HR analysts at Gartner have revealed nine workplace trends they believe will dominate 2024. From the continued rise of generative AI in the workplace to a focus on skills rather than qualifications, HR professionals will already be grappling with several of these issues.
Its top nine predictions for HR in 2024 are:
1. The cost-of-living crisis becomes a ‘cost-of-work’ crisis
many employees who have been working in a remote or hybrid environment will not be used to the financial and energy costs of travelling into an office each day.
As more and more employers issue mandates for remote workers to return to the office, employees will have a sharper awareness of what they spend going to work, says Gartner, and there may be pushback.
2024 predictions
To deal with this, employers could think about offering benefits such as housing or travel subsidies, wellbeing programmes to support the additional energy required to attend the office in person, or even the ability to bring pets to work.
2. AI will create opportunities
Although there is increased concern about the impact AI will have on headcounts, Gartner predicts that it will increase opportunities for many, lowering the level of technical skills required for many roles.
HR should work with leaders to gauge how AI investments could change how teams work, potentially identifying internal candidates for newly designed roles. It could also develop a plan that identifies future requirements and assessments for upcoming roles.
3. But… generative AI experiments could backfire
That said, a too rapid roll-out of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT could mean organisations are forced to learn valuable lessons, Gartner cautions.
Companies will need to manage the risks around employees using these tools to generate content or assignments, looking at content classification policies, quality control strategies and training for employees on developing their judgement.
4. Four-day working weeks become routine
A shorter working week may not be popular in all quarters, but the analyst company believes the idea of a four-day week will become far less radical in 2024.
The fact that four-day weeks have been the focus of prominent trials and negotiations will further push them into the spotlight, it says. Savvy employers will use them to improve talent outcomes and engagement this year, increasing talent attraction and retention and driving competitive advantage.
5. Conflict resolution is a must-have skill
Gartner predicts that conflict between employees could hit an all-time high in 2024, and managers will consequently need to be prepared to deal with this sensitively.
“Managers who can effectively navigate and manage interpersonal conflict among employees will have an outsize positive impact on their organisations; the question is how many really feel trained and prepared to do so,” says Peter Aykens, chief of research in the Gartner HR practice.
Rather than suppressing dissent or banning certain conversations, managers should be supported to help teams work through challenging moments, he advises. Coaching opportunities for new managers to see how experienced leaders resolve conflicts could also be useful.
6. Skills overtake qualifications
More and more employers will favour skills over specific qualifications in 2024, with a number already removing a requirement for a degree.
Gartner says organisations are “shredding the paper ceiling” by removing invisible barriers such as certain qualifications, even in jobs that have long been considered degree-dependent. This will mean they can pick from a much broader talent pool, as well as develop their own credentials (including apprenticeships) to grow their own talent for the future.
7. Employees stand for climate change
It’s already been suggested that Gen Z workers shun organisations that don’t share their environmental, social and governance (ESG) values, but this could go one step further this year as they demand climate change protection as an employee benefit.
Gartner predicts that workers in some parts of the world will come to expect their employers to make climate disaster response a more visible component of benefits packages, such as commitments to physical safety, compensation after a disaster, or mental health support.
8. DEI becomes business as usual
Although reports have suggested a growing sense of disillusionment with diversity, equity and inclusion in recent months, this does not mean it’s fallen off the agenda, says Gartner. Instead, it will become more embedded in day-to-day processes and activities.
“In 2024, companies will begin to pivot from DEI existing solely in a silo to having it embedded throughout the organisation,” explains Emily Rose McRae, senior director analyst. “In this new model, DEI will shift to a shared way of working as organisations fully integrate DEI values into business objectives, daily operations and culture.”
9. Traditional career paths collapse
This is a trend that’s been happening for some time but will intensify in the new year, with many employees not retiring completely or some taking a career shift or break mid-career.
Gartner expects employers will adapt to this trend more in 2024, breaking stereotypes around career progression in their own organisations. This could be in the form of offering job sharing, gig work or reduced hours for more flexibility or taking advantage of expertise where it is, regardless of someone’s tenure.
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