12 HR Trends for 2023: Humanising (the Future of) Work

This is the moment for HR and People Analytics. This generation of HR leaders has been appointed by history to define the workplace of the post-industrial era

Those were the words of Diane Gherson, former chief human resources officer at IBM and now a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, when she addressed people analytics leaders at the Insight222 Global Executive Retreat in Boston in October. Diane’s inspirational clarion call is the perfect preface to my annual ritual of gazing into the crystal ball to ponder what’s in store for HR in the next calendar year.

I’ve worked in the HR industry now for a quarter of a century, and by my estimation this is the most exciting – and the most challenging – time to be in the field. Since the turn of the decade, we’ve had a global pandemic, war and now a likely global recession. During this time, the chief human resources officer (CHRO) and the HR function have become as important to the organisation as the chief financial officer and the finance function were during the Global Financial Crisis.

When you add in other macro factors such as the fourth industrial revolution, the changing nature of jobs, the rise of hybrid work, the skills shortage, raised employee expectations, and the diversity agenda – all topics with people at the core – it’s easy to see why expectation levels on CHROs and the functions they lead are at an all-time high.

I’ve been compiling this annual set of trends since 2014, and it’s ostensibly been a solo effort, which may account for the questionable track record of the accuracy of the predictions. So, I thought it was time to change direction and in the words of The Beatles, ‘get by with a little help from my friends’ by forming a ‘band’ to help compile the track listing for 2023. Fortunately, thanks to a terrific reaction, this band is definitely more Spiders from Mars than Tin Machine, and has enabled an eclectic compilation to be assembled.

The 2023 edition of the HR Trends wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of an amazing group of people. Thank you for contributing to what I hope is a helpful resource for the community. So, thank you to (in no particular order): Diane Gherson, Dave Ulrich, Katarina Berg, John Boudreau, Anna A. Tavis, Ph.D, Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Dawn Klinghoffer, Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA, Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MAfN, Andrew Marritt, Kathleen Hogan, Tanuj Kapilashrami and Ian Bailie.

As such I have higher than usual levels of confidence that the 2023 trends are more salient than prior editions. They are also informed by data, research, the experience of working with over 100 global organisations as part of the work we do at Insight222, and conversations with colleagues, peers and guests on the Digital HR Leaders Podcast. Whether any of this helps, we’ll have to wait 12 months to find out!

GET INVOLVED: WHAT SHOULD TRENDS #11 and #12 BE?

Studious readers will note that the title and accompanying image indicate 12 trends, whereas only ten are outlined. That is because – as was the case in the previous two years - I’m keen to crowdsource the final two trends from readers of this article. What other trends should be included? Please let me know in the comments section below, and I’ll add my favourite two to an updated version in the New Year.

***UPDATE JANUARY 9, 2023 - TRENDS 11 AND 12***

I've been blown away by the amazing response to my invitation for readers to help me crowdsource predictions #11 and #12. At the time of writing, over 80 people have submitted a total in excess of 150 ideas. I’m blown away and immensely grateful. Thanks to all of you who took the time to contribute.

With so many compelling ideas it's been a challenge to select the two to add to the 2023 trends, but as I did last year, I've opted to go with the weight of opinion. When I analysed the 150+ suggestions, four broad topics emerge: i) Empowering employees, managers and leaders with people data, ii) Redesigning work, iii) Elevating the focus on teams, and iv) Transforming HR through automation. Many contributors also emphasised the importance of effective change management, which I agree is a key component of realising any of the 12 trends.

I could make a case for any two of these four topics, but after much consideration made the decision that trend 11 for 2023 will be empowering managers, employees and leaders with people data, and trend 12 is redesigning work (with elevating teams being a sub-component). More detail in the new sections for #11 and #12 below.

LISTEN TO THE 2023 HR TRENDS PODCAST

We’ve recorded a special episode of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast where I'm joined by Diane Gherson, Dave Ulrich and Ian Bailie to discuss the year ahead and what HR leaders and professionals should do to prepare for the future. You can listen by clicking the image below, this link: The Top HR Trends That Are Set to Disrupt The Workplace in 2023, or by following the Digital HR Leaders podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google or Amazon.

