ADP sheds light on the workplace trends that will define 2022

While it seemed like 2021 would eventually be back to business as usual, continued stressors and disruptions caused by COVID rocked the world of work and left many employers scrambling to keep up.

With 2022 on the horizon, new data from ADP is helping employers get set up for success, predicting new trends shaping work in the year ahead.

A top priority is keeping employees engaged by addressing the impact COVID has had on everyone. ADP found that 64% of the workforce was negatively affected by the pandemic, through job loss, furloughs or pay cuts. This uncertainty has given employees time to reprioritize both their work and home responsibilities and has caused major shifts in the relationships between employers and their people.

“The world of work has been in a constant state of motion,” Don Weinstein, corporate vice president of global product and technology at ADP, said in a release. “Amid all the change, one common thread has only grown stronger: people power performance.”

Read more: Are HR’s efforts to adapt to the new normal falling short?

In 2022, supporting employees means allowing them to work from anywhere. Seventy-five percent of employees changed or have plans to change where they live, and the majority of employers have responded by offering a hybrid work model, according to ADP.

But working remotely doesn’t mean employees want to work alone. Workers are still seeking out opportunities to feel connected and engaged with their organizations, and employers will need to rely on technology to connect their teams, ADP predicts.

Those who do will reap the benefits: ADP found that employees who trust their employer are seven times more likely to feel connected, and are 75 times more likely to feel engaged than those who feel disconnected from their organization.

Read more: The digital revolution: How HR tech has changed the workplace forever

Guiding these changes are HR departments, who can also tap into the power of technology to lighten their load. ADP has seen a 25% increase in usage of their app as employees take on HR tasks themselves, giving leaders more time to focus on people first.

“The needs of the global workforce are evolving in tandem with technology, and the result is transformational,” Weinstein said. “To support and empower their people, employers are rooting their decision-making in data and leveraging those insights to better understand their employees' needs and what drives their productivity. This increased visibility is fostering a stronger sense of connection and paving the way for greater growth and innovation ahead."