Top 5 HR Challenges in 2022

From social movements and technological advancements to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent law changes, the workplace has been changing faster than ever. These changes have exposed several workplace challenges that are keeping employers on their toes.

Here’s our list of the top 5 Human Resources (HR) challenges employers have been facing in 2022, along with suggestions of how to combat those challenges.

1. Attracting Applicants and Retaining Talent

Attracting applicants and retaining employees is one of the most common HR challenges in 2022. The labor market is tight and current employees seem to be on the lookout for new opportunities that fit their lives better.

Finding ways to attract quality applicants is the first step to finding great employees. Consider implementing the following to enhance your recruiting efforts:

• Review and revamp job descriptions
• Provide competitive compensation and benefits
• Create flexible work options
• Use an applicant tracking system
• Offer an employee referral program

Several of the above initiatives will also help with retaining employees. To further combat turnover, try implementing the following retention strategies:

• Creating career development opportunities
• Diagnosing and rectifying manager problems
• Developing a strong company culture
• Focusing on employees’ mental health and well-being
• Offering user-friendly technology for employees to check benefits, PTO, and personal info

If your employees are unhappy, you’re going to have a hard time attracting better replacements. Listen to their input by conducting stay interviews and make adjustments to improve morale and decrease costly turnover.

2. Preventing Cyberattacks

It’s no secret that cyberattacks are on the rise, creating significant HR challenges in 2022 for employers with and without dedicated IT staff. Because cybercriminals are so prevalent, businesses of all sizes are at risk.

With so many employees working from home, employers have even more reason to prioritize cybersecurity to protect themselves. They need to ensure that employees working from home keep the organization protected from phishing, malware, ransomware and data breaches. This can be done by:

• Providing regular training and education of risks
• Requiring strong passwords
• Installing proactive software to minimize hacker threats
• Setting clear work-from-home guidelines
• Requiring two-step verification
• Questioning every message from outside the organization

Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and commonplace. By implementing cybersecurity protocols and safeguards, employers can protect their workplace and employees from cyberthreats.

3. Offering Remote and Hybrid Work Options

While remote and hybrid work arrangements existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become the new standard for 2022.

To create a sustainable work model that meets both the needs of your business and employees, implement the following:

• Adapt policies and processes to support remote and hybrid work
• Provide tools to ensure employees remain productive while working from home (digital communication, project management tools, cloud-based platforms, etc.)I
• Implement objective performance metrics such as scorecards to define expectations and set goals
• Coach managers to lead remotely
• Remember to keep your remote employees motivated

Adjusting your work model to offer remote and hybrid work arrangements will not only help you stay on top of the curve, but it will also broaden your applicant pool and improve your retention efforts.

4. Strengthening Employee Mental Health and Well-being

Employee mental health and well-being is perhaps one of the lesser-known HR challenges in 2022 due to most workplace cultures. High job demands may be intertwined with feelings of isolation, loneliness, stress, and disconnection, all which impact productivity and morale.

Consider prioritizing your employees’ mental health and well-being by doing the following:

• Help employees find a healthy work-life balance
• Provide manager support for those struggling with mental health
• Give employees information and resources for mental health and well-being
• Build a supportive work culture
• Encourage employees to be proactive and positive

Overall, you need to remain vigilant and listen to employees to help them feel safe in the workplace. Being open about mental health and encouraging employees to take care of themselves will help avert unforeseen problems.

5. Maintaining Federal and State Compliance

The only constant is change. Sometimes federal laws change to give states control, but then state laws vary by state, issue, and requirements. This makes it especially challenging for companies with employees in multiple states. And trying to stay on top of laws that vary by state is overwhelming: minimum wage, legalized marijuana, leave policies, discrimination laws, new hire reporting, record keeping, final pay requirements, abortion rights, mandated benefits, and so on.

With ongoing litigation, court rulings, and varying state laws, compliance will continue to be challenging for your team, particularly if your company is not staffed with a full-time HR department.

Final Thoughts

The world of HR will only get more challenging with time, making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to compete with large organizations. The best equalizer is to outsource your HR to Stratus.hr. This will give you instant access to a team of certified HR experts, Fortune-500 level benefits, HR technology, and professional administrative services for payroll, benefits, and risk management. Outsourcing your HR will also help you accommodate employees while maintaining compliance requirements.

For more information, book a consultation and our team will contact you shortly.