THE 2023 HR TRENDS

1. TACKLING RECESSION VIA A PEOPLE FIRST APPROACH

The only certainty in the 2020s it seems is uncertainty - and huge doses of it. The most consistent theme in the suggestions provided by contributors to the 2023 trends is the potential impact of the economic downturn and forecasted recession on the work of HR. As a number of contributors highlighted, this will be the first experience of a recession for many leaders, workers and HR professionals. Will organisations and leaders revert to pre-Covid mindsets on the balance of power between employers and employees (e.g. where, when and how work gets done), and take the traditional approach of using layoffs to manage costs? With this downturn likely to paradoxically coincide with heightened talent scarcity and competition, a different and braver approach will be required. Emboldened with data, driven by a purpose to put employees at the centre, and with their influence on the c-suite higher than ever, HR has the opportunity to take leaders on a different path to (in the words of John Boudreau): “better understand the nuances of the work relationship and business cycles that include downturns.”

2. SOLVING THE ‘PRODUCTIVITY PARADOX’ OF HYBRID

Other than a few outliers (most notoriously Elon Musk), most companies have now adopted some form of hybrid working. However, the disconnect between employers and employees on whether hybrid enhances or impacts productivity continues to widen. Microsoft’s Work Trends Index categorised the debate as ‘Productivity Paranoia’ (see FIG 1). If anything, the increasing likelihood of a combination of a global recession coupled with a continuing skills shortage is likely to pour further fuel on what is already a contentious tinder box topic. This is where we need less dogma, and more data. Now that most companies have begun to engage in true hybrid work, data is imperative to help companies understand key questions such as: What’s working? What isn’t? Why are we more, or less productive/agile/innovative either working remotely or working from the office? When does in person matter? How should we redesign work, workforces, and workplaces for the hybrid era? These are big questions - ones that require data, collaboration, and experimentation. The answers are likely to evolve over time and will shape the agenda for years to come. Solving the ‘Productivity Paradox’ is an enormous opportunity for HR and people analytics professionals to lead the design of the organisation of the future, one that is fully adaptive to hybrid work, workplace and workforce, and also has purpose, value and culture at its heart.

3. BUILDING THE SKILLS-BASED ORGANISATION

Three-quarters of CEOs are concerned about the availability of key skills and how this could constrain them from acquiring, developing, and retaining the talent they need to drive growth. This is prompting an increasing number of companies to transition towards a ‘skills-based organisation’. The effort to do so should not be underestimated especially as the consequence of this shift is that the dominant structure of work for the past century – the job – is increasingly being disrupted: “We have 140 years of learned behaviour on the part of leaders and managers that we are attempting to change” as Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA astutely observes. We are still in the early stages of the transition with research by Deloitte finding that fewer than one in five organisations are currently adopting skills-based approaches to a significant extent. However, the same study found that 90% are moving towards a skills-based approach. This tallies with our research at Insight222, which found that nearly all companies (90%) expressed a desire to build a skills-based approach to workforce planning but that only a quarter are currently doing so. Trends to look out for in this area include, first: expect to see HR lead the way as companies develop new operating models (see example in FIG 3) and revamp work design (see FIG 4) as part of the transition to a skills-based organisation. Second, greater emphasis on hiring for skills (McKinsey reports that hiring for skills is five times more predictive of job performance than hiring for education) enabling, as contributor Anna A. Tavis, Ph.D envisions, HR to ramp up efforts to hire ‘hidden workers’ and embrace non-traditional talent. Third, more investment in internal talent marketplaces leading to more gigs, increased focus on internal mobility, greater agility and productivity (e.g. Standard Chartered unlocked productivity of $2.1m from a talent marketplace pilot in India) and the rise of innovative new practices such as sharing talent between organisations. And finally, growing recognition that skills are not only a key component of corporate social responsibility, but also in harnessing skills data to personalise the employee experience. Companies leading the way in this shift include: Unilever (1, 2), Spotify, Novartis and IBM – where “skills is a silver thread across the employee journey.”

