As 2024 kicks off, workforces will continue to experience pressure to adapt in the face of rapid change. Seven meQ experts weigh in on the challenges ahead, and how leaders can take action.
Job demands, incivility, polarization, external stressors, and the challenges of AI will put extreme pressure on the workforce in 2024. Business leaders must take on the task of addressing negativity and reducing stress among employees–especially Gen Z, frontline, technology, and healthcare workers.
Here, seven meQ experts share how leaders can take positive action and meet well-being challenges in a disordered world.
Andrew Shatté, Ph.D., Chief Knowledge Officer and Co-founder
2024 will shake up complacent attitudes about workplace mental health as two forces converge: Gen Z’s growing workforce presence and their mental health struggles, and the contagion of unchecked negativity reaching a tipping point. With these two powerful forces in play, we risk creating “Doom Loops” if workforce mental well-being doesn’t remain in the spotlight.
To get ahead of this challenge, HR leaders must champion mental health with urgency, doubling down on resilience while normalizing open dialogues around mental health. Proactive, compassionate policies that foster a thriving culture will pay dividends as the next generation reshapes the workforce.
Adam Perlman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder
Perhaps more than ever, external stressors in our polarized world will impact everything from mental health to productivity to sleep. Conflicts around the world and an undoubtedly polarizing election against a backdrop of increasing racism and bigotry will elevate workers’ stress levels and potential feelings of isolation. This will create a need to focus on resiliency and sense of belonging as part of ongoing efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Brad Smith, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer
In today’s competitive work environment, attracting and retaining top talent remains paramount. Nearly a quarter (23%) of younger workers are highly likely to switch jobs in the next six months, according to meQ’s newest study. While talent and experience are critical, our evidence suggests those attributes may not be enough in 2024. It’s not simply how well a person can perform in a typical situation, but how quickly they can return to high performance after an inevitable setback. From meQ’s series of workforce well-being surveys, we see that the most protective things we can do are improve resilience and commit to self-care.
Jan Bruce, CEO and Co-founder
Job demands, traumatic events, and workplace incivility will continue to impact the workforce in 2024. Psychosocial risk assessment will become essential for business leaders as they take on the hard job of helping the workforce face current brutal truths in a disordered world, and at the same time remain optimistic about the future. These tangible and effective tools will help leaders assess and address psychosocial risks and build employee resilience. As leaders make a full commitment to the potential of their organization, their employees will be better able to handle difficult change and come out stronger for it.
Alanna Fincke, Executive Director of Content & Learning
The pace of change in the world—and in the workplace—is faster than ever before. Technology, globalization, and other forces are rapidly reshaping industries and jobs. It’s no longer about the future of work, it’s the “now of work.” To thrive in this environment, we must develop strong self-leadership capabilities—it’s the key skill for the future of work in 2024. Employees at all levels will be expected to demonstrate tremendous self-motivation, self-care and energy management, and personal accountability as organizations rely on individuals to manage their growth and direction.
Ned Rhinelander, Chief Technology Officer
In 2024, we can expect unprecedented integration of artificial intelligence in the workforce. For workers in many job functions, AI will become a side-by-side co-worker. While this may feel threatening, it presents opportunities. The core skills for success–growth mindset, positivity, self-awareness, and sound judgment–will be as critical as ever when interacting with AI. We must direct AI with a clear sense of purpose, delegating specific tasks rather than strategy. The soft skills we use with human co-workers will prove even more vital when leveraging this new technology.
Dustin DiTommaso, Chief Design Officer
Over the next 12 months, organizations will focus on building their macro-cultures. In the hybrid work environment, many employees are experiencing organizational culture on a much smaller scale than they used to. Employees are simply having less interaction with people outside of their direct teams and reporting structures.
To mitigate the performance risks inherent with siloed micro-cultures, future-forward organizations are taking steps to build high-quality and high-performing macro-cultures by expanding past individual talent development. They are encouraging, supporting, and nurturing team and cross-team development and dynamics. Leaders at these organizations know that while they are made up of unique and diverse individuals, creating micro- and macro-cultures of performance and well-being requires shared observations and experiences. These shared cultures are increasingly important for our new normal of distributed, hybrid, and remote workforce environments.
For more trends that will impact your workforce in 2024, download meQ’s latest Workforce Well-being Report.
