Hot or not. What’s in and what’s out in the workplace of 2023

Blink and you missed it, that was the modus operandi of 2022. If you weren’t ahead of the curve, you were left in its wake. So make this the year you’re one step in front. Here are the ins and outs we predict the workplace of 2023 will throw at you. Some of them are even serious.

Kate Bush’s return to pop culture, Elon’s twitter takeover and widespread Wordle addiction: 2022 was a wild ride. If we learned anything from the past 12 months, it’s that TikTok isn’t the only place that harbours a fickle fad, the workplace has no immunity to the fleeting trend.

But sometimes, like the comforting tones of the shipping forecast, all you need is a warning, a foretelling of the uncertain waters ahead to prepare you for the next 365 days. Here’s what we’re calling as ‘fully in’ and what is being cast adrift for 2023.

What's out

1. No agendas

Stumbling your way through a meeting is out and a nice, clean, written agenda is in. Printed or pen and paper, it’s your choice. Maybe 2023 will even be the year you share it ahead of time.

2. Burnout

Most people dragged their feet to the finish line of 2022. Burnout is real and we all felt it, but it’s not here to stay. The cobwebs will be shaken off, wellness will come into focus and the only burnout you’ll experience this year are the dying embers of your first BBQ of the summer.

3. The short lunchbreak

Say goodbye to those “I’ll just take a quick lunch” days. Fuelling your brain has never been more important and, let’s face it, you’re a better version of you once you’re fed, watered and regrouped. The short lunch is out, long live the lunch hour.

4. The pointless podcast

As of January 2023, there are 464.7 million podcast listeners globally and while the podcast is, without a doubt, still in, the pointless podcast is out. Nobody wants to finish listening and wonder what happened. Your 2023 podcast will be purposeful, memorable, brilliantly formatted, accessible and, most importantly, one your people will want to listen to.

5. Long meetings

Our attention spans can’t handle epic meetings. These unwieldy odysseys are a struggle for most and unproductive at best. Now they’re 2022’s problem. Let’s make meetings short, snappy and to the point.

6. Stories for stories’ sake

The workplace in 2023 will be a place of meaning. A place where you champion those who are making real changes and living your values. The needless narrative is out and big, impactful storytelling is in.

What's in

‘No’ is a word rarely uttered in 2022 but expect to hear it more this year. The inability to say no causes out workloads to mount, diaries to fill, stress levels to rise and burnout loom. Know how much you can achieve in one day: all it takes is two letters: ‘n’ and ‘o’.

Sleep

Grind culture was a 2022 phenomenon, a select group of individuals seemingly work from 5am to 11pm (and are up for a 3am workout), it’s just not doing it for us. A lack of sleep is not a marker of just how productive you are. This is the year we admit that, to do our best and be our best, we all need to sleep. Your colleagues will thank you for being a slightly less tired version of yourself.

Leaning on AI

Hold your horses, it’s not coming for your job … yet. But Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. It’s on your phone, your computer and in the workplace. Whether you need it to inspire or crunch some big data, why not lean on it? It won’t become sentient and take over the world, right?

A new office week

From working at home, to hybrid and back again, we’ve seen it all. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday people – we’re also known as TWTs. We get our fix of small talk, community and water cooler moments, coupled with the ease and comfort of moderate home working.

Office dogs

The number of dog-owners has skyrocketed and four-legged friends are more than welcome, right? They’re relaxing, good for your mental health and priceless entertainment between tasks.

What does this mean for you?

The turn of a new year is always a time of change, wistful resolutions and health-conscious decisions. For most, these short-lived flames cause more anguish than sparking real change. We’re here to tell you that, in the workplace of 2023, this will no longer be the case.

Whether it’s leaning on AI, getting your eight hours’ sleep or welcoming those canine companions, 2023 is a year for embracing change, a chance to throw caution to the wind and make work even better than it was in 2022.

For more serious guidance on navigating the workplace of 2023, sign up to receive our 2023 World Changers 2023 trend report, your roadmap to creating a better world of work.