4. GENERATING VALUE WITH PEOPLE ANALYTICS

The People analytics market was buoyant in 2022, and despite the macroeconomic context is set to continue to soar in 2023, especially in functions that are delivering demonstrable value to their companies. Insight222’s third annual People Analytics Trends study highlighted the continued growth in the importance and influence of people analytics in global organisations. People analytics leaders are gaining more influence across the top of organisations, with 21% of leaders reporting directly to the CHRO, compared to 13% in 2021. Moreover, of the 184 companies that participated in the research, 88% had worked on topics requested by the board of directors in the prior 12 months. Leading Companies invest, measure and scale people analytics more than other companies and display seven characteristics (see FIG 5) that enables them to deliver value on a consistent basis. At its most impactful, people analytics is contributing millions of dollars of value to the top and bottom lines as well as helping to solve a multitude of talent challenges and creating a positive impact on workforce experience, culture and even society. Investment in the field is set to continue with 68% of the 184 companies surveyed by Insight222 predicting that their team size will grow in the next 18–24 months. In 2023, I expect to see the work of people analytics teams focusing on solving the biggest questions CEOs are asking, understanding when in-person matters (see Trend #2), progressing the DEI agenda, improving wellbeing, productising and personalising the employee experience, and (as suggested by contributor Andrew Marritt) increasingly using mixed methods approaches in their analyses. If HR is going to fulfil the lofty expectations placed on its shoulders and successfully grasp the golden opportunity in front of it, then people analytics has a pivotal role to play. 

At its most impactful, people analytics is contributing millions of dollars of value to the top and bottom lines 

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5. AMPLIFYING THE EMPLOYEE VOICE

In research conducted with member organisations of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, we discovered that companies that ‘do employee listening well’ focus on business outcomes and key c-suite topics. They scale employee listening across the enterprise. And they take the insights they gather to enable decisions that benefit both the company and the employees – the very people that are being ‘listened to.’ As employee listening can deliver substantial returns to the organisation, it is perhaps not surprising that the frequency and sophistication of, and investment in, employee listening programs are all rising. Employee listening is also increasingly being coupled with people analytics. A recent Insight222 study found that people analytics teams are responsible for employee listening in 61% of companies. Perhaps more tellingly, the same study found that in the 69% of these organisations where people analytics is responsible for employee listening, the company has a clearly defined employee listening strategy. In comparison, only 43% of companies have a clearly defined strategy where people analytics is not responsible for employee listening. Examples of companies who combine people analytics with employee listening and are delivering value include Microsoft (see 1, 2 and 3), ABN Amro and Uber. Trends to look out for in the future of employee listening include more: i) active listening channels (e.g. video, voice, text, chat) for employees to actively provide feedback, ii) collection of passive listening meta data (e.g. calendar, email, collaboration tools etc), and iii) text analytics to get deeper insights from employee comments, which as Andrew Marritt comments will help highlight: “work intensity and job quality as key issues in employee feedback.”

People analytics teams are responsible for employee listening in 61% of companies

6. HUMANISING THE WORK EXPERIENCE

It’s difficult to disagree with Josh Bersin’s assertion that the post-pandemic era is quickly becoming defined by employee experience: “How your organization shapes the way people work and live—from productivity to flexibility, wellbeing, health, and everything in between.” Coupled with the fact that we are living in the age of AI and automation, Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic argues that this puts pressure on leaders to: “Provide not just a human, but also humane experience of work to employees.” There is an incontrovertible link between EX and people analytics. Both need the other to thrive. According to The State of EX 2022 report, the quality of data is a major barrier to achieving EX goals. The study also highlights that measuring the business/financial impact of EX improvements is the number one challenge, being a struggle for 85% of organisations. While for people analytics, our research at Insight222 has found that where the right data is being collected (see also #5) EX is consistently one of the top areas where people analytics is adding the most value. One company that is combining EX with analytics to personalise the employee experience is ABN Amro, but critically as Patrick Coolen explains: “We only apply personalized analytics if it benefits the employee.” This is an approach that makes it more likely that you’ll get the support of chief privacy officers, works councils and employees themselves. EX provides the catalyst for HR to become “the motor of a continuously changing organization that serves employees.” As HR professionals we have, in Diane Gherson’s words, the opportunity “to define the workplace of the post-industrial era” and craft cultures that are inclusive, healthier, psychologically safe, fairer, agile, humane, and ultimately more successful.

