HR execs open up about the biggest challenges that will define 2023

Brace yourself for another tumultuous year at work. FG Trade/Getty Images The last few years have been… busy for HR.As the global workforce reeled from a pandemic and widespread shifts to remote- and hybrid-work models — among other happenings — talent teams were responsible for keeping people safe, healthy, engaged, and productive.It doesn't look like they'll have a chance to catch their breath in 2023.Insider surveyed eight talent leaders, including consultants and HR chiefs across a range of industries, about the most pressing workplace challenges we could face this year. We heard about "keeping the fire lit" around diversity, equity, and inclusion; severing ties with the 9-to-5 workday; and giving employees the tools they need to build successful careers.

Here's the full list of responses we received, listed in alphabetical order by the HR leader's last name. Laura Fuentes. Courtesy of Hilton For many companies, the biggest challenge will be to build a new and truly collaborative workplace experience in the post-COVID world, with a future of work that both employers and employees design.The COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest workplace disruption in generations, causing many to reevaluate their purposes and reprioritize their personal and professional needs.

Now more than ever, employees want to bring their whole selves to work in an environment that is more inclusive, healthier, growth-oriented, and values-driven. By embracing this new mindset together, employers and employees can cocreate a stronger, more productive, and fulfilling work experience. Pat Wadors.

Courtesy of UKG The task of balancing caring for their employees, caring for their customers, and caring for their organizations' needs during tenuous economic times will challenge businesses. For HR teams in particular, caring for employees during turbulent times includes major decision points about the programs that matter to their people: compensation; benefits; learning and development; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives; flexible scheduling; community giving; and more.Many companies naturally focus on their bottom lines and cost-cutting measures during a recession, which can impact employee morale, motivation, and turnover that could actually lead to even worse business performance. Features HR Insider HR