As the COVID-19 pandemic eased in many regions at the start of 2022, employers anticipated a return to “business as usual” and were focussing on how to balance employer expectations with employee demands for greater flexibility in their working lives. Twelve months on, adapting to hybrid working remains a challenge, but employers are less likely to view it as the key issue they face.

In the short term, economic pressures are driving restructurings in some sectors and calls to regulate to protect vulnerable workers. Longer term, there is an increasing regulatory focus on employers’ use of AI and pressure from investors and staff for employers to show a commitment to the social aspect of ESG. Cultural and legal changes mean that there is still a spotlight on sexual harassment in the workplace and how employers deal with complaints. 

We have kept this edition of Employment Horizons as concise as possible by limiting it to high-level summaries for each theme. If you are interested in learning more about a particular topic, you can follow links to more detailed information on Engage, our thought leadership platform.

We hope you find this publication helpful, and we would welcome any queries or feedback you might have. Please get in touch with any of our key contacts or your normal point of contact to discuss any of the issues further.

Authored by Jo Broadbent and Ed Bowyer.