EX provides the catalyst for HR to become "the motor of a continuously changing organization that serves employees"

7. ADVANCING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

For the second consecutive year, research by Insight222 found that diversity and inclusion is the top area where people analytics is adding the most business value. In many companies we’ve studied, the partnership between people analytics and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) specialists is enabling organisations to move the dial and drive action on DEIB topics including pay equity, bias, inclusivity, intersectionality and homophily. While this progress is to be welcomed, there is still a long way to go as research on the DEI maturity of organisations by Ella F. Washington, Ph.D. (see FIG 6) finds. Nevertheless, there are many reasons to expect more progress. First, the amplification of the employee voice has made it crystal clear to leaders that action on DEIB issues is expected by the workforce, which partly explains why more companies are being increasingly transparent about DEIB – witness companies such as Microsoft, Target and PwC publishing an annual DEIB report. Second, evidence of the business value of DEI is stronger than ever – for example a RedThread Research and Degreed study found that organisations that foster DEIB are 81% more likely to have higher customer satisfaction. Third, the growth of people analytics and its strong focus on the topic is seeing measurement of DEIB getting more sophisticated, more insightful and more action oriented. One trend to look out for in the DEIB space in 2023, according to Katarina Berg, chief people officer at Spotify, in her contribution the 2023 trends, is: “we will see more and more of DEI by design” in line with the end-to-end employee experience.

8. FOSTERING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING AT WORK

Burnout is real and has serious ramifications for an increasing number of people in the workplace with regards to their physical and mental health. A 2022 study by the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) of more than 15,000 employees and 1,000 HR decision-makers in 15 countries highlighted how the impact of the pandemic has seen burnout levels reach an all-time high with one in four employees experiencing symptoms of burnout. Microsoft’s chief people officer, Kathleen Hogan, encapsulates the challenge as a Human Energy Crisis, with social unrest, geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty part of a perfect storm causing further strain and exacerbating burnout. What can be done? A clue was provided by Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MAfN, one of the authors of the MHI study, in her conversation with me on the Digital HR Leaders podcast where she called for organisations to take a systemic approach to improving employee mental health and wellbeing. In her contribution to the 2023 Trends, Jacqui paints a vision where: “The next horizon of mental health and wellbeing programs will be integrated into the core business strategy and throughout the entire employee life cycle (from attraction to onboarding, development and retention) in support of the employee value proposition.” As HR professionals we have the opportunity – and responsibility – to turn the rising tide of burnout, employ effective listening (see also Trend #5) and then action, callout toxic behaviour, integrate mental health and wellbeing into employee experience programs, and so create happier and healthier workplaces. As Kathleen Hogan proclaims: “Now more than ever, positive business outcomes depend on positive people outcomes.”

Now more than ever, positive business outcomes depend on positive people outcomes

9. ENABLING PURPOSE AND ESG

Organisations are facing increasing scrutiny and pressure to focus on its environmental, social and governance (ESG) proposition. This pressure is coming from external bodies such as regulators and investors, but also from employees who are increasingly focused on topics like purpose, meaningful work and sustainability and the impact that their companies have on the climate and society. Research by McKinsey found that when employees find their work to be meaningful, their performance improves by 33 percent, they are 75 percent more committed to their organisation, and are 49 percent less likely to leave. In his contribution to the 2023 trends, John Boudreau comments that: “Workers will increasingly demand to see the tangible effects of their efforts on ESG outcomes, and the best workers will vote with their feet, choosing organisations that match their values.” Dave Ulrich draws on the parallels between ESG and the work of HR, and how human capability is both a subset and an enabler of ESG (see FIG 8). McKinsey’s Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MAfN envisions: “More transparency, measurement, analytics, and reporting by HR, particularly in the ‘S’ of ESG,” and that these will be woven into existing engagement, DEI and other people metrics. This is a trend that will play out over a number of years, but in 2023 expect to see HR – and people analytics teams – play an increasingly important role in their organisation’s ESG proposition, and perhaps more importantly, help move purpose from rhetoric to action.

10. UPSKILLING HR

Upskilling in HR is important. To deliver on the raised expectations of leaders and employees, as well as chief people officers themselves, and capitalise on the opportunity in front of the function, the skills of HR professionals need to evolve. In the HR Competencies and Capabilities Study, Dave Ulrich and his team identified five key competencies and actions for HR professionals: to accelerate business results, advance human capability, mobilise information, foster collaboration, and simplify complexity. These dovetail well with the HR in the Digital Age research we undertook at Insight222, which identified nine skills for the future HR professional to be more data driven, experience led, and business focused. Together these skills will help HR professionals develop a digital mindset to solve business challenges, enhance culture, improve employee experience, and drive productivity. If we take the data driven element as an example, the gap between expectation and reality can be seen. Insight222’s recent study of 184 global organisations, found while 85% of CHROs have made it clear that data and analytics are an essential part of HR strategy, only 49% of these same companies currently have a data driven culture for people data and analytics. 2023 is the year to close that gap. To provide an illustration of how, examples are provided below, i) of an immersive cohort based learning experience, coupling interactive bootcamps and digital learning (FIG 9) we deliver at Insight222 to companies to help HR professionals build advanced capabilities in data-driven skills that can immediately be applied on the job, and ii) highlights (FIG 10) from a conversation I had with Anshul Sheopuri, Chief Data and Technology Officer for HR at IBM, on the Digital HR Leaders podcast on how IBM has built a data-driven culture in HR.

