“Viewpoint” is a series of opinion posts from WorkSync that spotlight our take on the big ideas affecting today’s workforce and businesses.

2022 is here. We made it. Another year of COVID-19 and its countless challenges is behind us. The future looks — well, we can’t quite be sure yet. We’re still in the midst of the Omicron surge, as well as the supply-chain crisis and staffing shortages across industries. Yet many of us have the optimistic feeling that things can only go up from here — that 2022 may finally mark the end of the pandemic and a bright new beginning.

In that hopeful spirit, let’s kick off the year with — you guessed it — some positive resolutions. But not the kinds of resolutions that involve attaining a bigger bottom line or windfall profits. Those things aren’t fully in our control, and besides, they’re more about the ends than the means. Let’s focus on the means instead.

What do we want our businesses and our workforce to be like in 2022? Exactly the same as they were in 2021? Most likely not, given today’s fast-changing world. Rather, we want to better this year. More agile, more responsive, more supportive of our teams.

Indeed, our employees are a great place to start. One of the key reasons for today’s staffing issues — which some are calling the Great Resignation — is simply that workers have had enough. They’re fed up with being underpaid, overworked, and stuck in inflexible situations that don’t take into account their needs as people, as human beings.

So let’s begin there. Let’s commit to transforming our workplaces into ones that individuals will be eager to return to. Flexible scheduling, more communication and collaboration, robust training, early access to wages, wellness initiatives — whatever measures you’re able to implement in this direction will make a meaningful difference. And if you’re already on the path, that’s wonderful. Keep going.

Moving on from our teams, we can take a fresh look at our processes and products. Where can we trim the fat and get rid of unnecessary administrative hurdles? How can we strategize and innovate to provide new offerings that meet our customers’ evolving demands? What happens when we scrub the whiteboard clean and start from scratch — with a blue-sky, outside-the-box state of mind? Where might our creativity take us?

We may not be out of the woods yet when it comes to the trials and tribulations of the pandemic, but we can see a glimmer of light between the trees. Here’s to living in and leading from that light, for the good of our organizations. Here’s to a bold new beginning.

WorkSync offers leading workforce management solutions for your organization. Learn more and request a demo today at workSync.com.