The Fourth
Industrial Revolution brought a lot of change in the human resource industry.
Here are the top 10 HR trends that will shape the future of work in 2021, so
you can make informed decisions for your organization.
10 Human
Resources Trends That Matter Most in the 2021 Workplace
Human
resource management (HRM) is concerned with managing the organization, focusing
on the system and policies, and operating appropriately and in accordance with
the latest technology trends to be able to deal with the challenges of working
life.
The
technological revolution (Internet, social media, big data, artificial
intelligence, robotics, etc.) has changed the HR industry and transformed the
world we live in.
The
challenge for organizations is precisely to learn to bridge the gap between the
new needs of the workforce and the requirements demanded by the current
business ecosystem.
We find
ourselves in a new era, often referred to as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”
in which the workforce is increasingly digital, diverse, global and efficient
with social media and automation.
At the same
time, the needs and expectations of companies are also evolving faster than
ever before: new profiles, tools, technology, business models...
So, it is
necessary to rewrite the rules of the organization, hiring, development and
management in order to attract and retain the workforce of the 21st century.
HR
management trends are used to describe the social and economic transformations
we are experiencing in the 21st century and to serve as a decalogue for
business leaders and human resources, for the optimal management of human
capital, marking a new set of rules for the current socio-economic environment.
However, how
is the business world adjusting to the new HR trends? What role should HR
departments play?
Read Here:
1. All
About Human Resources: Functions and Goals and Scope of HRM
2. Objectives
and Importance of Human Resource Management
3. Key
Functions of Human Resource Management (HRM)
10 HR Trends You Need to Know for 2021
Understanding
industrial transformations is crucial to keeping up with the rapid developments
taking place. Here, we've discussed the top 10 HR trends that will shape the
future of work in 202, so you can make informed decisions for your
organization.
1. Learning styles for career development
Learning
tools are changing rapidly. Traditional systems are being complemented or
replaced by a wide range of new technologies such as YouTube, edX, Udacity ...
Developing
unique learning styles is important to support employee career advancements
because it can help staff complete training quicker and work more effectively.
A career
requires continuous learning and advancement. Effective learning of new work
processes is a natural part of the career ladders. Taking the time to
understand your natural learning preferences can make a big difference to your
job performance.
New HR
trends are forcing companies to redesign their strategies, offering
opportunities for learning and continuous development.
Understanding
and developing an organizational culture that stimulates and fosters creativity
and innovation in the workplace are imperative for organizations seeking a
competitive advantage.
The
organizations that encourage creativity and innovation, are increasingly
flexible and already have dynamic career development models.
2. Shaping the Organization of the Future
The way
organizations operate today is radically different from how they operated ten
years ago. Due to the demands of organizational change, HR executives consider
the construction of the organizational model of the future important.
Organizing
for speed, agility, and adaptability plays a key role in this new model.
As
organizations become more digital, they face an increasing imperative to
redesign themselves to facilitate rapid learning, move faster, adapt more
quickly, and embrace the dynamic job requirements of their employees.
Breaking
with hierarchical structures and moving towards models focused on teamwork,
each with resources and decision-making capabilities, is necessary to be able
to compete and win in today's business environment.
Transformational
leadership and inter-team collaboration require new leaders with skills such as
negotiation, resilience, and systematic thinking. Leaders who know in detail
the abilities of each individual in order to be able to form new groups quickly
and efficiently, and how to define clear and quantifiable objectives for each
of the teams.
There are
techniques such as organizational network analysis (ONA), which help companies
to know and identify the experts and the connections between the different teams.
3. Recruitment and talent acquisition
Recruitment
refers to processes involved in identifying, attracting, shortlisting,
interviewing, and filling vacancies.
Talent
acquisition is an ongoing positioning strategy to find specialists, leaders, or
future executives and acquire skilled workers to meet the organizational
needs.
Talent
acquisition tends to focus on long-term human resource planning and recruiting
candidates to fill vacancies within an organization.
In today's
digital age, the brand image that a company projects must be attractive to be
able to attract the best talent.
That is why
more and more companies are making more efforts in the management of employment
branding, which consists of reinforcing the image and perception of an
organization towards its clients, employees, and especially its potential
candidates.
The talent
acquisition process requires an effective mix of attributes, including
experiences in the professional environment and a solid professional
development plan.
In fact, it
is just as necessary to carry out outreach campaigns that attract new
candidates as it is to carry out marketing campaigns to promote a product or
service. This can be done through cognitive tools and other videos and
gamification solutions.
4. Employee experience management
Employee
experience is the journey that employees encounter and observe over the course
of their tenure in the organization.
Improving
the employee experience has become a top priority. Every organization
recognizes people as their greatest assets and invests in customer experience.
An employee
brand explains a company's reputation, and the experience the employee tells
the world can become a competitive advantage.
To recruit
and retain Millennials, HR departments are using new approaches such as design
thinking and employee journey maps. They are focusing on understanding and
improving the employee experience, we must not forget that a good employee
experience leads to a good customer experience.
We also must
not forget to monitor and analyze the satisfaction of different types of
workers such as freelancers, part-time employees and alumni.
5. Reinventing performance management
Performance
management is a continuous process of planning, monitoring and reviewing
employee's work objectives and overall contribution to the organization.