11. EMPOWERING MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES AND LEADERS WITH PEOPLE DATA

This was the most common suggestion from the 80+ people that submitted ideas for what Trend 11 and 12 should be. As Lexy Martin writes, companies can scale the value of people analytics by helping managers make better decisions about talent and work. While Patrick Coolen, Andrew Marritt, Ralf Buechsenschuss and Jeff Wellstead all focused on how employees can benefit through personalised insights to improve performance and inform career paths and development. Our research at Insight222 certainly supports that by democratising people data to leaders, managers and employees, and enabling them to use it, not only can companies improve decision making and create value, they also create a 'fair exchange of value' where the people that provide the data (namely employees) gain personal benefit. In Tom Redman's words: "People take back their work lives when they learn to use data, to improve quality and/or their team's work."

12. REDESIGNING WORK

Three ideas are incorporated under the 'Redesigning Work' trend: based on contributions from RJ Milnor, Mark Lawrence, Tiago Espinhaco-Gomes, Kevin Empey, Louis Gordon, Deborah Caulet, Amrita Kumari and Scott Perkins. Namely i) job/work design, which RJ perfectly encapsulates as: "redesigning work to be more effective, both higher impact for the business and more energising and humane for the worker", ii) incorporating automation into workforce planning, iii) incorporating agile as we transition to new work models and flatter organisational hierarchies, and, iv) making serious consideration to the implementation of the four day week as a win-win for employees and companies. By combining these topics, HR can help lead the redesign of work, workforce and workplace to enable a more productive and humane future of work.

RESOURCES

The long list of resources below informed the 2023 Trends and are recommended for further reading:

Introduction

This is the moment for HR and people analytics by Diane Gherson (LinkedIn, 2022), Fourth Industrial Revolution (World Economic Forum, 2022)

1 Tackling recession via a ‘people first’ approach

On the cusp of a new era? by Chris Bradley, Jeongmin Seong 成政珉, Sven Smit, and Jonathan Woetzel (McKinsey, 2022), 4 Advantages of People Analytics in a Recession by Phil Schrader (One Model, 2022), How to Use Talent Intelligence to Support Your Organisation in a Recession by Toby Culshaw and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), The Confusing Job Market: CEOs and CHROs Seem Baffled by Josh Bersin (joshbersin.com, 2022), What matters most? Six priorities for CEOs in turbulent times by Homayoun Hatami and Liz Hilton Segel (McKinsey, 2022), Preparing our Company for the Next Recession - Donald Sull (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2022)

2 Solving the ‘Productivity Paradox’ of hybrid

Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong? (Microsoft Work Trends Index, 2022), Microsoft CEO explains the 'paradox' of the remote work debate by Daniel Howley (Yahoo! Finance, 2022), The Fragility of Informal Interactions with Hybrid Work by Michael Arena (HR Exchange, 2022), The Adaptive Hybrid: Innovation with Virtual Work by Michael Arena, Glenn Carroll, Charles O'Reilly, John Golden, Ph.D. and Scott Hines, PhD (MBR, 2022), The new possible: How HR can help build the organization of the future by Asmus Komm, Florian Pollner, Bill Schaninger, and Surbhi Sikka (McKinsey, 2021), Experiments and Data for Post-COVID-19 Work Arrangements by Tom Davenport and Tom Redman (MIT Sloan Management Review, March 2021), How to Do Hybrid Right by Lynda Gratton (Harvard Business Review, May 2021), How Spotify Developed Its Successful Work From Anywhere Program by Anna Lundström and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), Optimizing Return-to-Office Strategies With Organizational Network Analysis by Rob Cross and Peter Gray (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2021), From high-tech offices to boosted benefits: How HR executives at Amazon, Google, and 8 other Fortune 500 companies are developing return-to-office strategies (Fortune, 2022)

