The Biggest Workplace Trends for 2023

Whether you're a manager or an employee, you need to keep up with the trends in the workplace. According to the World Economic Forum, the most significant trends shaping our workplaces in 2023 will be remote work, women at the helm of leadership, upskilling programs, cybersecurity, and the gig economy.

Remote working

Whether hiring or managing employees, remote working is one of the biggest workplace trends for 2023. It's a growing industry that can benefit employees and employers.

Remote working has increased employee morale and helped improve productivity. In addition, it helps businesses save money on employee expenses and time spent commuting.

Remote working can be done from anywhere. This includes working from the comfort of your home, at your favorite coffee shop, or at an exotic locale. As a result, employers have more flexibility when it comes to scheduling. A flexible work schedule can help employees live healthier, happier lives.

One of the biggest challenges for remote workers is avoiding distractions. 15% of workers have reported feeling more distracted at home, compared to 15% who work in an office. However, virtual collaboration tools can help offset this concern.

Women at the helm

The most prominent workplace trends for 2023 are increased diversity and distributed leadership. The technology industry is an excellent example of this. Women in this sector are leading the way. They are taking on more leadership roles and creating cracks in the glass ceiling or simply building their enterprises and partnerships without barriers and ceilings.

The private sector has to work harder to promote women in leadership roles. In addition, we need to diversify our board rooms and offer more affordable childcare.

In 2023, women are expected to hold about one-quarter of all senior leadership roles. The report projects that women's share of leadership roles will reach 28 percent by 2030. Flexible work hours are becoming more common. These allow employees to balance their work and family lives. Companies should continue to offer these types of benefits because more employees will be looking for them.

Upskilling programs

Developing skills in the workplace has become a top priority for employers. The Workplace Intelligence survey found that 83% of employees were interested in improving their skills. This statistic should have companies ramping up their learning programs to retain the best employees.

A rapid pace of change characterizes the modern world of work. This means that companies need to adapt to these changes and ensure that they are implementing technology properly. The right training programs will help them succeed.

One of the biggest workplace trends in 2023 will be upskilling programs. These programs help employees develop new skills and learn new job roles. These skills will help employees advance their careers.

Upskilling programs will also allow businesses to react faster to the changes in the digital world. According to the World Economic Forum, more than half of the global workforce will need to upskill by 2025.

Security implications of a widely distributed workforce

Despite the many benefits of a distributed workforce, it also poses security challenges. Companies must adopt a secure-by-design approach and implement various security protocols to protect against common threats.

Security teams must also ensure that security extends beyond corporate devices. This includes protecting employees from phishing attacks and educating them on best practices.

The increase in cybercrime has paralleled the adoption of remote work. As businesses move workloads to the cloud, millions of new remote-access access points for sensitive data have come online. Misconfigurations compounded this expanded attack surface. 80% of reported data breaches were attributed to cloud misconfigurations.

Despite the emergence of new security protocols and strategies, businesses continue to be at risk of data attacks. One breach can compromise an entire network.

The gig economy

Whether a business owner, employee, or student, you're probably interested in what the gig economy offers. Gig work is a form of freelance, contract-based work where individuals are hired for specific, short-term assignments. It has been multiplying over the past few years. It includes everything from ride-hailing apps, to food delivery services, to holiday rental apps.

Gig work has several advantages over a traditional 9-to-5 job. For example, it provides flexibility, personal fulfillment, and additional income for students and working parents. However, the gig economy also raises questions about consumer protection, worker protection, and the impact of technology on the labor market.

In the United States, gig workers make up roughly 25-30 percent of the workforce. Gig-economy companies present complications for competition policy, labor-market regulation, and tax policy.