Workplace Trends Report: Workers Seek More Connections, Communication and Career Growth in 2023

As workers turn the page to 2023, two things are top of mind: Building connections and increasing communication among their teams and companies. According to an Offsyte report on workplace culture, 60% of employees said they wish their employer would do more to encourage team collaboration within their team, while 63% said they wish their employer would do more to encourage team collaboration across the company.

Offsyte's study of the workplace was conducted online by The Harris Poll between Nov. 29 and Dec. 1, 2022. The report surveyed 1,180 full- and part-time U.S. adults (who are referred to as employee(s) in this report) about their workplace. In addition, 60% of employees work at their employer's physical location, 23% work remotely and 17% operate under a hybrid model (working some days at their employer’s location and some days at home).

The study also found that employees are seeking career growth opportunities in the new year while wanting more teamwork but have concerns about layoffs.

Key highlights:

• Young employees seek more communication. A little more than half (54%) of 18-34-year-old employees want their employers to be more transparent in 2023.
• Employees feel ignored. Forty-two percent of employees said they feel like their manager doesn’t listen to their concerns. Interestingly, this sentiment was most prominent among on-site employees, as 46% said they felt that their manager ignored their concerns, compared to 34% of remote and 37% of hybrid employees.
• Employees — both in-office and remote — feel disconnected from their coworkers. When asked if they feel disconnected from their colleagues, 40% of remote employees said they agreed, followed by 39% of on-site employees and 38% of hybrid employees.
• Employees are concerned about job security. The new year has employees worried about employment, as 38% said they agreed with the statement "I'm worried I might be affected by layoffs in 2023."Employees are looking for career growth opportunities. Thirty-four percent of employees said they want to take on more responsibilities at their current employer and 31% said they want to learn new skill sets in 2023.

Employees want action

Employees have several ideas for what actions their employers can take to improve workplaces in 2023. Almost half of employees (47%) want their employer to improve employee well-being (i.e. implement stress-reducing workshops, adopt mental health programs, implement recharge days) and be more transparent (46%). Thirty-eight percent of employees want employers to focus on teambuilding activities to improve collaboration, and 26% want to see more diversity, equity and inclusion work from their workplaces.

Intentional team-building can help

When a majority of employees want more collaboration and two in five employees feel their concerns are ignored by their managers, there is clearly a disconnect. Employees — especially younger ones — want to feel more connected to their colleagues, and to their companies as a whole.

Offsyte's report found that a whopping 65% of employees ages 18-34 and 64% of employees ages 35-44 said they wished their employer did more to encourage collaboration across their team. In older groups, 55% of employees between the ages of 45-55 wanted more team collaboration, followed by 48% of employees ages 55-64 and 43% of employees ages 65 and older.

Employers should note these concerns and make an effort to address them. One way to do that is through team-building activities. "A workplace is not just a workplace, it's an ecosystem," says Offsyte co-founder and CEO Emma Guo. "Every employee, from the IT staffer to the remote worker, needs to feel connected in order to create a healthy environment. When you place an emphasis on team building and collaboration, everyone thrives."

Employees are ready to step up

Employees are seeking change from their employers, but they're also ready to make changes themselves. Offsyte's study found that employees have goals for 2023 that range from adding responsibilities to taking on freelance work. When employees were asked what changes they are looking to make in 2023 related to their employment, 34% said they want to take on more responsibilities at their current employer followed by learning new skill sets outside their current scope of work (31%).

Employers can start 2023 strong

Employees are ready to take on larger roles at their companies, but they want more support, bonding experiences and open communication. This is especially true among younger employees.

The start of 2023 could be just the right time for employers to step up.  "The new year is the perfect time to reset and think of how you can best serve your team," explained Guo. "It's clear employers need to create more space for team building and listen more attentively. When employees feel connected to their team, role and company overall, they are happier.”

Survey Method:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Offsyte from November 29 - December 1, 2022 among 1,180 full/part time employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval.  For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Jessica Ayala at jessica@offsyte.co.