. Companies know that they can no longer rely solely on buying their talent externally. They need to start building talent pools within the organization. Therefore, internal employer branding, building a company culture and developing employees will become key factors.” Learn more leadership lessons from Katarzyna.
Barbara Jędrychowska, HR Manager at Veracomp Exclusive Networks Poland SA
Flexibility
“The year 2022 is sure to bring many more changes – surprising and unexpected. The future is ambiguous and we all need to be more flexible than ever before. There will be a strong trend towards learning, upskilling and retraining. We should not cling too much to the status quo – tomorrow may look very different from today.
Management styles will also have to change and become more flexible. Today we are moving away from the ‘manager + team’ formula. Anyone can now be a project manager or project leader and be responsible for results. This requires a high degree of flexibility, open-mindedness and a willingness to switch roles.”
What are other HR trends for 2022 that experts mention?
There are, of course, other trends that will shape the future of HR. One of the most prominent figures in the research industry, Josh Bersin, identifies four key trends that will dominate the workforce discussion in 2022.
Tight labor market
The large number of opportunities will draw people into the labor market, which means a greater variety of candidates. However, this will also make hiring more difficult as people feel very empowered.
AI, virtual and augmented reality
Technology is already having a massive impact on HR, and soon we will see new tools changing the way recruiters and sourcers work. Already, talent intelligence systems are getting incredibly good at matching, predicting and selecting people.
Responsible culture
In an unpredictable future and constant change, people are looking for one thing above all else: safety. For this reason, employees will want to work for companies that are secure. The companies they can trust. The companies that care about global climate change, the environment and sustainability. According to Bersin, the topics of culture and employer branding will be of great importance in 2022.
Changing the role of HR
Josh Bersin notes that the pandemic has elevated the role of HR and today no one “has trouble with a seat at the table.” However, what needs to change is the structure of HR departments in most organizations. Therefore, in 2022, it will be time to evaluate the skills and capabilities of HR teams and look at HR as a professional services organization with consultants, product managers, service delivery and technology.
People analytics as an HR trend in 2022
In recent years, people analytics has had a major impact on human resource management. Yet HR professionals need proper tools and training to make truly data-driven decisions that positively impact the business. Used properly, people analytics can lead to a better understanding of:
- Reasons for turnover
- Costs of turnover and recruiting new employees
- Reasons for high absenteeism and number of days off.
Its goal is to tell leaders what to focus on, understand the data, determine what drives human capital excellence and ROI, and measure and predict those factors.
People analytics in 2022 should tell meaningful stories – not just provide numbers. That’s what makes HR truly data-driven, just like sales or marketing, and helps remove frustration and guesswork from the decision-making process.
And that seems to be the key trend at HR in 2022 – getting HR to develop a strategic vision based on data, rather than spending time on operational tasks.
If you are ready to try People Analytics and see the value it can bring to your business, sign up for our free demo. Our experts will be happy to explain all the details and walk you through the entire process. Do not wait and – sign up today!
