As we look back on yet another busy year, it’s important to pause and reflect, and ask several questions: What were our successes? What were our lessons learned? What do we need to reset before going again in 2023? And importantly, how do we all feel? Here’s our roundup of things we see as important takeaways from 2022.

Checking in, before checking out

2022 was the year the world got back on its feet. Some of us were excited, if a little trepidatious at the thought of heading back into the office. While others were keen to maintain their work-from-home status and the flexibility that offered. All, thankful for the incredible work of the pharmaceutical companies who were tirelessly roiling out vaccines and boosters to make travel and work possible again.

Around the world cities came to life once more—albeit at a different pace than before coronavirus hit. Because now of course we worked differently. Many teams were determined to remain working remotely, others embraced a hybrid model. Globally, teams began seeing each other in person again.

Those hired during the pandemic who had faced rounds of online interviews, remote onboarding, and Christmas parties from behind their computer screen, could finally meet their “new” colleagues in real life. It truly felt like a new dawn.

2022 was also the year of “quiet quitting,” the workplace trend that took social and mainstream media by storm. Despite the name, quiet quitting meant employees were doing no more than the minimum role requirements.

But not everyone who admitted to “quiet quitting” had mentally checked out of their roles. For many, they said it’s a way of coping with workplace burnout. Health and wellbeing have become significantly more important since Covid struck. As such we’re in a phase of self-preservation. It makes sense this would seep into our work life too.

If you’ve sensed any quiet quitting amongst your teams and think that burnout and stress might be the cause, have a think about the changes you could make to reduce workplace stresses. While 2021 was the most stressful year for workers on record, it will be interesting to compare notes with 2022 when the figures are released.

Whatever the reasons, burnout in the workplace remains at an all-time high. So, as the Christmas break beckons and we frantically try to finish year-end projects, it’s a great time to check-in on your team. Not everyone vocalizes how they are feeling and when it’s busy it can be easy to miss the red flags that someone needs help. Make the time to for individual chats in a safe space so you can check in before we all checkout for the year.

Speaking from experience

Remember the Great Resignation? The impact of this pandemic hangover continues to be felt within the recruitment and retention of talent. When we realize the effect of the cost-of-living crisis on many people, we begin to understand the more recent motives behind a global workforce that continues to shuffle.

While there may be areas out of your control that determine how well your organization attracts and retains talent, there are also many things you can do to become an employer of choice. Even in demanding times.

The candidate experience is an area that is all too often neglected, yet one that can have a remarkable impact not only on retention, but across the business too.

Anyone who touches the hiring process, can create a positive impact on the outcome of a candidate accepting or declining an offer. Playing your vital role to create a consistent messaging to the candidate, has a profound effect.

How would candidates currently rate their experience applying for a position at your organization? Anyone applying for a position gets a very real insight into your organization via their candidate experience and in 2022, it is more important now than ever that your hiring processes, reflect well the real company environment. This can make or break your brand.

Authenticity is key. More than 8 out of 10 (86%) applicants say employers should treat them the way they treat current workers. Additionally, 4 out of 5 candidates (78%) state that the overall candidate experience they receive is an indicator of how a company values its people.

How well do your talent acquisition teams know their candidates and the roles they are recruiting for? How do those roles fit into the wider business plan and has that messaging reached talent acquisition? It cannot be stressed enough; the candidate experience is critical.

Embracing the changes

A significant dearth of talent across all industries has been especially noticeable this year. Perhaps the pandemic made this more evident, but we can’t blame the pandemic for everything.

The truth is the way we have worked has changed. And that change was afoot long before the world was forced into remote working. Many organizations simply chose to ignore it back then.

But hybrid working and portfolio careers are here to stay. We disregard at our peril. Predictions show that by 2030, 60% of all vacancies will remain unfilled if we continue the same trajectory. This can be hard to visualize, but in August 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 10.7 million remained unfilled. This is happening now.

Flipping the mindset, we can see that there is also now a wealth of options for us to grow our talent. For instance, there are more women employed now than ever before (72.3%) making the case for DE&I more compelling than ever. Moreover, the number of disabled people in employment in the UK alone increased from 2.9 million in 2013, to more than 4.4 million in 2021.There really is no excuse anymore. The talent is there.

Evidently, a more holistic approach to talent endeavors is imperative. We must change the narrative surrounding our hiring policies, moving from always reacting, to strategic, sustainable planning. There’s never been a better, or more necessary time to invest in sustainable growth for the future.

As we bid farewell to 2022, we must think beyond the immediate future of 2023, planning for the talent of 2028 and beyond. I have seen the dismantling of the talent acquisition machine due to the economic headwinds; I would stress to any leader reading this, stop, and think of the long-term impact. You have choices of how to maintain your presence in the market. Build early, build before breaking point.