Research

People and workplace trends for the year ahead

The EMEA People & Workplace Trends Report for 2023 surfaces the HCM, content and learning trends most likely to influence EMEA talent leaders in the next 12 months.
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Talent leaders are the golden thread to success

Strengthening economic headwinds, geo-political unrest, the cost-of-living crisis, the skills shortage and sustainability are just some of the factors forcing organisations to pivot fast and pre-empt threats. Here’s a flavour of the trends you can expect in 2023 as you plan the future workplace and workforce.

Trend 1. Retention programs matched to expectations:

Free pizza on a Friday no longer cuts it The next-generation workforce wants more from their employer, including empowered career development, real-time performance feedback and continuous lifelong learning.

Retention is a key trend for 2023

96%

cite employee experience as the top lever for HR’s future success.

17%

of employees describe their employee experience as ‘irresistible.’

How to better match retention programs to expectations

How to better match retention programs to expectations

  • Sense shifts in your skills needs in real-time, developing skills dynamically in the moment of need.
  • Introduce an internal ‘opportunity marketplace’ to connect talent to work opportunities.
  • Collect and act upon more insights into the employee experience.

Retention and the cost-of-living crisis

Smart employers are exploring innovative ways to support staff during the cost-of-living crisis and aid retention. This includes grocery shopping discounts, finance education and gift cards.

Trend 2. Sustainability learning content to soar in 2023

Change is coming fast to the learning content landscape

84%

of Gen Z reports burnout. Employees want autonomy to control when, where and how they work.

  • Tomorrow’s workforce wants personalised content on demand and in the flow of work.
  • Applications like Glassdoor expose how good you are to work for. You need a culture of inclusion to improve brand reputation.

Surge in sustainability content in 2023

100%

increase in demand for sustainability learning content in 2022 versus 2021. It is also likely to overtake other learning priorities in the coming years.

51%

of students would accept a lower salary to work for an environmentally responsible company.

  • By investing in sustainability content, companies respect their environmental impact.
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  • Sustainability content reduces the impact on society and motivates employees.

Trend 3. It’s time to democratise learning

Where new learning opportunities are rapid and continuous, people grow and so does the organisation.

Where new learning opportunities are rapid and continuous, people grow and so does the organisation.

Challenges exist in providing growth experiences

  • Organisations struggle to anticipate skills and align skills with talent mobility.
  • Tracking learning and skills growth is frequently fragmented.
  • Legacy processes make it harder to deliver personalised and hybrid work experiences.

Sharing is c̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ engaging

  • In 2023, organisations will continue to harness the power of learning experience platforms (LXPs) to democratise learning.
  • LXPs bring together experiential learning, content and skill building, transforming learning into a connected engine of growth, agility and mobility.
  • This drives a sense of inclusion and autonomy, fuelling satisfaction, retention and growth.

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