Employee Experience

New research reveals top priorities for HR professionals in 2022

With the pandemic now coming into its third year, COVID-19 is still impacting the bottom line and companies are faced with different people challenges: reductions in force, hiring freezes and/or stagnating compensation for employees. Playbooks had to be rewritten, and continuously rewritten, on how to cultivate community, nurture workplace culture and retain top talent. How will companies continue to evolve?

A new study from Qualtrics and HR Brew reveals what HR professionals are expecting and prioritizing in 2022. Hiring continues to be the focus as the Great Reshuffle persists, followed by the challenges of supporting employees’ physical and mental well-being. Employees are quitting because they are finding better compensation, career growth opportunities as well as location or remote options. And HR professionals are managing this all—only having taken about half of their allotted PTO last year—while having their own career aspirations for 2022. 

The research found that among U.S. employees who work full-time or part-time as HR professionals:

The Great Reshuffling will persist in 2022

• Hiring is the #1 challenge HR professionals expect to face in 2022, followed by vaccine mandates and employee mental health 
• 71% say their organization plans to hire at least 5% of their workforce in 2022
• Only 9% say their organization does not plan to hire in 2022, noting their workforce will either stay the same or be reduced

Why are employees still quitting? 

• The top 3 concerns employees express to HR professionals about work include: 
  • Benefits
  • Work-life balance
  • Compensation
• Yet, employees who have quit over the last year have decided to do so because they’ve found: 
  • Higher compensation elsewhere
  • Better opportunities for career growth and development
  • Better or remote location

In response, employers will invest more in HR and recruiting

• 83% expect to have more resources and assistance (e.g. headcount, agency/contractor, budget, etc.) to do their jobs in 2022

On a personal level…

• HR professionals are feeling the burnout as they only took half (49%) of their allotted PTO in 2021
• Getting promoted is their top career goal for 2022
• Interestingly, with 81% of HR professionals working remotely in some capacity, building in-person connections with their team is another top priority 

Study Methodology: This study was fielded by Qualtrics, in partnership with HR Brew, between December 17-28, 2021. Respondents were selected from a randomized panel and considered eligible if they live in the United States, are at least 18 years of age and are employed full time or part time as an HR professional. The total number of respondents was 551. Respondents who did not pass quality standards were removed.