What does the future of work look like?  This is probably the most prevalent question in the HR and work domain in recent times.

Pre-covid 19, different theories emerged about the future of work, all attempting to speculate how people, the workplace, and hiring will transform the future. As we witnessed, the pandemic sped up some of those speculations by accelerating the adoption of remote work across companies globally. Post-2020, many traditional companies evolved to hybrid working conditions, some retained the fully remote culture, especially for distributed teams, and a few re-instituted on-site resumptions.

The year 2022 saw major layoffs across organisations globally, especially those within the technology space. Several other companies initiated a hiring freeze till 2023, sending waves of uncertainty and leaving Human Resource professionals with piles of work on their desks – to ensure that outgoing employees navigate their transition smoothly and implement improved internal conditions for the remaining team members.

While experts credit the global economic downturn for the massive layoffs actions, it does stir up other mind-blogging concerns. Are skills no longer sufficient to hold one’s job, or is there a global dearth of required skills? Are young talents not living up to expectations? Whatever may be the case, one thing is certain, HR professionals have a lot of work to do.

As 2022 wrapped up, HR experts were confronted with making decisions that will likely shape the retention of talents as they continue to manage investments in people and technology while creating a positive culture for employees. We sample the thoughts of top human resource managers, Heads of People and Culture, Chiefs of Staff, C-Suite Executives and CEOs on HR trends industry leaders need to watch out for in 2023.

Workplace trends: What will shape the modern workplace and future of work in 2023?

According to Leul Girma, COO at Gebeya, Africa’s leading freelance and talent sourcing platform, “As 2022 comes to a close, it is clear that the future of work is online and on-demand. This quarter’s massive layoffs at several large tech firms show that organisations are looking to scale down their teams and reduce costs. Businesses looking to scale have needed to shorten their hiring timelines and augment their teams in order to leverage resources as they need them. The typical 2-3 months hiring cycle that requires sifting through hundreds of resumes don’t work for immediate hiring needs and short-term projects. Flexible, nimble team structures are an organisation’s superpower.”

Gebeya Inc. is a venture-backed Pan-African Freelance Talent Marketplace company headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with remote teams in Kenya, Senegal, North America, and the UK. The company aims to become an active contributor to Africa’s digital transformation and build a booming Africa by leveraging continental and global job opportunities for African talent. Its vision is to be the most trusted and reliable source of skilled talent that showcases Africa’s competitiveness.

Jemima Karugu, Head of Talent & Human Capital GrowthAfrica Foundation, Nairobi, says Employee well-being is paramount to the future of work in 2023. “In the wake of the pandemic, many employees are more aware and demand well-being as a minimum from their employers; well-being is divided into three buckets. First, is mental, which involves leveraging solutions to provide mental support to struggling employees with a greater emphasis on work-life balance. Second is financial, compensation as a trend is making a comeback due to the global inflation currently being experienced and the need to feel financially secure in case of any eventuality. The third is physical, employees are looking for more inclusive workspaces, that promote well-being and healthy habits.”

HR trends: Key trends that will shape the HR landscape in Africa, come 2023

Folasele Vincent Akinloose, Team Lead, Faculty Management at FCMB, Nigeria’s leading commercial bank highlights two key trends. “Reshaping Workplace Learning and Development – with increased workforce mobility and the depletion of the skilled talent pool in Africa, there exist a need for HR to rise to this challenge through strategic hiring and continuous training. Organisations should start investing in L&D.”

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion – this is one of the behavioural HR components attracting global attention, and also capable of boosting engagement and reducing turnover. HR needs to develop and execute flawlessly the DEI policy,” he explained.

According to Adesola Awofeso, HR Lead at Axxela Group, sub-Saharan Africa’s leading gas and power portfolio company, “Quiet quitting might become predominant, especially as many skilled talents are fixated on migrating for more reasons not limited to the quality of life and economic gains.”

To navigate this trend, however, Dominic Ryan, Managing Director of DWR Expatriate & Executive Search – Ghana, Nigeria & West Africa noted that “The nurturing of the domestic market to bring executives up to a higher standard, thus reduce the need for external placements (ex-pats), coupled with the expansion of the economy in certain sectors, and foreign investment which will encourage growth in domestic employment opportunities.”

People trends: How can people leaders prepare for the future of work?

As Girma, COO Gebeya explained, “a healthy feedback culture is critical. Understanding global trends in compensation, benefits, and remote work are important to stay competitive; but being in tune with the specific needs of your own workforce is important to stay relevant. Keep in mind personal and lifecycle factors like age, the pursuit of higher education, and parental status that might mean your employees crave benefits like tuition/ daycare assistance, or a salary advance to move into their first home. These perks are only worth investing in if your team members want and can take advantage of them.”

