Connection, conversation and coaching — according to the interpretation of data from one employee-experience technology provider’s research.

The three-year-long COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for resilient leadership, and surviving organizations have also had to juggle recovery with new challenges such as geopolitical crises, widespread inflation and environmental/climate change concerns.

In recent research drawing from interviews with some 100 global human resource leaders, and through analysis of responses from its clients, one employee-experience technology provider has distilled four key work trends/approaches for 2024.

First, 45% of HR leaders interviewed considered “organizational transformation” as their top priority for 2024, and 37% of employees surveyed felt their teams lacked innovation, potentially leaving employers vulnerable to macro changes. Such a “transformation deficit” means that workforces will need to be mobilized and restructured, and processes will need a rethink in order for organizations to navigate current and future macro shocks. Also:

    • 5% of HR leaders interviewed had named AI as their top priority. AI came in as the ninth priority among HR employees surveyed. This indicates a sense of organizational hesitation when it comes to AI, which in 2024 is a trend worth monitoring.
    • 84% of employees surveyed cited trusting their managers. The role of leaders and managers to earn employees’ trust is a collective responsibility, and in 2024, managers have an important role to play with the constant support of HR.
    • For 2024, the data showed that the 3 Cs of driving performance will be: Connection, Conversation, and Coaching. The traditional approach to performance management and reviews tends to be ineffective and has been for a long time. Based on interviews with the 100+ global HR leaders, the research suggests the solution must be multi-faceted and encompass three aspects – connection, conversation, and coaching.

According to CheeTung Leong, co-founder and CEO (Americas), EngageRocket, the firm presenting its findings on 2024 HR trends: “The macro business environment, leader and employee expectations, and technology… are all shifting rapidly in ways that are causing the role of HR to be forced to evolve. 2024 looks to be a continuation of the answer to the question ‘can HR rise to the challenge?’. I for one certainly and believe so.”