HR Trends 2023 | Get Ahead Of Quiet Quitting! Moonlighting! Rage-Applying!

Social media is both a boon and a bane for HRs worldwide. While on one hand, it has made it easy to source talent across geographies, on the other, it is also the birthplace of most viral HR trends/ workplace trends. We are all familiar with ‘ghosting’ which was one of the primary causes of the Great Resignation of 2021. Since then multiple other popular trends have unnerved corporate workplaces like ‘quiet quitting’, ‘moonlighting’, ‘offer shopping’, etc. And the latest workplace trend in 2023 doing the rounds is ‘rage-applying’.

Given the quickly changing and active corporate workforce landscape, HRs must employ the right recruitment strategy to brand, source, engage, assess & hire the right talent. The focus has to be on tackling these hiring problems that disrupt human resources management and retain employees once recruited. In this article, we will take you through this latest trend and share a few solutions to help you overcome these recruitment challenges.

What Exactly is Rage-Applying?

The workplace trend called ‘rage-applying’ is when employees who are dissatisfied with their job and workplace apply for multiple jobs. The idea is to channel the rage built up from the current situation toward applying for and securing higher-paying jobs with better circumstances.

How Did Rage-Applying Begin?

This latest workplace/ HR trend in 2023 started with the popular social media channel TikTok. The trend went viral when Redweez, a TikTok-er posted a video stating that one day when she got mad at work, she applied to about 15 places in a fit of rage, and landed a job with a USD 25,000 increment.

It did not take long for the rest of GenZs to pick this up, with multiple people across the world soon reporting how they benefited from ‘rage-applying’. 

The Reason For Disruptive Workplace Trends

Many agree that the term ‘rage-applying’ might be new, but the mechanics behind is not. A fit of rage does not happen overnight, it is a long time in making with dissatisfaction brewing under the surface for employees. To work on a solution for this issue, we first need to understand the reasons that have led to the creation of these trends.

Each of the single workplace trends mentioned here (and others) fits into a bigger picture. As per common consensus, a combination of unsatisfactory pay, exhaustion, rising inflation, dynamics of the job market, and higher costs of borrowing, all play into the narrative of employees constantly being on the lookout for better opportunities. 

It is a vicious cycle, but you have the power to break it. All you need to do is tread carefully and solve the deep-rooted issues that lead to the build-up of negativity and anger towards one's job.

Take the mass layoff for example. It is creating an environment of insecurity, anxiety, and hence urgency among employees to have backup options. We need to change our purview of looking at layoffs as a negative mechanism and instead consider them a part of the growth process. And there are viable solutions to all these issues in form of varied recruitment strategies, most of which we are going to discuss in the next section.

HR Trends 2023 You Should Embrace

We all know that it takes months of hard work to assess, recruit, hire, and nurture talent. And it takes a single trend to disrupt the flow of the process. In lieu of the recruitment challenges facing the HR community, it is the need of the hour to play smart and up your game. Here are some HR trends that will shape the evolution of the workforce in 2023:

1. Use of Tech and Data in HR

Transforming HR departments by integrating data analytics into recruitment strategies and using tech to source and hire talent. Numerous companies are already ahead in the game and are using online campus recruitment and lateral hiring platform (with next-gen assessments & proctoring) to source, assess, and hire working professionals, B-School and E-School students. The single platform helps them perform multiple HR operations with greater efficiency and hire the right people. Remember hiring the right talent and matching them with the right jobs not only improves efficiency but also helps retain employees.

2. Skill-based Hiring

One of the most popular HR trends/ hiring trends 2023 that HR leaders must consider adopting is skill-based hiring. Looking for skills rather than just technicalities like qualifications helps broaden the talent pool and also speeds up the hiring process. It also removes career/ salary barriers while facilitating the creation of diversity and inclusion in the workforce. With employees working on their areas of expertise, as per skill, are bound to gain more satisfaction and better growth opportunities in the long run.

The shift to skill-based hiring is also supported by the fact that numerous professions including software engineers, computer support, etc. require skill and do not necessitate degrees.  #GoBeyondResumes

3. Employer Branding

Irrespective of whether you are a big corporate powerhouse, or a small business employer branding and building an image is an integral part of HR Trends 2023. It sounds logically right that a good brand image can help you attract the right talent and retain them for longer periods of time. This alone can be a solution to many disruptive workplace trends in 2023. Take offer shopping, for example, a solid brand image can help tilt the scales in favor of any organization.

4. Reskilling & Upskilling Employees, Managers, and Leaders

Reskilling and upskilling employees across hierarchical levels will be one of the top HR trends in 2023. As per a World Economics Forum study, more than one-third of jobs will transform with changes in workplace technology.
There is hence the need to acclimate ourselves to change, quickly to maintain efficiency, relevance, and employability. As per a report by Gartner, 59% of HR leaders will prioritize skill-building in 2023.

5. Employee Engagement

Employee retention is one of the biggest woes facing the HR sector, the solution to which comes in form of improved employee engagement. HR leaders must encourage employees to engage with the company from day one and constantly build on it. With digitalization, it is extremely convenient to create & manage engagement platform and induce engagement in corporate lives. We all know from experience, that employees who are engaged with their workplaces are more likely to stick to the job, thus making it easier for HRs to retain employees.

6. Creating Workforce Diversity

Companies must look at inculcating diversity, equity, and Does This Company’s HR Practices Really Put Employees First?