3 Building the skills-based organisation

Upskilling: Building confidence in an uncertain world: Findings from PwC’s Global Annual CEO Survey (PwC, 2020), Work Without Jobs by Ravin Jesuthasan and John Boudreau (MIT Press, 2022), The skills-based organization: A new operating model for work and the workforce by Susan Cantrell, Michael Griffiths, Robin Jones, Julie Hiipakka (Deloitte, 2022), The Journey to a Skills-based Organisation and the Role of the Talent Marketplace? by Ravin Jesuthasan and David Green (myHRfuture, 2022), Global Talent Trends 2022 (Mercer, 2022), Does the Future of Work Mean Work Without Jobs? by Ravin Jesuthasan, John Boudreau and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), Taking a skills-based approach to building the future workforce by Bryan Hancock, Chris Higgins, Jonathan Law, Sarah Olson, Nikhil Patel, and Katie Van Dusen, What Outperformers Do Differently to Tap Internal Talent by Nithya Vaduganathan, Ben Zweig, Colleen McDonald, and Lisa K. Simon (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2022), 5 lessons the earliest talent marketplace adopters want HR leaders to know by Nicole Schreiber-Shearer (Gloat, 2022), Building an Effective Skill-Based Workforce Planning Capability by Ian Bailie (myHRfuture, 2021),  Foundations of trustworthy AI: Trusted AI for the workforce by Anshul Sheopuri (IBM, 2021), Celebrating One Year With Echo by Michaela Krantz (Spotify HR Blog, 2022), How Unilever has Created a Culture of Internal Talent Mobility by Jeroen Wels and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2021), How Unilever is Creating New Ways of Working for Its Employees by Placid Jover and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), How Novartis is Building a Skills Operating System for Workforce Planning by René Gessenich and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), How IBM is Reinventing HR with AI and People Analytics by Diane Gherson and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2021), Linking People Analytics to Business Impact by Jordan Pettman, Tertia Wiedenhof and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky: Skills, Not Degrees, Matter Most in Hiring by Ryan Roslansky and Adi Ignatius (Harvard Business Review, 2022), 20+ CHROs talk about the skills-based organisation in Amsterdam by Borek Boelens (TechWolf, 2022), Investing for a resilient and inclusive future of work by Tanuj Kapilashrami (LinkedIn, 2022)

4 Generating value with people analytics

Impacting Business Value: Leading Companies in People Analytics by Jonathan Ferrar, Naomi Verghese and Nerea González Sedano (Insight222, 2022), Seven Characteristics of Leading Companies That Impact Business Value Through People Analytics by Naomi Verghese (myHRfuture, 2022), This is the moment for HR and people analytics by Diane Gherson (LinkedIn, 2022), Talent at a turning point: How people analytics can help by Bryan Hancock, Bill Schaninger, Lucia Rahilly, and David Green (McKinsey Talks Talent podcast, 2022), Four ways to use qualitative data in People Analytics by Andrew Marritt (OrganizationView, 2022), Excellence in People Analytics by Jonathan Ferrar and David Green (Kogan Page, 2021), How to Build Excellence in People Analytics by Dave Ulrich, Jonathan Ferrar and David Green (Digital HR Leaders Podcast episode, 2021), How Microsoft Created A Thriving Workforce By Going Beyond Employee Engagement by Dawn Klinghoffer and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), Is the sky about to fall on People Analytics? by Max Blumberg 🇺🇦 and Alec Levenson (LinkedIn, 2022), How Can I Be More Successful at People Analytics? by Jonathan Ferrar (myHRfuture, 2022)

5 Amplifying the employee voice

Understanding the Heartbeat of the Organisation: A New Model for Employee Listening by Jay Dorio, Naomi Verghese and Dirk Petersen (Insight222, 2022 – access restricted to members of Insight222 People Analytics Program), Impacting Business Value: Leading Companies in People Analytics by Jonathan Ferrar, Naomi Verghese and Nerea Gonzàlez (Insight222, 2022), What is the Future of Employee Listening? by Melissa Arronte, David Ostberg (He/Him) and David Green (myHRfuture, 2022), How Microsoft Created A Thriving Workforce By Going Beyond Employee Engagement by Dawn Klinghoffer and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), How Uber Used Employee Listening to Develop its Return to Office Strategy by RJ Milnor and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), How ABN AMRO Delivers Business Value Using People Analytics by Patrick Coolen and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2021), Why Microsoft Measures Employee Thriving, Not Engagement by Dawn Klinghoffer and Elizabeth McCune, PhD (Harvard Business Review, 2022), Hybrid Tanked Work-Life Balance. Here’s How Microsoft Is Trying to Fix It by Dawn Klinghoffer (Harvard Business Review, 2021), Employee Listening and People Analytics A Match Made in Heaven? by Jasmine Panayides (myHRfuture, 2022), The Future of Work is Not About Where You Work; It is About How You Work and Measure Success by Philip Arkcoll and David Green (myHRfuture, 2022), Using your employee survey data to prioritise Employee Experience projects by Andrew Marritt (Organization View, 2022), The most important analysis you can do with employee pulse surveys by Andrew Marritt (Organization View, 2022), The State of Employee Listening 2022 by Emily Killham (Perceptyx, 2022), An Introduction to Employee Listening: Listen to the Heartbeat of Your Organisation Through Employee Listening by Jay Dorio (myHRfuture, 2022)     

