HR Challenges in 2022

There are a number of current challenges that Employers are seeing in the HR space. Many are related to the uncertainty of the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine and the increasing costs of everything.  

The Transitioning Workplace  

WRH and hybrid working arrangements are becoming key in creating work/life balance in the great reset.  It also involves creating processes to manage all the various threads e.g. GDPR, H&S, Communications, training for managers & employees etc. 

Employee Engagement and Retention are critical in retaining current organisational skills as we navigate the Great Resignation. 

Strategic Workforce Planning in an uncertain environment and The Talent Crisis – the pandemic has meant much less movement of people and has made it difficult for companies to recruit the right people – many companies are facing staff shortages 

 Salary Planning and Salary Increases – requests for salary increases are becoming an issue for some companies due to the huge increase in cost of living as we emerge from the impact of the pandemic. In the context of the Great Resignation and Retention, this will be a real challenge for some organisations. 

Addressing Future and Emerging Skills is another one with technology becoming a greater factor as more organisations undertake a digital journey 

Sustaining a collaborative culture is linked to the above.  As more people work away from the office, the risk is that people fall into silo and teamwork and collaboration negatively impacted as employees are less present and less visible. Technology and communications have a role to play here. 

The Introduction of Employee Wellbeing Initiatives to support employees is another hot topic.  From a HR perspective, when people feel well, they do well at work so there’s a direct link between wellbeing, performance management, employee engagement and employee relations. Initiatives run from the traditional EAP space to lunch and learn sessions, training for managers and employees on mental health and wellbeing, 121 or team coaching etc.   

Transforming Performance Management processes to address the move away from annual reviews to ongoing dialogue and real time feedback and adjustments. 

Embracing Genuine Flexibility – Most of the above will mean that companies need to focus on creating a much more flexible culture – one that focuses on productivity outcomes rather than “time worked” or “bums on seats” in an office. Flexible options for remuneration packages including non-financial benefits / different working patterns / flexible work/life balance options will all be necessary to create an attractive culture that staff will want to work within 

Unfortunately, Downsizing and Redundancies are also on the agenda for some companies. 



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