Heading into 2023
Yes, we understand you are most likely tired of hearing about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we are still seeing the drastic effects that it had on the workplace and it jump started many changes that we will continue to see in 2023. As explained in Metlife’s 20th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Survey, the disruptions over the past year have really made employees rethink about what is important and will be shaping the workplace trends for this coming year.
Many individuals report wanting to explore more meaningful work, prioritize personal and family commitments over careers, and/or start their own businesses in 2023. As a result, employers must figure out how to address low job satisfaction rates and meet new employee expectations of work-life balance and sense of purpose from various generations, races, gender identities, and industries. While that sounds overwhelming, there is a very simple solution: focus on employee well-being. We are not just talking about physical health either, the goal for 2023 needs to be focusing on the whole employee and their sense of purpose.
2023 Workplace Trends
Holistic Health
Even without supporting data, we can all agree that employees are burnout and exhausted. It is clear how mentally taxing the last three years have been for employees and employers alike. Metlife’s study found that 72% employers say stress and/or burnout are a huge challenge and concern for their organization heading into the new year, and this is after spending a majority of 2022 promoting mental health. That is why, moving forward, a majority of surveyed organizations plan on refocusing their efforts on holistic health.
Including benefits and policies within your organizations that support employees’ physical, mental, emotional, social and financial health is sure to have numerous benefits for everyone involved. In fact, holistically healthy employees are 74% more likely to be satisfied with their job, 51% more likely to say they intend to be at their organization in 12 months’ time, and 54% more likely to be productive.
Fostering Purpose
According to a study by BlackRock, an American global investment management corporation based in New York City, employees are more engaged and satisfied when they can define their individual purpose. After the chaos of the past few years, many employees also state that having a sense of purpose at work is more important to them than the actual paycheck. Having purposeful work has also been shown to encourage employees to stay at their job for 2x longer than those who do not have purposeful work. Two main ways to help foster purpose in the workplace are:
- Be very deliberate and precise when it comes to communicating organizational goals and the role employees play in the success of those goals.
- Create or provide learning opportunities so employees can grow within their role and have options for being promoted within the organization.
To learn how Health Designs can help you achieve these two goals, as well as any additional goals you may have for 2023, contact us today!
