2020 will be more technology-driven than forecasted. There has been a noticeable and significant shift in how things used to be, thanks to the world of automation and digitalization. Having said that, organisations should also ensure that there is no disconnect between employees and organization due to greater advancement in their HR transformation journey. HR being the custodian of culture and human connect, should operate with the right balance of technology and human touch.
Few HR Tech trends that will help HR now and forward:
1. Agile and Flat Organization: Spontaneity is the necessity, and so is collaboration and synergy. Teams coming together in a truly integrated manner to manage the unpredictable is the need of the hour. The system should empower task owners and give them the required authority.
2. eTraining: There is an unavoidable need to re-skill resources in this fast-changing world and encourage them to adapt to the changes. Gamification, On the Go modules, AR & VR program to train employees is gaining popularity because of the effective and engaging learning experience.
"Personal development oppor-tunities will remain a major criterion for choosing and staying with an employer"
3. Continuous Feedback System along with Annual Performance Appraisal: Currently, the feedback tools are assignment centric, easy to use, and mobile friendly. Technology has enabled a system that renders real-time review, assessment, and feedback mechanism, which helps in designing initiatives to drive performance, coaching, and development opportunities based on business needs.
4. Tailored Recruitment System and Blind Hiring: Like employee engagement and experience, candidate engagement and experience is also emerging as a critical focus point. Chatbots have helped significantly by taking over a few processes like candidate screening. Interestingly blind hiring has undoubtedly removed biasedness from the hiring process to a great level.
5. Data Driven:Data and analytics will overshadow instincts. Intuitions and predictions will be questioned because of the evidence based model and approach. Every decision will be taken on the basis of validated data, and there will be very less scope of errors or biasedness.
6. Employee Experience and wellbeing: It's all about people. Companies have to become more inclusive in their work environment. The use of technology will be impactful and helpful in assessing and improving both these aspects.
7. Data Security: Data security was and is of the utmost importance. It's very crucial for HR to handle employee data carefully by standardizing the processes to keep the data safe and intact. Data-driven cybersecurity has to be maintained by using reliable tools.
8. Simplify the HR Model and Processes: Self-service mode will be highly useful, which is aptly customizable and configurable. All administrative services like leave, timesheet and payroll will be automated using mobile applications.
9. Cloud-based HR: It's time to be REAL time. A single real-time platform that handles learning, career progression, employee development, performance management.
10. Virtual is real: There will be advanced tools to monitor and achieve productivity, to understand and know where employees are and how productive they can be. We are already in a zone where we can work with anybody from anywhere at any time.
With the help of technology, HR will be able to invest time in making human connections than working alone on spreadsheets and policies. HR must challenge the myth of getting replaced by effectively doing everything that no machine can do.
Human-centric HR trends that are here to stay forever are:
1. Be Human: When the focus is primarily on revenue and other growth-oriented numbers, humans are not treated that well. Somewhere we compromise on our ethics and values, many times with our policies too. It doesn't take much to be a human, just be a little empathetic, transparent, and ethical.
'Employees engage with employers and brands when they are treated as humans.' - Meghan Biro
2. Personal Development Over Traditional Organizational Pyramid: Personal development opportunities will remain a major criterion for choosing and staying with an employer. The aspiration and career path for younger generations are substantially different from elder generations. Where baby boomers always believed in 'Lifetime employment,' Gen Z believes in skills and expertise.
3. Blending is the Key: Blended environment, culture, training, engagement plans to fit everybody's needs. HR needs to find the right balance. They shouldn't ignore older generations but be more attentive towards millennials and GenZ as the future workplace trend will be characterized prominently by them.
4. More Personalized than Generalized: HR will have to provide more human-centered, personalized, tailored solutions to meet an individual's needs. One size fits all approach is no longer viable.
'Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't have to.' - Sir Richard Branson
5. Everybody is an Engagement Manager: Alone, HR can't win the game! Only HR can't take the responsibility of creating an engaged workplace. It's a misconception that HR defines the culture and maintains it. It will be a win-win situation only when everybody plays a part in building the foundation.
6. Shared Vision and Purpose: It is very important for HR to develop a shared vision and collaborate with different functions and teams to achieve organizational goals. The strategy should definitely be business-centric but also people-focused.
7. Employee Experience along with Employee Engagement: Replacing is not a solution, but adding is, we need to focus on overall experience than just engagement. It has to be more holistic to attract, recruit, and retain. 'In order to build a rewarding employee experience, you need to understand what matters most to your people.' - Julie Bevacqua
8. Know the business and your people: The primary contribution of HR is expected towards the right selection, induction, engagement, development, and retention. HR can only contribute to the expected level by knowing not only internal business and people but also external market and competition.
'To win the marketplace, you must first win the workplace.' - Doug Conant
9. Find the right balance: Over focus or even a little bit of ignorance on any front can disturb the required equilibrium. Their strategies and initiatives should clearly reflect 'customers, business and employees will be treated with the same commitment and growth-oriented intentions.'
10. Change to See the Change: Hibernate, migrate, and adapt! Adapting successfully to change in a Rapidly Changing Business Environment is the aptest way HR can handle most of the challenges and be present and future-ready.
Being relevant is the only way to win the talent war. The ultimate solution lies in retaining the 'human' aspect of HR and adapting to the new and fast-changing world of automation and digitization.
'Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.' - Albert Einstein
Dr. Ankita Singh, Vice President & Global Head - HR
Ankita Singh is an experienced global head in managing human resources with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Skilled in best value, corporate social responsibility, employee recognition, and operations management, Ankita is a sharp professional with an executive education focused on transformational leadership for the 21st century from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
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