Workplace of today is seeing rapid changes. New age jobs are very different from the jobs that were there earlier. Multiple changes like new technology, artificial intelligence and gig economy are bringing about a vast deal of change in the jobs themselves. So much so, that the world of work is moving towards a territory hitherto unknown. The kind of jobs that will be there a decade from now are not even imagined so far. To tackle these fast changes, the evolution of HR needs to keep pace. This is the most important emerging challenge of HR management.
Some trends in HR evolution that are discernible in 2019 are:
HR management is all about enabling people
HR management is increasingly about managing employees working in remote teams. Workforce is diverse these days, it has millenials as well as gen Z workers. Gig economy is here to stay. All these factors are bringing about changes as to how people think about their work and careers. Earlier it was the duty of HR to monitor performance and growth of employees. Employees are now taking it into their own hands. HR management needs to and must evolve to adjust to this new reality. People come first: is the approach HR must follow. This approach is about celebrating people, making them feel valued, making them learn and improve. A good way to implement this approach is by having an environment of continuous feedback. A culture of feedback brings people together. Encouraging people to share and exchange views helps them grow, develop and improve. Workers therefore must be enabled to share feedback as it gives them a bigger control over their careers. This culture of feedback has another great advantage. It brings about employee recognition at work place.
Studies show that employees work harder if they are recognized. Many companies are realizing this and are working towards bringing it about in a meaningful way. People enablement is a significant step in the evolution of HRM in India. The enabling environment at workplace has to involve the managers and leaders as well. The role of HR managers has undergone a change, the evolved managers now work more as coaches to the employees rather than supervisors. Indian companies will need to invest more in appropriate training to enable managers to turn into mentors and coaches. It is clear that going forward, evolution of HR functions must give way individualization and personalization to help employees optimally.
You might also be interested to read: Future Of HR And Ways To Redefine It
HR evolution: Data will determine decision making
Data will rule supreme in bringing about evolution of HR development. Decision making will increasingly rely on data. Companies in the IT sector have been doing so for quite some time. Now, even traditional companies will start making use of the quantities of data available for arriving at business decisions. There are many ways in which data can be used to make informed business and HR decisions. Feedback forms collected by a company, for example, is a very good way to understand the working habits of its employees. This insight can help the management to take suitable decisions to improve the working conditions. This in turn will lead to happier employees and will boost productivity. Similarly, analysis of data collected from new employees will be very useful to HR management of a company to improve its onboarding experience.
Employee wellness: Focus of HR
HR has traditionally always taken care of physical wellness of the employees. Wellness programs, health insurance, gym memberships and other such measures have been in place to keep employees in good physical health. Now mental health of employees is being taken seriously by companies. Mental health problems are causing more career disruptions and drop in productivity than physical health problems, studies have revealed. Companies are becoming aware of this problem. Since people are extremely wary of discussing mental health issues, an environment of openness where people are encouraged to talk about their problems is the first step towards taking meaningful steps to finding appropriate solutions. Awareness programs to let employees know that the management is keen to help employees overcome their mental health issues are helpful. Evolved management are now working with mental health professionals to bring the required support to their employees.
Conclusion
Changing business environment has led to evolution of HR. Data driven decision making is one of the biggest evolutions in HR. HR has evolved to become more of an enabler than a manager of workforce. New age HR managers are mentors and coaches to the employees, helping them realize their career progression and goals.
References:
- Top 4 trends for 2019. Steffen Maier. Jan 5, 2019
- 10 inspiring HR trends for 2019. Tom Haak. Nov 26, 2018
