2023 Workplace Trends: What Employees Are Saying About Automation, Impostor Syndrome, and More

For the second year in a row, Workiva conducted a Workplace Trends Survey to take the pulse of employees across industries. Over 1,000 people responded from 900+ different organizations, answering questions about company values, impostor syndrome, wellness, remote work, and more. 

We’re still analyzing the data that came in, but we wanted to highlight some early top-level takeaways that caught our attention. 

Automation

It’s no surprise that a majority of employees would like to automate the menial tasks so they can drill into more important, focused work. Don’t we all want to feel like we’re making a real impact at our jobs? 

A whopping 73% of respondents said there are several areas throughout their team’s work that could be automated. 

Changing jobs, impostor syndrome, and quiet quitting 


While it seems that “the Great Resignation” is coming to a close, there’s still a fair amount of turbulence being felt by employees. Despite indicators that employees are happy with their location and work-life balance, nearly 35% are considering changing jobs in the next 12–24 months. 

Of course, this affects those who stay on board: 43% sometimes feel the effects of imposter syndrome, and 36% said they are feeling the impacts of quiet quitting.

Companies and leaders need to focus on empowering and engaging their employees to keep them invested in the company’s mission and confident in the incredible work they do. 


Sustainability and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I)

A company’s values are important to its employees: 48% said ESG, DE&I, and other commitments have a great impact on how they feel about their job. 

Leaders should consider not just strengthening those programs but also reporting such non-financial metrics. Only 35% of respondents declared their confidence in the accuracy of reporting non-financial data like greenhouse gas emissions, diversity and inclusion, etc. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the 2023 Workplace Trends Survey results! If you’re interested in topics like job satisfaction, collaboration, employee wellness, work-life balance, and more, check back soon for the full report! In the mean time, you can explore the 2022 survey report here.