What is the true way to work in 2023?

For several months, if not years, the way we work has been taking a direction that has brought good for some and challenges and difficulties for others, not only within organizations but also in the personal lives of each worker.

The new forms and dynamics of work, during and after the pandemic forced companies to quickly change their mindset to find solutions that would allow them to continue their operations without having full control over them. It was impossible to do so with the entire team working from home and unable to attend an office in person every day of the week with a set schedule.

This was one of the first challenges that arose and with which many leaders are still struggling: paranoia about productivity. A Microsoft survey of 20,000 workers in 11 different countries shows that 85% of the surveyed leaders distrust whether their employees are truly productive or not. Measuring results by clicks or hours of work is a thing of the past, and employees are tired of having to “prove their productivity” without anything convincing their employers.

Nowadays, workers and the new generations are crying out for trust, to strengthen the culture of trust, and to be valued for specific goals that allow them to be flexible with their time while also balancing their personal and work life. However, this is still a struggle for many leaders, as they have worked in a controlled manner for decades, where in most cases employees fell into the hot seat syndrome, a phenomenon related to the excessive appearance of working.

And if this was normal in the past, nowadays not implementing the flexibility that workers are requesting has led to a new trend: “the quiet quitting”. This trend is mainly seen in Generation Z, that generation born into an established digital world, which is growing exponentially. A generation with an open and flexible mindset that fearlessly comes with their own rules and conditions to a work world that, if it doesn’t change its strategy quickly, can be left behind.

The Quiet Quitting goes beyond a fashion or a popular hashtag on social media, especially on TikTok. This trend makes workers less willing to work overtime, be annoyed by being given responsibilities beyond what they were actually hired for, and constantly demand extra remuneration. According to “Work Reimagined 2022,” a study by Ernst & Young, 47% of employees are willing to quit if they have better working and salary conditions and if they find professional options that give them more freedom and flexibility.

Similarly, a survey conducted by Indeed reveals the reasons why employees are willing to change jobs without hesitation: better pay (82%), greater flexibility (50%), shorter commutes (42%), fully remote work (29%), dissatisfaction with the boss (14%).

Well, these figures show us that the way of working that we thought was temporary, has come to stay and without a doubt, leaders and companies must adapt. Regardless of the competitiveness and high supply that may exist in the labor market, the priority will always be the well-being and mental health of workers. A global study conducted by Cisco highlights that for 68% of people, hybrid work has had a positive impact on their physical condition, for 82% it has improved their emotional well-being, and for 55% their stress level has significantly decreased.

These data clearly indicate the path we must take and how this way of working will really be during 2023 and beyond: a flexible model that allows workers to have a balance between their personal and work life, between their physical and mental health, but above all, a model that allows them to increase their productivity always having clear the metric of the north star, that is, the central value that captures each of the businesses.

Factors such as multiple employment have also gained much strength in recent times, as this same flexibility sought by new generations has made them have more than one job at the same time and generate more than one source of income. This is where the importance of being able to take control of teams not by working hours but by efforts and objectives achieved.

And if this has been an option for workers, international hiring has not been left behind for companies and organizations. This is not only because there is very good talent located in other locations, but also because migratory movements have made people move from cities and countries due to economic, political, and social factors. According to the Inter-American Development Bank, the largest migrations are being generated from the Northern Triangle of Central America to Mexico and towards the United States.

According to a global report by Deel last year, international hiring in Latin America increased by more than 286%, causing large companies to seek talent outside their regions, especially for roles focused on technology, marketing, product, and sales. This has led companies to adapt their ways and models of working in order to have control over their employees even when they are kilometers away. Not only are there location barriers, but also language and cultural barriers that must be quickly learned or else these professionals, who caught the attention of companies for their soft and hard skills, will be lost.

This is why it is currently necessary for organizations to have a “Chief Remote Officer,” someone who is responsible for generating and managing strategies, processes, and tools that support remote work. This will undoubtedly depend on the sector in which each company works and where that remote or hybrid model is clearly established or has desires to migrate, as the CRO’s role will be to ensure that the company culture adapts to this modality and to provide support to employees for productive and healthy remote work.

Finally, work for 2023 must have an environmental and social conscience that aligns with what the new generations are seeking: an Eco-Friendly job that has a truly positive impact on the environment, as 85% of workers are concerned about the health of the planet. This has led to initiatives such as 0% paper usage, pilot tests of working 4 out of 5 days a week to avoid commuting and reduce pollution and working hand in hand with actions and strategies focused on creating a better world.