LEADERS AND 2023: BETWEEN OPTIMISM AND WORRIES!

ALL THE RESULTS OF THE NEW GRANT ALEXANDER / OPINIONWAY STUDY AMONG LEADERS

Paris, January 4, 2023 – Despite ongoing inflation and notably the increase in energy prices which weighs more and more on the daily lives of the French, business leaders approach 2023 rather calmly. Between retaining talent at all costs, new recruitment strategies, and ensuring business continuity in a dense social climate, the challenges to be faced this year will once again be numerous.
Partner of the performance of organizations and their leaders, the consulting and HR services group Grant Alexander shares the results of an exclusive study intended to evaluate the mindset as well as the aspirations of leaders for 2023 and the way they concretely approach this new year in terms of human resources.
This study was conducted by OpinionWay among a sample of 403 leaders. All respondents work in private sector companies with 50 employees or more. These interviews were conducted between November 4 and 20, 2022.
Its main findings are as follows:
74% of leaders feel in a positive mindset
8 out of 10 leaders are worried about the evolution of energy prices
1 in 5 leaders doubts the viability of their company
Men are, moreover, more worried than women about the sustainability of their company (22% versus 12%)
76% of respondents fear encountering recruitment difficulties
Making employees want to stay is the number one HR challenge for 60% of business leaders
84% of leaders wish to recruit in 2023, with an average of 20 recruitments planned during the year
Optimistic profiles (53%) and junior profiles (51%) will be those they will need the most
15% of leaders are ready to sacrifice part of their remuneration to grant raises to their teams
62% of respondents wish to be able to give more meaning to their work
And 1 in 3 leaders is ready to be supported to better manage new modes of relationship with their employees

THE ECONOMIC AND ENERGY CRISIS, A CATALYST OF ANXIETY
Many worries remain on the minds of leaders. Thus, for eight out of ten respondents, the evolution of energy prices is their greatest concern. Economic recession also represents a significant source of worry for leaders (62%).
In the current inflationary context, 1 in 5 leaders comes to doubt the viability of their company. The OpinionWay survey notes that this doubt is more present among male leaders than their female counterparts (22% versus 12%).
Of course, the endogenous challenges of the company remain very present in the minds of business leaders. Indeed, while France experienced historically high resignation figures at the beginning of 2022, 1 in 3 leaders expects to manage more resignations in 2023. Also, 76% of leaders fear encountering recruitment difficulties during the coming year. They also expect, for 70% of them, to have to manage a significant number of requests for salary increases.

RETAINING TEAMS, THE NUMBER ONE HR PRIORITY FOR 2023
Questioned on the main HR challenges for the start of 2023, leaders identify in first place making employees want to stay (60%). Next comes strengthening team cohesion (55%), potentially weakened since the explosion of remote work and the significant turnover experienced by companies. Always with the aim of retaining talent, training is also a priority, since 45% of leaders consider the development of employees’ professional skills as a major challenge.
Attracting new talent, meanwhile, is highlighted by 40% of respondents. Indeed, when asked about their recruitment intentions, a large majority (84%) of leaders plan to hire employees during the year. On average, they plan to hire 20 new employees.
However, the financial aspect is not forgotten since 39% of leaders consider increasing team remuneration (salaries, bonuses…) as one of the major HR challenges of 2023. 15% of them would even be ready to “sacrifice” themselves in the executive committee by proposing to reduce their remuneration to grant raises to teams!

TWO TYPES OF PROFILES ESSENTIAL IN 2023: OPTIMISTS AND JUNIORS!
Leaders intend to recruit and also seem quite clear about the profiles they are looking for in priority: employees with abundant motivation and a desire to learn! Thus, so-called optimistic profiles (53%) and junior profiles (51%) are by far the most requested, ahead of more experienced talents (35%).
Aware of the need to adapt, even reinvent their management to attract a new generation of talent, leaders are evolving their vision of the profession. As proof, priorities such as the search for meaning and a better work-life balance, subjects widely discussed for several years, would now be taken into account by more than one in four leaders (27% tied).

GENERALLY OPTIMISTIC LEADERS READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Asked about their overall mindset looking ahead to the start of 2023, three out of four leaders declare themselves optimistic (74%). Although this score drops by 13 points compared to September 2021, the level remains high, proof of a form of resilience on their part.
With this positive mindset, the vast majority of leaders affirm that they do not wish to leave their company, whether for a personal project (78%) or to change career (84%). It is also noted that women seem more attached to their position and do not wish to leave it to change careers (89% versus 80% of men).
Approaching the future with optimism, leaders seem in the right mindset to evolve their vision and practices. Thus, 62% wish to explore a quest for meaning within the professional framework and aspire, for example, to projects of skills sponsorship. Also, more than 1 in 3 leaders (35%) would be ready to be supported to better manage new modes of relationship with employees, proof that they are aware of the shift to be taken in 2023 and wish to give themselves the means to succeed.
Finally, 22% of leaders express their need to take a step back from operations and might decide to join the Supervisory Board.

“The key word we wish to retain from this survey is resolutely optimism! Whether it is their overall mindset or what they look for in employees joining them during the year, leaders are aware that they will need this positive outlook to meet all the challenges of 2023 and ensure business continuity in an economic and social context still full of changes,” comments Henri VIDALINC, President of Grant Alexander.

About Grant Alexander:
Grant Alexander has, for over 30 years, been the partner of the performance of organizations and their leaders, whom it supports globally on all their needs in skills management and development, with a response always tailored. A multi-specialist consulting and HR services group, with 4 activities (Executive Search, Executive Interim, Leadership Development, HR & Organisation Transformation), it operates in all sectors, in all functions (executives / experts / rare profiles), worldwide. It has several offices in France (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Toulouse), a branch in Abidjan for Africa, and is also the exclusive partner in France of InterSearch, the global leader network in executive recruitment. A socially responsible and committed actor, Grant Alexander is labeled Lucie 26000.
More information: www.grantalexander.com