In recent
years, organizations have radically changed the way they evaluate their
employees, and for this, HR managers must be retrained to implement new work
monitoring methodologies.
Team-centric
methodologies are being adopted, which focus on teamwork. Rather than looking
at individual employee achievements, they focus on evaluating the impact of their
contribution to the team.
Keep in mind
that if the team wins, the employee wins; and therefore the company.
Qualitative
information is what helps organizations identify the most productive employees
and run promotions and other rewards with them.
6. HR Digital Transformation
HR digital
transformation is the process of changing HR services and processes through the
use of social, mobile, analytics and cloud (SMAC) technologies to make HR more
efficient, effective, automated and connected.
HR
departments play a crucial role in helping the digital transformation of a
company. They face a double challenge: on the one hand, to transform the
activities of the department itself and, on the other, to transform the
workforce.
According to
data from a survey report, 33% of the HR teams are using some form of
artificial intelligence and 41% are actively developing mobile applications to
offer HR services.
HR leaders
who are capable of adopting new technologies and ways of working, as well as
constantly reinventing themselves, will have a strong impact on the results of
the company and the experience of its employees.
7. Reimagining leadership in the age of disruption
There is no
doubt that the workplace is undergoing an unprecedented level of change.
Senior HR
executives intend to reinvent human resources for the digital age as they
embrace the disruption of the way organizations work and rethink how leaders
and employees should be prepared for success.
Leadership
in the digital age will not look like leadership as we know and love it. New
leaders need to have different skills than previous generations, but most
companies haven't moved fast enough to develop digital leaders.
The new type
of leader must know how to build and lead teams, keep people connected and
loyal, and promote a culture of innovation, learning, and continuous
improvement.
It is
necessary to build new leadership models, since now companies aspire to
different goals such as innovation.
HR leaders
need to redesign their organizations with the aim of being more dynamic,
team-centric and connected and rebuild their organization’s culture in a way
that keeps the workforce motivated to deliver results and meet shifting
customer requirements.
This is one
of the greatest needs of companies today since only 5% of companies believe
they have good leaders with skills in the digital field.
8. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Diversity
and inclusion are two related concepts - but far from interchangeable. A
diverse and inclusive workplace is one where everyone feels equally involved
and supported in all areas of the workplace, regardless of who they are or what
they do for the business.
In the
turbulent political environment in which we find ourselves where nationalisms
have gained ground and demographic changes make different generations,
Millennials and Baby Boomers, coexist in the same workplace, they have made
diversity and inclusion strategies one of the priorities for the digital era.
Diversity
and inclusion directly impact the brand, performance and corporate objectives,
becoming one of the most relevant aspects for the talent acquisition and
building employment brand strategy.
78% of
employers believe that the proper implementation of these strategies represent
a competitive advantage for the company.
Organizations
are required to establish a new set of rules based on transparency and
influencing changes in measurement processes and tools to identify possible
problems of gender inequality, racial or disparities in compensation and
rewards.
9. HR Analytics (People Analytics)
HR analytics
is the data-driven and goal-focused method of collecting and analyzing HR
processes, functions, challenges, and opportunities in order to improve an
organization's workforce performance and achieve sustainable business success.
HR Analytics
can also be referred to as people analytics, talent analytics, or even
workforce analytics.
The digital
transformation has given rise to a new professional profile, the
HR analyst. Organizations are redesigning their analytical teams to
develop digital solutions that allow them to measure, analyze and use
information, and thus understand in depth each part of the operations processes.
HR analytics
is being applied to a wide variety of business processes, with hiring those
that most require this measurement, followed by performance management.
New
analytics tools give executives a great mix of metrics to help them understand
which strategies are really driving results.
10. Embracing the future of work
The nature
of work is changing in the 21st century as a result of the growing
adoption of cognitive technologies and the digitization of processes.
Preparing
for the future work environment requires extensive changes in both skills and
mindset.
The future
of work is being shaped by two powerful forces: the increasing adoption of
artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, and the expansion of the
workforce to include a talent balance-sheet.
Automation,
robotics, and artificial intelligence systems are transforming the workforce.
In turn, organizations are redesigning workplaces to take advantage of the
implementation of these technologies.
While some
dramatize the negative consequences that these technologies will have, it is
proven that the use of these tools will not only help create new specialized
jobs but will also increase productivity.
Jobs should
be thought of as a set of tasks that, if they can be automated, will help focus
human efforts on the customer experience, the employee experience, and the
organization's value proposition to society.
Key skills such as critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving are the building blocks that create a framework to help employees identify changes in their work environment quickly and adapt response strategies aimed at achieving the outcomes they desire
Read Also:
1. What
is Human Capital Management (HCM)?: Relationship between HRM and HCM
2. 6
HR Pillars for Developing a Human Capital Strategy
3. 5
Key Functions of Human Capital Management (HCM)
4. How
to Measure HR Effectiveness: Developing Effective HR KPIs
5. Financial
Statements: Types, Characteristics and Objectives
6. Why
Do We Need Financial Statement Analysis?
7. 6
Steps to Analyze Financial Statements Effectively
8. How
to Choose the Right LMS for Your Organization
9. How Business Intelligence Tools (BI Tools) Can
Help Improve Your Business?