2024 Trends: 4 global issues impacting employee communications

The coming year will be one unlike any other — with major political, economic, and financial factors impacting jobs and organizations across the board.

• Why it matters: Leaders need to start planning now to tackle the topics and obstacles that 2024 is going to throw their way — and that includes knowing how to address some of the most heated and anticipated topics.

In order to help leaders prepare their plans, Axios HQ and Mixing Board gathered together 90+ top communication professionals to learn what they’ll be focusing on in their workplace communications for the year ahead. They landed on eight topics leaders can plan for now. 

In this post, we’ll cover the four broader-reaching topics most likely to impact organizations on a wider scale. In another, we’ll zoom out to look at four employee-centric issues leaders and communicators will need to address — internally, or externally — in 2024.

Four globally-focused topics for 2024:

1. The 2024 Presidential election. Employees will expect organization leaders to stand up, speak out, and advocate for workers — no matter their political leanings. And leaders need to prepare now for how they’ll handle possibly volatile topics with finesse and honesty.
2. A stabilizing economy – finally. The new year is on track to ease spending insecurity, but it could spark an internal tug-of-war around where leaders spend those dollars. Look at financial plans and areas of need now. Put together plans to address priority needs — and be ready to back up why those areas received funds when others didn’t. 
3. Evolving ESG and Climate reporting. CEOs — and organizations as a whole — are under pressure to track and talk about their initiatives in a quantifiable way. If you’re not already focused on these areas, now is not only the time to start, but it’s time to outline how plans will continue to grow and change. 
4. Social media, news, and trust. Publishers are getting more focused, brands are turning to owned channels, and niche outreach shows less is more. 

The bottom line: Leaders need to have their hands on the global pulse to ensure they know what impact it will have on the business and their employees. And they need to be prepared to speak to that or risk seeming uniformed, out of touch, or hands off.

Go deeper: Read the full report to see 18 comms strategies to navigate these issues.