When it comes to navigating the workplace in 2016, the news is, well, pretty positive. Employers will award slightly bigger raises, recruit more aggressively and warm up to flexible work environments, experts say.
"I think it's going to be a pretty good year," says Kerry Chou, compensation practice leader at WorldatWork, a nonprofit human resources association based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Some changes in 2016 will be spurred by developing technologies. Others may parrot the trends in Silicon Valley. A few may result from an improving economy.
Here's what to expect in your office this year.
1. You could pay more for health care. This development isn't totally new, but expect it to continue into 2016, says Jennifer Schramm, manager of workforce trends at the Society for Human Resource Management, based in Alexandria, Virginia.
Employers expect health care costs to rise approximately 4.5 percent this year, according to several surveys. And that's after making benefits changes in an effort to tackle those rising bills.
But don't expect the boss to shoulder those increased costs alone. "More and more organizations – when they find health care costs going up – they pass some of those along to the employees," Schramm says.