10 Best Practices for Organizations to Embrace New Workplace Trends
Today’s workplaces are not what they used to be. Traditional workplace norms are being challenged by new trends driven by creativity, technology, and a new generation of workers. Each year, we witness a metamorphosis in working, interacting, and thriving professionally. But this year, a fresh breeze of change has swept through our workplaces, undeniably influenced by TikTok.
Here, we explore some of the exciting and sometimes surprising workplace trends that TikTok ushered in this year. We look at how companies can adapt to changing workplace trends in order to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture.
Understanding Different TikTok Workplace Trends
Many of today’s workplace trends find their roots in the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As employees grappled with remote work, burnout, and a reevaluation of their career priorities during and after the lockdowns, TikTok and other social channels became a hub for sharing insights, frustrations, and coping mechanisms.
Younger generations, like Millennials and Gen Z, have different expectations and priorities when it comes to their careers. They often prioritize work-life balance, purpose-driven work, and are more likely to job-hop than previous generations.
In addition, economic conditions, such as inflation, the cost of living, and wage stagnation, also influenced employees’ decisions to seek higher-paying jobs or explore alternative and new work arrangements. TikTok-driven workplace trends emphasize a reimagined workplace with more meaningful, balanced, and flexible career experiences for employees.
Here’s an overview of some of employee trends and what each of them mean:
Great Resignation: A mass exodus of employees across various industries searching for better opportunities, work-life balance, remote work flexibility, better compensation, positive company culture, or more fulfilling careers.
Quiet Quitting: Employees disengage from their jobs mentally and emotionally without overtly resigning, often leading to less productivity and job satisfaction. It is a way of setting boundaries and prioritizing well-being.
Quiet Firing: When management fails to provide enough coaching, support, and career development to an employee or creates unfavorable working conditions to induce an underperforming employee to quit.
Quiet Hiring: When a company acquires new talent without adding full-time workers. Usually, this entails expanding the responsibilities of present employees beyond the scope of their current job descriptions. Examples include changing jobs or taking up new initiatives inside the company.
Bare Minimum Mondays: Taking it easy on Mondays and doing the least amount of work possible. This is touted to ease back into the workweek and avoid burnout or a lack of enthusiasm.
Lazy-girl Jobs: Well-paying jobs that are easy, flexible, fun, can be done from home within the standard 9-to-5, and have undemanding tasks and easygoing managers.
Resenteeism: The phenomenon of showing up to work physically but not mentally or emotionally. Some workers are experiencing resentment due to boredom, frustration, or lack of motivation.
Rage Applying: Impulsive job applications fueled by frustration, anger, desperation, or impulse with the current workplace, which can lead to bad career decisions.
These trends reflect the evolving employee engagement and the changing workplace dynamics and challenges in today’s workplaces, shaped by changing employee attitudes, work conditions, and societal influences.
Employers who want to attract and retain top talent must be aware of these trends and adapt their workplace culture accordingly. They need to create a workplace where employees feel valued, respected, and supported.
10 Strategies to Embrace Change and Build a Supportive Work Environment
- Embrace flexible work arrangements
Offer remote or hybrid work options to give employees the flexibility to work where and when they’re most productive. Ensure employees have the equipment and software they need to do their jobs effectively, regardless of where they work.
- Focus on mental health and wellness
Make mental health a priority by offering resources, counseling, support groups, and wellness programs. Create a stigma-free zone where employees can openly discuss their well-being. Promote healthy work habits by encouraging employees to take breaks, exercise, and eat healthy meals.
- Implement diversity and inclusion initiatives
Recruit a diverse workforce. Implement bias-free hiring practices and training. Actively promote inclusivity and diversity by fostering an environment where every voice is heard, regardless of background. Support diversity and inclusion initiatives: Sponsor employee resource groups and other initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion.
- Promote work-life balance
Offer flexible schedules, reasonable workloads, and encourage vacations to recharge. Encourage employees to take breaks throughout the day, set clear expectations for work hours, and discourage employees from working long hours regularly.
- Establish employee feedback channels
Create open feedback channels or regular surveys where employees can express their ideas and concerns. Hold one-on-one meetings with managers. Act on their input to show you value their insights.
- Enhance onboarding and retention strategies
Develop comprehensive onboarding programs to help new hires settle in smoothly. Implement retention strategies that recognize and reward loyalty and dedication. Provide regular training and development opportunities to help them grow their skills and knowledge.
- Create employee resource groups (ERGs)
Support and promote ERGs to create a sense of belonging among employees with shared interests or backgrounds. Encourage collaboration and networking. Promote and provide ERGs with the resources they need, such as meeting space, funding, and support from HR.
- Implement training and support management
Change in companies is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be disruptive. Structured training and support management can help employees adapt more smoothly. Employees need to be informed of the change early and often. They might need training and support such as workshops, mentoring, or access to learning materials to enhance their skills, knowledge and capabilities to quickly adapt to the change.
- Recognize employee efforts
Regularly acknowledge and reward outstanding contributions. Celebrate achievements to boost motivation and morale across the organization. Publicly recognize employees’ achievements during team meetings or company-wide events. Offer meaningful rewards such as gift cards, extra vacation days, or opportunities for advancement.
- Engage in team activities or events
Organize team-building activities to help employees get to know each other and build relationships. Encourage collaboration, creativity, and a sense of togetherness among your staff. Host social events like happy hours, fun Fridays, or holiday parties. Encourage employees to participate in community service activities as a team. Implementing these strategies can help your organization not only adapt to change in your workplace but also create a work environment that is supportive, inclusive, and conducive, where employees can flourish and contribute their best.
Final Thoughts
Understanding your employees’ perspectives and adapting strategies is the key to sustaining motivation and productivity. Our modern intranet solution, PeopleOne, is designed to help you engage and boost employee morale effectively. It facilitates open communication and collaboration and keeps your organization agile in response to evolving needs.
By investing in a modern intranet solution like PeopleOne, businesses can create a more engaged and productive workforce, which is essential to success in today’s competitive market and to navigate the emerging workplace trends.