6 Humanising the work experience

The Definitive Guide: Employee Experience by Josh Bersin (The Josh Bersin Company, 2021), I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique by Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (Harvard Business Review Press, published February 2023), How to Connect People Analytics and Employee Experience by Laura Stevens, PhD and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), The Big, Bad State of EX by Jennifer E. Sigler, PhD with Volker Jacobs and Timo Tischer (TI PEOPLE and FOUNT Global, Inc. 2022), To Craft a Better Employee Experience, Collect the Right Data by Mark Mortensen and Marilyn Zakhour (Harvard Business Review, 2022), Impacting Business Value: Leading Companies in People Analytics by Jonathan Ferrar, Naomi Verghese and Nerea Gonzàlez (Insight222, 2022), Crossing the second wall of HR by Patrick Coolen and Jaap Veldkamp (LinkedIn, 2022), Creating People Advantage 2021: The Future of People Management Priorities by Jens Stefan Baier, Jean-Michel Caye, Rainer Strack, Dr. Philipp Kolo, Amit Kumar, Fang Ruan, Bob Morton, Anthony Ariganello, Jorge Jauregui Morales, Lucas van Wees, Trent Burner, Wilson Wong (BCG, 2021), This is the moment for HR and people analytics by Diane Gherson (LinkedIn, 2022), Follow these 4 steps to create psychological safety in your teams by Amy Edmondson and Kim Scott (Fast Company, 2022)

7 Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion

How Does DEIB Impact Employee Wellbeing? by Manpreet Randhawa (myHRfuture, 2022), Impacting Business Value: Leading Companies in People Analytics by Jonathan Ferrar, Naomi Verghese and Nerea Gonzàlez (Insight222 2022), An Intersectional Approach to Inclusion at Work by Ludmila Praslova, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, Âû (Harvard Business Review, 2022), The Five Stages of DEI Maturity by Ella F. Washington, Ph.D. (Harvard Business Review, 2022), Microsoft 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Report: Driving progress through greater accountability and transparency by Lindsay-Rae McIntyre (Microsoft blog, 2022), Target's 2021 Workforce Diversity Report (Target, 2022), Our Diversity Data (PwC, 2021), Diversity wins: How inclusion matters by Sundiatu Dixon-Fyle, Kevin Dolan, Dame Vivian Hunt, and Sara Prince (McKinsey, 2021), The Skills Your Organization Needs to Achieve Your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Goals by Stacia Sherman Garr and Priyanka Mehrotra (RedThread Research and Degreed, 2021), Women in the Workplace (Leanin.org and McKinsey, 2022), Improve Your Diversity Measurement for Better Outcomes by Derek R. Avery, Enrica Ruggs, Larissa Garcia, Horatio Traylor, and Noelle London (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2022), Data-Driven Diversity by Joan C. Williams and Jamie Dolkas (Harvard Business Review, 2022), To Build a DEI Program That Works, You Need Metrics by Joan C. Williams, rachel korn, and Asma Ghani, Why Companies Need to Interrupt Bias to Truly Create Inclusion by Joan C. Williams and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2021), Stephanie Creary, Carolynn L. Johnson, MBA, Shujaat Ahmad and Matthew Bidwell - How Data Analytics Can Help Advance DEI

