Unlocking Employees' Potential with Digital HR

The organizational structure and the role of HR has never been as dynamic as it is today. If we look at the top trends in the industry, they are all unique yet interdependent. 2019 is the first time where we can see five generations in the workforce at the same time, and the HR needs to understand and be prepared to cater to the needs of millennials as well as GenZ at the same time.

The new age employees are as crucial as customers, and like mapping customer journey, it is essential to map the journey of employees as well. With a significant number of millennials entering the workforce, organizations need to evolve and embrace the new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and cloud computing. Digital HR needs to be a part of how jobs are designed, how people work in an organization and incorporate technology at work.

In recent years, there has been a significant shift from the traditional HR function to a digital transformation in the workplace. It includes the transformation of processes, employee engagement and embracing futuristic practices. With this, the organizations are trying to be more mindful in choosing the right technology at work to keep the workforce satisfied. While companies are investing in the best of technologies, there is still a gap in capability that is restricting the optimal utilization of these technologies. Lack of people with the right skills is a threat to the future of work and needs to be addressed urgently. The only way forward is to hire skilled employees and upskill them to cope with the digitally challenging environment.

There is a widespread misconception that automating tasks will replace humans. While it will surely have an impact, and some routine jobs will change, it cannot replace humans, at least in the near future. However, people will have to upskill themselves and keep learning at a fast pace to stay in the game. This is where the future role of HR lies, to bring a digital transformation in the workplace with digital HR.

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Organizations around the world need to invest more on leadership development and upskilling and retraining people. They need to assess the future of work, its implications, and how a partnership can be established between humans and technology. The approach must be to train employees to focus on innovation and adding value to the business with the time saved from automating the mundane tasks. Digital HR can bring synergy to this process and make it more seamless.

Another significant trend in the way we work is that of the gig economy. The concept of ’employee’ is changing, and due to the dynamic nature of work requirements, HR is challenged to attract talent from a wider pool. Apart from full-time employees, outsourcing companies and gig workers are helping organizations fill the skill gap. It helps the organization save costs and gain access to varied expertise. The future role of HR will also be to make sure that the full-time employees, gig workers and technology work in synergy to achieve the best results.

Today, the organizations are aware that employees are as important as customers to build a business and help it grow. Employee experience is primarily about creating an environment where there is work satisfaction; people feel valued and want to show up to work. If you look at the best organizations’ world over who invest in employee engagement, they have a 40 per cent lower turnover, have four times the profit per employee and have superior stock performance. It’s about time that organizations invest in a collaboration between technology, employees and gig workers through digital HR to unlock their full potential and bring a digital transformation in the workplace.

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