From the pandemic to the great resignation to an uncertain economic outlook, the HR department is forced to navigate the ongoing and looming crisis while being stretched to its capacity. This has accelerated and brought forth new trends in the HR space and the article aims to highlight what you can expect in 2023 and beyond.
This generation of HR leaders will be remembered for being at the forefront of redefining work culture. The pandemic and the fast-shifting employment environment have accelerated underlying employee expectations demanding a paradigm shift in the workplace.
As organizations and experts debate the merits of hybrid and remote working models, HR teams are being pushed to adopt new programs to boost employee productivity and engagement. As a business leader here are the top 4 Human Resources trends that will continue to gain traction in 2023.
1. Enhancing human productivity with technology
The role of technology has shifted from simply automating tasks and processes to providing enhanced capabilities, analysis, and insights. The combination of machine learning and automation is transforming how HR operations are being managed. These technologies can not only help streamline processes but also provide insights that can help organizations make better data-driven decisions at every step of the employment lifecycle. In addition, they mitigate risk and improve the accuracy and efficiency of HR operations, providing a more consistent experience for employees.
Human Capital Management (HCM), Application Tracking Systems (ATS), Compensation Management, Chatbots, and Document Management are among the common software HR teams are using today. The emerging trend within leading global organizations and HR departments indicates an increased usage of best-of-breed solutions, which provide more flexibility for the task at hand. A monolithic, one-size fits all system is no longer sufficient to meet the nuanced needs of innovative HR teams.
2. Self-serve employee experience
In today’s employee-driven market, irrespective of whether your employees are remote, onsite, or in a hybrid working model, they are seeking more transparency and control over their work experience. Digitalization has intensified their expectations for real-time support and a seamless self-serve experience in areas from performance reviews, benefits, pay, and time off, to other HR-related tasks.
With the help of technology and inspiration drawn from the much-researched and acted-upon, customer journey, Human Resource teams are now laying greater emphasis on the employee experience design and aligning HR roles and responsibilities for critical moments in the employee lifecycle. The enormous cost of high employee turnover is putting the focus back on ensuring employee experience is second to none and that employees are consistently engaged via their preferred channels. This means more effective use of Total Reward Statements to communicate compensation and benefits packages, personalized career paths (learning and development programs), and feedback ‘human voice’ system to fix challenges with technology and other measures. Amidst all the technology and better user interface, the focus of HR technology teams is to widen the scope by improving the human experience with technology and craft inclusive, fair, agile, humane, and successful programs.
3. Variety of talent initiatives
In this hypercompetitive labor market, with a looming recession in sight, organizations are implementing various initiatives to retain talent. To foster a positive workplace culture there is an increasing emphasis on – pay equity, flexible working arrangements, collaboration among team members, meaningful feedback and recognition, wellbeing programs, and opportunities for re- and upskilling.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives not only promote fairness and transparency but also highlight a sense of belonging in a diverse workforce, thus encouraging Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) initiatives to continue in prominence.
4. Humanizing leadership
Due to a talent shortage in many industries, many less experienced candidates are being hired or promoted to managerial positions. The lack of experience and highly complex hybrid work environment, present a real danger of teams becoming disconnected from each other and the organization.
Understanding and managing employee expectations within a hybrid working model is new for even the most experienced managers who are navigating these waters for the first time as well. Thus, there lays greater responsibility on HR to support and mentor people managers to lead with empathy, authenticity, and adaptivity.
Moving forward
Rebounding from disruption has been tough, but it has taught us to build healthy, self-sufficient empowered teams. It is important for this generation of HR professionals to optimize for today, but also to focus on how to create value for tomorrow.
The future of Human Resources is ever-changing, and organizations need to find their place in this new normal. People are the most important part of any organization and to build a sustainable future we need to listen carefully to what those employees are telling us. Whether it be new talent initiatives, leveraging technology for an improved employee experience, or shifting to a gig-focused workforce, each HR department needs to recognize how best to navigate these stormy waters. By doing so, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and ensure that their employees are well-equipped with the necessary skills for success.