8 Fostering mental health and wellbeing at work

Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases (World Economic Forum, 2019), Addressing employee burnout: Are you solving the right problem? by Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MAfN, Erica Hutchins Coe, Martin Dewhurst, Kana Enomoto, Renata Giarola, Brad Herbig, and Barbara Jeffery (McKinsey Health Institute, 2022), Why Leaders Can’t Ignore the Human Energy Crisis by Kathleen Hogan (LinkedIn, 2022), Creating a Supportive Work Culture by Nurturing Mental Health & Wellbeing by Jacqui Brassey and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), How to Combat the Burnout Epidemic by Jennifer Moss and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great Resignation by Donald Sull, Charlie Sull and Ben Zweig (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2022), Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture by Donald Sull, Charles Sull, William Cipolli, and Caio Brighenti (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2022), How to Help Your Teams Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay by Mollie West Duffy, Liz Fosslien and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), 6 Ways to Reenergize a Depleted Team by Ron Carucci and Kathleen Hogan (Harvard Business Review, 2022), A Blueprint for the Emerging Mental Health

9 Enabling purpose and ESG

Excellence in People Analytics – Epilogue by Jonathan Ferrar and David Green (Kogan Page, 2021), Help your employees find purpose—or watch them leave by Naina Dhingra, Andrew Samo, Bill Schaninger, and Matthew Schrimper (McKinsey, 2021), Heat waves, the war in Ukraine, and stigma: Gen Z’s perspectives on mental health by Léa Arora, Erica Coe, Martin Dewhurst, and Kana Enomoto (McKinsey, 2022), ESG and the Role of the Chief Human Resources Officer (HR Policy Association, White Paper, 2019), ESG and Human Capability: Connecting Emerging Intangibles by Dave Ulrich (LinkedIn, 2022), Where to start? Mobilising and empowering your people to drive the climate strategy (WTW Towers Watson, July 2021), 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer: The Cycle of Distrust (Edelman, 2022), A Noble Purpose Alone Won’t Transform Your Company by Rob Cross, Amy Edmondson and Wendy Murphy (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2019)

10 Upskilling HR

Why is Upskilling in HR so Important? – Cedric Borzee (myHRfuture, 2022), Five HR Competencies and Actions to Enable Renewal through Human Capability by Dave Ulrich (2022), Is HR Ready for the Digital Age? By Ian Bailie and Caroline Styr (myHRfuture, 2021, 9 Skills HR Professionals Need to Succeed in the Digital Age by Caroline Styr (myHRfuture, 2021), How To Help Your Teams Develop A Digital Mindset by Paul Leonardi and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2022), Developing a Digital Mindset: How to lead your organization into the age of data, algorithms, and AI by Tsedal Neeley and Paul Leonardi (Harvard Business Review, 2022), Impacting Business Value: Leading Companies in People Analytics by Jonathan Ferrar, Naomi Verghese and Nerea González (2022), How to build Data Literacy in HR by Anshul Sheopuri and David Green (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2021), Accelerating the journey to HR 3.0 by Amy Wright, Janet Mertens, Diane Gherson and Josh Bersin (IBM, 2020), Reimagining HR: Insights from people leaders by Laura Blumenfeld, Neel Gandhi, Asmus Komm, and Florian Pollner (McKinsey 2022), The future of HR: From flux to flow by Robert Bolton, KPMG (KPMG, 2022)

LIST OF 2023 PREDICTIONS AND TRENDS

There is a plethora of other 2023 trends and predictions out there. Some that I recommend reading include: Natal Dank and Tom Haak - 9 HR Trends for 2023: Breaking Boundaries (HR Trend Institute) | Gartner - The Top HR Trends and Priorities For 2023 (Gartner) | Visier - Prepare for 2023: 10 HR Trends in the Workplace (Visier Inc.) | HR Tech Insiders - 2023 HR Tech Trends - 10 Key Predictions (HR Tech Insiders – includes Lexy Martin (she/her)) | Samriddhi Srivastava - Future of HR: 5 ways Human Resources will evolve in 2023 (People Matters)| McLean & Company - HR Trends Report 2023 (McLean & Company) | LinkedIn News - 41 Big Ideas that will change our world in 2023 | Lavinia Mehedințu, Offbeat - L&D Trends Map 2022 (Offbeat) | The Work Innovation Lab, Rebecca Hinds - Is workplace collaboration changing? 12 predictions for 2023 (Asana) | Cole Napper - People Analytics Trends: 2023 Priorities for People Analytics | Hung Lee - Forecasting the Year Ahead in Recruitment Part 1 and Part 2

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Green 🇺🇦 is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 90 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222 and taking up a board advisor role at TrustSphere, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and his book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.