The 10 most important HR trends of 2024: from wellbeing to Gen-Z
By 2DAYSMOODIES | 14/02/2024
Every year we look ahead to the expectations for the upcoming year. For example, in 2022 and 2023 we already wrote about the expected HR trends of those years. What can we expect in terms of HR trends in 2024? 2DAYSMOOD follows the trends and has a wealth of HR data and knowledge to look ahead. With 2DAYSMOOD, organizations can not only track current trends, but also proactively respond to the changing needs of their workforce. Key current HR developments such as the tight labor market, employee well-being, and the new generation form the basis for the HR trends of 2024.
The 10 HR trends of 2024
1. Sustainable employability
Happy and healthy work and the well-being of employees are central. Not only organizations, but also employees themselves are becoming increasingly aware of employee happiness and what this means for employability. Employees also expect something from the organization in this area. 2DAYSMOOD stimulates the retention and attraction of top talent within the organization by providing insight into employee engagement, offering in-depth insight into current employee needs and facilitating a fast and effective response to increase an happy workplace.
Within the 2DAYSMOOD tool, data analysis shows that negative moods, particularly caused by workload (25.6%) and organization-related issues (24.2%), have a significant impact on sustainable employability. By addressing these stressors, you can improve employees’ sustainable employability.
2. Improve employee happiness data-driven
Measuring employee happiness in real-time with smart HR technologies enables organizations to respond quickly and efficiently to rapidly changing developments within the current dynamic labor market and within the organization. Decisions are best made not on a gut feeling, but on the basis of tangible and measurable data. Through the advanced analytics of the 2DAYSMOOD tool, HR professionals can anticipate trends, identify stress factors and improve overall workplace satisfaction quickly and effectively.
3. Training & development for retention and personal growth
It is important for employees that the organization facilitates and encourages learning and development. It’s also one of the factors in the Employee Happiness Model. Do employees have enough opportunities for training or education? Are there opportunities for advancement within the organization? This helps ensure that employees will commit to the organization longer. And that is crucial in the (still) tight labor market.
The 2DAYSMOOD tool not only gives team leaders and HR managers useful insights. Every employee has access to a personal dashboard. This enables them to keep control of their own growth and development.
This year, employees give a score of 2.5/5 to how satisfied they are with training and development opportunities, while importance gets a 3/5. Discrepancies between satisfaction and the importance of aspects such as training and development can cause stress. Investment in this area leads to positive moods and higher eNPS, as shown in analyses of 2DAYSMOOD data.
4. Preventing absenteeism with prevention and amplification
As an HR manager or team leader, you naturally want to prevent as much (long-term) absenteeism as possible. Just dealing with this reactively is not enough. The KPI module of the 2DAYSMOOD tool enables organizations to predict and prevent absenteeism by linking employee mood to business KPIs such as finances. Using smart data and trends, you can therefore target absenteeism prevention rather than treating it.
2DAYSMOOD data has also shown that organizations that invest in wellness programs see a decrease in absenteeism and an increase in employee satisfaction. Count your winnings!
5. Recruitment & selection more often based on skills
Recruitment and selection has undergone a nice transformation. More and more organizations and job seekers are opting for anonymous applications (without a photo, age and years). In addition, skills are becoming more important than knowledge. This has to do with the requirements organizations set for a position – knowledge is often something you can learn, but good networking or planning and organizing skills are competencies you can use to make a position your own. And since the job market is still very tight, it helps to evaluate whether the candidate has the right competencies, rather than the knowledge and experience.
6. Diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion has been an indispensable part of HR trends for years. Society is increasingly focusing on this and for many employees it is a requirement that their employer pays attention to it. But where many organizations can still go wrong is the difference between diversity and inclusion. You can be a diverse organization, but that doesn’t automatically mean you offer an inclusive work environment.
2DAYSMOOD’s Psychological Safety Module supports organizations in creating an inclusive work environment by sending out targeted questions regarding this topic. Based on the collected data, you can take targeted actions to improve the work environment and make it more inclusive, so that everyone feels safe.
7. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI will soon become indispensable in the workplace. And that includes HR processes and operations. That’s why you need to consider this now. AI technologies can be integrated into HR processes to automate tasks, improve efficiency and support data-driven decision-making.
2DAYSMOOD’s tool provides useful data insights about the work environment and employee happiness. Using AI, you can tie strategies to this to continuously evolve your organization.
8. Work-life balance
A good work-life balance is one of the most important factors of employee happiness, according to the Employee Happiness Model. Employees thrive at work when they have enough time and energy in their personal lives to do fun things, maintain a social life and pursue hobbies. As an HR manager or team leader, your job is to facilitate that work-life balance and keep an eye on whether employees are losing sight of it.
Using 2DAYSMOOD, you can identify work-life balance expectations and implement flexible work arrangements to meet the needs of your staff. You can also see in real time whether your interventions are helping!
9. Gen-Z gains prominence in the workforce
Help! Gen-Z is on the rise in the workplace. And they are bringing quite a few changes with them. Gen-Z are good at setting their own boundaries, have grown up with technology and aren’t afraid to voice their opinions at work.
Like any new generation entering the workplace, Gen-Z challenges the status quo. Why do we do it the way we do it? Can’t we do it differently? Can it be done online? Or automated? For other employees, this often takes some swallowing. Still, it is mainly up to the older generations (read: older than Gen-Z) not to lump an entire generation together. Because Gen-Z also brings a lot of refreshment, knowledge about technologies and developments, and new insights. They can learn just as much from the older generations as vice versa!
10. Employee wellbeing is essential
In 2024, there will be a greater emphasis on the overall well-being of employees. It is essential to recognize that the ability to recognize, understand and manage emotions is important for effective leadership and creating a positive work environment.
Do you know how your employees are doing? Based on our data, an average of 65% of employees’ moods in 2023 were positive. 35% of employees were regularly experiencing stress, dissatisfaction, and fatigue. That means there’s a lot to gain here, because happy employees are less likely to drop out, stay with the organization longer, and perform better.
With 2DAYSMOOD, you can regularly measure how your employees are doing, map these moods, and develop interventions to keep employee well-being at the center of your efforts.
The HR trends of 2024
2DAYSMOOD is at the forefront of HR innovation, not only tracking trends, but also actively contributing to the transformation of the HR landscape. Through cutting-edge tools and data-driven insights, 2DAYSMOOD helps organizations improve and innovate their human resources. Because innovation is an essential part of a strong HR organization.