Oh, what a difference a year makes…
Managing Human Resources in 2018 involves a much more dynamic and comprehensive approach than it did in 2017. One of the biggest reasons was the onset and fallout of the #metoo movement, which positioned harassment as one of the biggest topics of the year. Another buzz-term compounding and confounding HR professionals is AI (Artificial Intelligence) Getting a handle on these complex issues and concepts is essential to managing your employees and driving the success of mission-critical tasks that keep your business thriving.
As Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, publisher of the trend report, “HR Technology Disruptions for 2018” stated, “I believe 2018 will be one of the most important years for HR in decades: we have a growing global economy, unprecedented focus on diversity and inclusion and transparency, a global discussion about pay equity and fairness, and the need to re-skill, hire, and keep people engaged.”
Here are the 3 leading trends that have become a mainstay in 2018:
AI and Bots
While AI has been on the scene for a while, it was customarily used to automate HR tasks and processes. However, as of late, AI is tasked with capturing the latest and greatest employee data to ensure individual productivity and maximize team organization and interaction through data sharing and collaboration.
AI allows for a more employee-centric organization, where employee activities don’t just garner participation, but boost employee engagement and performance as well. AI technologies spanning from machine learning to natural language processing and image or voice recognition to virtual reality, will make everyday employee tasks more dynamic and instantaneous. It will complement the skills needed for solving problems, which, in turn, will transform the employee’s overall experience for the better.
Personalization Promotes a Unique Experience
When was the last time the conventional one-size-fits-all approach worked for anyone? The same goes for your employees. In this day and age, they are looking for a unique, individualized work experience where their needs and desires are considered. Strong analytical approaches to employee experience are required to stand up to this expectation. Everything from on-demand benefits offerings, such as medical and wellness programs, to ongoing feedback-driven evaluation interfaces are much more valuable to an employee when they are personalized by HR. This type of adaptive and automated communication helps employees feel value more than anything since individualized needs are being met. While data privacy is and will continue to be a major concern, accountability and transparency are key to allaying fears about privacy.
D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) Practices
Security in all its facets is of extreme importance to employees and consumers in general. Job security is one of these priorities, but the past year has proven that people want to feel safe, secure, and respected in their positions, or at the company at large. Feeling protected in the workplace is becoming a top priority everywhere. This is why it is increasingly important for companies to adopt inclusionary practices, which can only be implemented from the top-down. This means having clear and concise harassment and discrimination programs, which are not just referenced, but clearly communicated and enforced regularly. Companies have recognized that fostering a culture of inclusion not only creates a sense of ease, but translates to better performance and harnesses an innovative spirit among employees.
Trends in HR are impacted by social issues developing in society. This is even more the case in 2018, where it is integral to be on the pulse of culture, media, and ethics.
Maintaining a transparent working environment has become a mandate of managers and employees alike. Therefore, Human Resources professionals need to fully understand their employees’ wants and needs and to not only manage their expectations and behaviors, but to predict them and mitigate risk.
While not often considered, HCM technology that streamlines everyday tasks, can also be used to assist HR professionals in the collection of real-time data that enables this transparency into a company’s workforce. The ability to capture and access employee information across multiple points, and perpetuate an ongoing dialogue through various channels, improves communication and ultimately productivity among teams.