The Second Year of the Pandemic Ushers in New Trends, Enduring Topics in SIOP’s 9th Annual Top 10 Work Trends List

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) is pleased to announce its ninth annual Top 10 Work Trends list. According to member surveys, these are the issues expected to have the most impact on work in 2022. 

The topics on SIOP’s 2022 Top 10 Work Trends list are multifaceted and complex—some have been on prior years’ lists. Others are more focused trends resulting from the distress of a global pandemic and critical social issues that came to the forefront in 2020 but still remain at the fore.

Careful analyses uncovered similar yet distinct and more nuanced topics. Similar to past years, trends related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and worker well-being remain prominent. This year, however, SIOP members identified several, higher level, macro trends within these larger domains. It bears different understandings, perspectives, and applications on or of the DEI “space.” Therefore, it is broken down into separate trends for 2022, in contrast to the 2021 trends, when DEI themes seem to be more specific compared to pre-2020 trends. Now again, it seems to retreat in 2022 trends with a renewed focus. In brief, DEI is still important and retains attention, but the trend seems to be back at a “macro” level.

Similarly, for the 2022 trends, employee well-being appeared to be an umbrella term with different connotations. This topic shifts from a more generic “burnout/stress” focus in 2021 trends to more nuanced aspects or parts of employee well-being and related dynamics in 2022. These tendencies going from generic to specific and vice versa seem to wave back and forward, push and pull, across the past couple of years.

The list follows. You’ll find a description of each of the trends and a summary of how I-O psychologists are helping organizations address them on the Top 10 Work Trends webpage. Throughout 2022, a diverse group of “Trend Champions” will be curating research on these topics, so be sure to visit the page often for updates.

• Trend #10: Enabling Organizational Culture in a Changing Workplace Environment
• Trend #9: Employer’s Role in Employees’ Mental Health
• Trend #8: Creating Effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Interventions
• Trend #7: Stress and Burnout
• Trend #6: The Great Resignation
• Trend #5: Caring for Employee Well-Being
• Trend #4: Talent Attraction and Retention in a Candidate-Driven Market
• Trend #3: Managing the Transition Into Post-Pandemic Work
• Trend #2: Ensuring Inclusive Environments and Cultures
• Trend #1: Employee Engagement and Organizational Commitment of Remote Workers

Resources for Using I-O Psychology to Solve Business Challenges

If you’re looking for an expert to help with your organization’s work challenges, visit the SIOP Consultant Locator to identify a partner specializing in your area of need.

Additional resources providing practical business applications on these and other key trends can be found in the SIOP White Paper collection. For more in-depth coverage of several of the core issues organizations face today, explore the SIOP Organizational Frontiers Book Series or the Professional Practice Book Series. You may also wish to read previous Top 10 Trends lists here.

Background

This year’s Top 10 Work Trends list was based on an analysis of results from two online surveys sent to approximately 7,000 SIOP members in October and November of 2021.

To create this year’s Top 10 Work Trends list, SIOP asked its members to predict trends based on their recent experiences as well as their recent interactions with clients and colleagues. Themes were compiled, and then members prioritized the top 10 issues facing organizations in 2022.

Many thanks to Amanda Woller, Visibility Committee Chair; Heidi Glickman, Media Subcommittee Chair; and Media Subcommittee Members Nicholas Baldwin, Jaclyn Jensen, Erin Bowen, Tyler Cahill, Rebecca Storey, and Ellen Peeters for planning and execution, and to the 2022 Top 10 Work Trend Champions who’ll be monitoring and curating these trends throughout the year.