With technology taking over various tasks at the workplace, the role of HR has evolved accordingly. Gone are the days when HR leaders used to be like school principals who would focus highly on rules. Today’s HR managers are like championship coaches who guide employees throughout their careers. Their role has become crucial for business analytics and strategy.
However, what about the future of HR? To deal with an increasingly competitive and agile workforce, tomorrow’s HR leaders need to be broader thinkers. Following are seven critical strategies that help HR professionals to prepare for the future of HR:
1. Embrace the latest technology
Being tech-savvy, HR professionals today deploy analytics to predict and evaluate various HR processes. Most tasks of the HR department have been automated. For instance, an AI-based-chatbot helps an employee find out how many leaves he’s allowed to take in the given month or know the company’s insurance policy procedure. A job candidate can also track the status of his application without necessarily reaching out to HR.
In the coming time, the reliance on technology will only be growing. Thus, embracing the latest technology is crucial to facilitate the digital customer experience.
2. Work towards fulfilling the company’s vision
HR professionals will need to develop a broader perspective in understanding the company’s vision. They will need to anticipate the challenges and gear up for changes in the workforce. HR professionals will need to get insights into the company’s CEO concerns.
Industry experts have offered some insightful predictions about the HR jobs of the future:
· HR data scientist: As data and analytics will take over the job of HR essentially.
· Employee experience specialist: This HR professional will focus on an employee’s relationship with the organization while also assessing their career trajectory.
· Head of talent acquisition: As new talent acquisition platforms come forward, this specialist will find the best talent suitable for organizational growth.
· Head of candidate experience
· Performance coach
· Organizational psychologist
3. Build people-centric workplaces
While HR professionals need to embrace technology, they can’t ignore human capital. HR managers will have more time to focus on people that they can improve recruitment and retention.
The future will witness HR professionals becoming coaches who will guide employees to climb up the ladder of their careers.
Moreover, HR professionals need to create a healthy work environment where employees feel valued and appreciated to deal with fierce competition.
4. Gear up for the new workforce
As globalization yields an increasingly diverse workforce, HR professionals will need to deal majorly with automation and digitization.
HR professionals will need to perform a combined responsibility of the HR, and IT functions.
Besides that, many data-driven initiatives are underway that will help HR predict employee retention. However, HR professionals need to get ready for working within the changing workforce.
5. Offer a modern benefits package
To attract and keep deserving talent, HR departments will need to offer a benefits package that encourages the modern worker. Beyond parental leave and flexible timings, the HR department will need to consider offering caregiver leave, gender reassignment and transformation assistance, expanded fertility benefits, financial wellness programs and benefits that help employees in critical life events.
6. Abide by compliance issues
Laws at the workplace like the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and Form-19, E-verify requirements and various tax regulations will continue to be at the centre of HR compliance. However, as the workforce updates, HR will need to take care of remote workers and the gig economy laws.
Besides that, HR will need to deal with new recreational or medicinal marijuana use policies as state laws on marijuana use have changed. Also, they will continue to work towards pay equality.
7. Get certified to update your skills
As various HR functions are getting outsourced, such as recruiting and payroll, HR specialists will need to expand their knowledge base. Their aim won’t be limited to achieve efficiency with traditional tasks. Rather, they will need to strive towards becoming a strategic partner.
New regulations will influence the interview process, training modules and various privacy policies. Thus, HR professionals will need to update their skills accordingly.
HR professionals can also consider taking courses in business finance to serve to change organizational needs.
PayScale survey has found that certification helped HR professionals increase the chances of being promoted. Thus, consider getting certified and update your skills.
Conclusion
As described in the blog, HR functions won’t be the same in the near future. HR leaders will not just govern business decisions. Instead, they will contribute directly to make those decisions. The strategies discussed above will help HR professionals get ready for the promising HR future.
O-Staff from ONPASSIVE is an AI-powered next-gen tool that helps professionals achieve their HR goals quicker and more effectively.
