The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder but we’re all seeing the light at the end of a long dark tunnel known as COVID-19.
With the world poised to (hopefully) open up over the course of 2022, there will likely be more opportunities than ever for in-the-know professionals. Keep up with the latest by reading about predictions about working in 2022, the strong state job market in Silicon Valley, and the problem with only focusing on feedback.
Remote Work Will Continue, Get Better in 2022
It seems like there’s often very little to agree on when it comes to COVID-19 and how to deal with it. But perhaps the one thing we can agree on is that the pandemic has led to the mass adoption of remote work.
According to business experts interviewed by Wired, remote work is here to stay. Most likely, that will mean a hybrid work arrangement for most people; coming into the office just a few days a week.
If you like the idea of being able to work from home but feel a bit burned out by too many Zoom meetings, fear not, experts are also predicting that remote work practices will become more efficient and less annoying. As organizations become better at holding virtual meetings, attendee will get better at making their contributions short, sweet and easy to understand.
Silicon Valley Isn’t Dead Yet
When the rise of remote work allowed people to move away from tech hubs with a high cost of living like San Francisco, we all started to read articles about people leaving Silicon Valley for smaller towns in Texas and the Midwest.
However, the rumors of Silicon Valley’s demise appeared to have been greatly exaggerated. According to a recent report from CompTIA, there was an increase in postings for jobs located in San Francisco, indicated increased demand for IT workers in the Golden Gate City.
On top of that, pricey New York City lead all cities with tech job postings for November. Even though people have the chance to work from a city like Milwaukee, where costs of living is fairly low, it doesn’t seem like there’s a massive rush to move to these locations.
Employees Want More than Just Feedback from Their Bosses
Everyone knows the value of feedback, and according to research, younger generations crave feedback even more than older generations of workers.
Feedback can be great for helping employees avoid bad habits. However, feedback isn’t very useful when it comes to engaging and developing those same employees. Employees often tune out feedback, even if it is framed as constructive. On top of that, positive feedback rarely has a lasting positive impact.
Instead of being laser focused on providing the best feedback possible, managers need to consider the intention behind giving feedback: to make employees better. To achieve this goal, managers need to take on more of an ally or coach mentality. Managers that empathize with their employees, expressed confidence in them and ask about ways to support them are more likely to engage and grow their team members.