Also commenting, Tosin Ajayi, HRBP at Reelfruit added, “Irrespective of the number of years an employee stays on a job, people leaders should ensure that employees have good employee experience that will help their brand. Organisations should see training intervention as a contribution such that this would enrich the overall professional market with competent hands. People will keep scouting for better opportunities, but you could keep them as your veterans.”

E-commerce giant Amazon has been fined the sum of $60,000 after Federal Regulators from Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA) found it guilty of violating workers safety.

OSHA disclosed that three of the company’s warehouse facilities violated legislation designed to require employers to provide safety working environments.

After thorough investigations, it was discovered that workers at the e-commerce company were vulnerable to back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders (Mass) especially in warehouse environments that prioritise speed over safety.

Reports disclose that this is the fourth violation Washington has filed against Amazon in the previous year.

While commenting on the risk Amazon workers are being exposed to, an assistant secretary at OSHA Doug Parker said, “While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers’ orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and well-being of its workers”

OSHA in December last year, disclosed that six Amazon facilities had failed to record and report worker injuries and illnesses as there are still ongoing investigations of the company’s facilities in Colorado, Idaho and New York.

In its findings, it discovered a pattern of employee injuries at the company such as Stuck-by injuries while handling objects over 50 pounds. Despite the fact that Amazon has on-site clinics for employees known as “Amcare”, OSHA claims that these facilities can be prohibitive to workers receiving adequate medical care.

The company has therefore been mandated to pay a fine for violations at its warehouses in Deltona, Florida, Waukegan, Illinois, New Windsor, and New York.

Reacting to OSHA claims, a spokesperson at Amazon said, “we take safety and health of our employees very seriously, and we strongly disagree with these allegations and intend to appeal. We have cooperated fully, and the government’s allegations don’t reflect the reality of safety at our sites. Over the last several months we have demonstrated the extent to which we work every day to mitigate risk and protect our people, and publicly available data show we’ve reduced injury rates nearly 15 percent between 2019 and 2021”.

Amazon further disclosed that the company has invested in engineering innovations that can reduce the need for workers to bend, Twist, and reach in ways that can cause injury while noting that warehouse workers also take part in stretching groups called “huddles”.

Meanwhile, the company is set to commence its largest-ever layoffs in history as it plans to let go of 18,000 employees. In a memo sent to staff, the company plans to cut jobs in U.S., Canada, and Costa Rica.

Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy disclosed that several teams will be affected by its proposed layoffs, which will include the human resources department and Amazon stores.

He further stated that the layoffs were necessary as they will help the company to pursue long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure.

Federal officials say Amazon’s speedy and “free” Prime shipping has a human cost. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued several citations against the e-commerce giant this week after discovering safety violations at three of its warehouses, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to OSHA and some former and current employees, the speed at which warehouse staff is required to work makes them vulnerable to injuries. The company received similar violations at six of its warehouses last month. Amazon says it will appeal the decisions, which “don’t reflect the reality of safety” at its facilities. (LinkedIn News)

The Lagos State Government has announced work-free four days for civil servants in the state to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), following approval by the governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

A circular released Wednesday by Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Lagos State’s head of service, said the holiday will commence on Tuesday, January 24, and end on Friday, January 27, for different grade levels of workers.

“Consequent upon the extension of the collection of permanent voters cards by the Independent National Electoral Commission, it is hereby notified for the general information that all public servants who are yet to collect their permanent voter cards from designated INEC centers are encouraged to do so before Sunday, January 29, 2023, as it is a civic responsibility to vote.

“To this end, Mr governor has graciously approved a work-free day to enable public servants to collect their PVCs from their respective local government/local council development areas as presented in the table below.

“The dates include Tuesday, January 24, 2023, for grade levels 01, 03, 07, and 15; Wednesday, January 25, 2023, for grade levels 02, 04, 08, and 13; Thursday, January 26, 2023, for grade levels 05, 09, 12, and 17; and Friday, January 27, 2023, for grade levels 06, 10, 14 and 16.

“Consequently, accounting officers and all public servants are to ensure compliance whilst giving this circular the service-wide publicity it deserves,” the circular reads.

The move follows the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the window for PVC collection across the country. INEC had last week, announced the extension of the deadline for the PVC collection to January 29, adding eight days to the initial January 22 date.

Other states such as Borno, have earlier given work-free days to civil servants to collect their PVCs while the window for collection is still open.

INEC said it has become necessary to extend the deadline because of developments that have hampered the collection exercise.

“The Commission is determined to ensure that registered voters have ample opportunity to collect their PVCs ahead of the forthcoming election. For this reason, the timeframe for the collection of PVCs is extended by eight days.”

“Instead of ending on Sunday 22nd January 2023, the collection of PVCs will continue until Sunday 29th January 2023. At the moment, the period of collection is 9.00 am – 3.00 pm daily (including Saturdays and Sundays),” the Commission said.