The landscape of the workforce has done a complete 180 since 2020. Today’s employees desire freedom, flexibility, autonomy, and competitive wages. Ping pong tables and beer on tap just aren’t cutting it anymore. 21% of employees have changed jobs in the last year, due partly to the cries from above to return to the office. Interestingly enough, employers that have embraced remote work-life have seen a 25% decrease in employee turnover. As competition for top-performing employees increases, your brand must stay competitive by cultivating robust, healthy employer-to-employee relationships. From fostering trust to embracing social change, these are the four employee culture trends we see from successful brands in 2022.

4 Employee Culture Trends From Successful Brands in 2022

Encourage Intrapreneurship 

 You probably think we spelled entrepreneurship wrong. Nope! Intrapreneurship is the hottest new driving force employers and employees are loving. As you know, the Gig Economy is here to stay. Between crypto, delivery services, and e-commerce being more accessible than ever, employers find that their employees are juggling more than one job. 

In the past, as an employer, that might have made you wince, but today’s employers should jump on this employee culture trend and embrace their employees’ ambition. Harvard Business Review host, Muriel Wilkins, coaches leaders on how to use their entrepreneurial muscles within organizations to fast track toward a business leadership role. 

Encouraging entrepreneurial thinking and actions can help facilitate leadership development in promising and star employees. Creative, outside-of-the-box thinking is what is going to reduce employee turnover, develop employee confidence, and keep your brand and business competitive during these constantly changing times. 

Embrace Freedom

By 2028, it is predicted that 73% of teams across all industries will have remote workers. Programs like Google Workspace, Dropbox, and Slack are just some programs helping to facilitate this change. Of course, we don’t even need to mention… you know who (hint: it rhymes with room).

Giving employees the freedom to work where, when, and how they want allows them to show up fully and be their best selves. In turn, you get staff members that are genuinely engaged, sharing fresh ideas, and moving the business forward in a positive direction. 

Nearly 75% of virtual teams said going virtual allowed them to be more creative, collaborative, and effective in their roles. Here are a few tips for ensuring your remote team members feel connected, heard, and appreciated.

1. Offer to host in-person events: This might seem counterintuitive to the whole “being remote” thing, but humans still crave that in-person connection. Hosting in-person events allows your remote team to check-in and get some face time rather than FaceTime with each other.
2. Send gifts: Having their favorite lunch DoorDash-ed or sending a small thank you gift throughout the month or year is a great way to keep things happy and your working relationship a bit more tangible. Besides, who doesn’t love a gift?
3. Schedule 1-on-1 Calls: At this point, the novelty of Zoom happy hours has lost its luster. Playing ice breaker games via zoom now feels more like a punishment than a fun activity. 1-on-1 calls are way more productive and deepen your connection with staff by building direct relationships. But hey, we’re not saying NEVER have Zoom happy hour games. Just keep them short, sweet, and for special occasions. 
4. Offer Flex Work Weeks: Have you heard of the 4-day work week? Summer Fridays are probably the closest thing we have to a 4-day work week, but why stop the party when the leaves start to fall? Flex work weeks, like having Fridays off, can help maintain your competitive advantage. 

Seek Feedback 

If there’s one thing businesses have learned in the last two years, it’s that their employees and staff have something to say. But we already knew that. Seeking feedback from your team is one of the best ways to keep your staff happy. 

A global study conducted by UKG found that 86% of employees around the world felt like their organization wasn’t fair or equal in their feedback listening actions. 

Companies that don’t regularly or equitably listen to their staff will likely lose their top talent to their competitors. 

Employee disengagement costs the US economy $500 billion annually. This costly error has a few simple fixes. Here are a few ways you can seek feedback and how to utilize said feedback. 

1. Ensure effective internal communications: If your staff is speaking up, you must listen. To make this communication most effective, implement and share action plans to let staff know they have been heard and you are working toward a standard solution.
2. Recognize Staff: Is there anything worse than being a total rockstar at your workplace and absolutely no one notices? 37% of employees state that being recognized is extremely important to them. Shout out your staff internally and externally via social when they do something awesome! 
3. Establish Clear Advancement Paths: Your team is composed of ambitious rockstars, and they’re the type to settle for nothing less than excellence. Establishing a clear career advancement path and sticking to that plan shows your staff members not only do you believe in them, but you’re not just talking the talk. You’re walking the walk. A clear and communicated advancement path helps keep you and your staff members focused. Everyone wins!

Pro-Tip: For even more tips on how a SocialToaster program check out our blog post on how to re-engage disengaged employees.

Wellness is the Way

What we know about wellness has completely shifted beyond the physical. Not only has wellness expanded beyond the physical, but its importance has permeated every facet of our daily lives. Today’s employee is mindful and strong-willed about maintaining their mental well-being as they should. Because of this positive shift, 94% of companies invested significantly in their own well-being programs. 

Mental health is more than just a ploy. Breaking the stigma by admitting we can’t always be strong all the time. However, one study found that less than 40% of employees take advantage of the mental health programs available to them through their employer or insurance. 

You and your staff may not necessarily want to start trauma bonding with each other but giving them lots of grace and leeway to take mental health days with no questions asked is a great start. Employees also need to know that if and when they’re feeling down or overwhelmed, that won’t be used against them later. Lead by example and take a few mental health days throughout the year to show your staff that it’s ok to say, “I need a break.” 

Discover the Rest of 2022’s Trends with SocialToaster

Discovering employee culture trends is all well and good, but applying those trends can sometimes require a helping hand. Let SocialToaster walk you through integrating these trends into your employee advocacy efforts.