9 Work Trends That HR Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore in 2021 | Gartner

HR leaders continue to be at the forefront of addressing multiple workplace trends. To that end, this article shares nine forces that are convening in the workplace in 2021 and beyond; I expand on two of them. 3) The gender-wage gap will continue to increase as employees return to the workplace. With CHROs “reporting that men are more likely to decide to return to their workplace and women are more likely to continue to work remotely,” there is concern that this can lead to managers unfairly over-rewarding male employees due to a bias toward in-office workers. This issue is compounded by another trend that I posted previously, in which a Payscale study found that women often incur a pay penalty on returning to work after a prolonged absence—earning 7 percent less on average than men in the same position. As such, employers will need to demonstrate a heightened commitment to addressing gender-based wage inequities. 5) Flexibility will shift from location to time – where firms give a segment of workers more control of when (not just where) they are actively engaged in work. From my perspective, this approach will require “Trust-based working (TBW), which involves managers and leaders assessing workers on their outputs, rather than merely “time worked.” This trend might require a mindset shift in some firms, providing opportunities for manager and leadership development.