Mindi Cox, Chief People Officer at O.C. Tanner.
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Since the Covid-19 pandemic, employers have navigated a dizzying array of trends: Remote collaboration. Back-to-the-office mandates. Quiet quitting. Quiet cutting. Quiet hiring. While the buzzwords that will dominate the work-related conversations and TikTok feeds in 2024 have yet to be coined, many leading organizations are getting ahead of the game by introducing effective changes that meet employees’ evolving demands.
As chief people office at O.C. Tanner, here are five trends I've observed among successful organizations that I expect to see more of in 2024.
1. Focus on skills building.
“How can I grow here?” Recent McKinsey research has delved into the frequency with which today’s applicants pose this question during job interviews. After many years of compensation being a primary driver to attracting talent, particularly in the tech industry, workers now place equal emphasis on career development. This isn’t unique to the tech world. At the O.C. Tanner Institute, our research found that 83% of workers say it’s important for prospective employers to offer skill-building opportunities.
When workers are satisfied with their employers’ skill-building efforts, they're more likely to produce high-caliber work. Therefore, leaders are recognizing that traditional programs with limited, predictable options will no longer suffice. In 2024, leading organizations will offer innovative skill-building programs that provide employees with abundant options, autonomy to explore their interests and recognition for their achievements.
Of course, the best results will come when employers take a collaborative approach and ask employees what they want to learn. When skills building is pursued in partnership with the workforce, and then paired with recognition to encourage and honor their learning, employees will likely feel connected to their leaders and that they’re getting what they really want from their work experience.
2. Offer equitable flexibility.
Employees crave flexibility. When they get it, they’re in a better position to give back. For example, when people are satisfied with their employer, they're more likely to refer others as potential hires. While the rise of remote work has made the employee experience more flexible than ever, oftentimes only certain teams can work remotely while others work specified shifts on site. Even though flexibility around how, where and when people do their jobs may vary by role or rank, these differences can breed resentment, and leaders are noticing.
Leaders can prioritize equitable flexibility in 2024 by finding ways to give all workers greater influence over what they do as well as how, when and where they do it. Even small measures—like making it easier for workers to leave for doctor appointments or allowing them to experiment with new ways of tackling tasks—can boost engagement, satisfaction and the sense of a flexible work environment.
3. Elevate “80% workers.”
Eighty percent of the global workforce is “deskless”—workers who spend most of their time away from desks, computers and office space. These critical employees do their jobs in factories, warehouses, hospitals, restaurants and other settings. But they often lack access to the standard tools and technologies of office life, leading them to feel overlooked, underappreciated and demoralized. Even leaders accustomed to managing high turnover now recognize the urgency of boosting every employee’s experience.
At O.C. Tanner, we expect to see a range of efforts to improve the 80% experience in 2024 as organizations seek to retain their people and inspire them to do great work. The most successful efforts will focus on access (the availability of technology, tools and experiences that connect employees to the organization) and enablement (the degree to which employees have autonomy, influence and voice).
4. Reward nimble resilience.
Organizations tend to prize resilience, the ability to withstand stress and bounce back from hardships. But in today’s highly dynamic work environments, resilience alone is insufficient. Throughout this year and beyond, we’ll start to see leaders adopt what we call “nimble resilience.” Rather than merely reacting to change, the nimbly resilient proactively pursue it and work to make agile pivots.
This will require a major shift in mindset across all levels of an organization. Employees and leadership must see challenges as newfound opportunities to innovate. This culture shift isn't easy, but organizations can begin to foster it by introducing policies and programs that encourage behavior like collaboration and cross-disciplinary thinking. This is how nimble resilience thrives, which also allows businesses to prioritize employees' well-being and psychological safety.
5. Change up change management.
When organizations undertake change management processes, senior leaders typically design a transformation strategy and create detailed implementation roadmaps. Copious memos usually follow, directing managers to execute on the plans—which they may not understand or endorse—and persuading workers to buy in. This top-down approach has lost its relevance. Organizational changes that don’t incorporate employees’ and managers’ input are unlikely to gain their support—making lasting change impossible.
In 2024, we’ll see more organizations experiment with a people-centered approach to change management. Managers will be involved in shaping plans from the outset and given ample resources to help their people navigate the disruption. Employees will have a voice in the process through surveys, focus groups, town halls or one-to-one conversations. And regardless of the outcome, they’ll receive the training and support they need to evolve alongside the organization.
2024 Is The Year To Invest In People
Even as technology and buzzword-heavy trends appear to reshape workplaces and entire industries, organizations are only as strong as their people. Throughout the year, top leaders will make strategic investments that prioritize high performance by encouraging and celebrating their people and their progress. With the right approach to equitable experiences, flexibility, skill building and change, organizations can elevate their performance and the human beings who power them.
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