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5 ways Human Resources Trends Will Change in the Future

By Vishnu M S Thursday, 08 July 2021

The last decade brought an avalanche of changes to the HR industry. The growth of artificial intelligence, the rise of the gig economy, the greater diversity and most recently, a global pandemic that has changed the reality of millions and redefined where and how the work gets done.

2020 was frantic which brought a change, as organizations across the globe scrambled to react to the global pandemic that affected companies large and small across every industry.  2020 taught us that companies that don’t transform will get left behind, this applies to developing a digital transformation strategy that will stay, more importantly, extends beyond technology to tackle people-centric issues. Here’s a list of key changes that might be seen in future:

1. Virtual Work

One of the trends we predicted for 2020 was the raise in the prominence of the new way to work from the traditional work model toward one that’s more flexible and worker-centric which has the acceptance of working from home and the boom of the gig economy. Little did we know, how true that statement would be as the government-mandated lockdowns to companies shifting to a full-time work-from-home model wherever possible, the way work gets done altered drastically.

For some, that change is permanent. Twitter decided to work from home forever if the employees choose to. Microsoft also declared that some part of working from home would become a permanent part of their culture, with an emphasis on giving employees the flexibility to mold their work choices to fit their lifestyle. Other major organizations such as Facebook, Shopify and Slack have also embraced the new reality that’s normalized and elevated working from home.

When the pandemic ends, it’s clear that the work environment won’t simply return to the way it was. The data suggests that 65% of workers would prefer to continue working from home post-Covid-19. It’s clear that remote, digital work environment won’t disappear once the worlds opens up again. The ways in which companies adjust to this reality will play a major role going forward. 

2. Organizations Double Down on Digital 

The sudden shift of the workplace that’s more virtual and disconnected from an office, another trend we can predict to see is digital-first-work. This has far-reaching suggestion, as companies seek to regulate how this new era will shape their culture and values. The 2021 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report suggests that introducing digital collaboration platforms is the most important element in sustaining the new way to work. 

Researchers took this concept a layer deeper, it mentions that balancing a hybrid work environment as one of the priorities of the return to work. Countries not facing Covid-19 limitation have developed a hybrid approach, with workers going to a physical office on alternate days or weeks.

Digital HR is about process optimization in which mobile, analytics, social and cloud-based technologies are leveraged to make the HR function more systematic. 

3. A Modern Network Organization 

Faced with all of these changes, the priority for businesses is to transform the way they work and the actual organization of the company. As per the Deloitte report, 88% of survey respondents stated “building the organization of the future” as important. 

The majority of organizations are thriving for a more flexibility, dynamic reorganization, and leaving behind the hierarchical structures of the past to be able to respond quickly to changes in the market. Organizations are being sorted around small teams to work for one or two years and then move on to other projects within the company. As companies make this transition, they find that smaller teams are a natural way for humans to work. 

4. Hiring Talent 

In a knowledge and human capital-based economy, talent acquisition is vital for any organizations. Engaged in the great technological revolution, organizations are always on the look-out for professionals specialized in new areas of economic activity that emerge almost overnight. As per the executives surveyed by Deloitte, this is the third biggest challenge faced by companies, with 81% of respondent's ratings. 

5. Enhancing the Employee Experience 

Human resources leaders are trying to maintain the corporate culture of companies, improve employee motivation and engagement, stay abreast of the requrements of the millennials and offer better learning opportunities to employees. The quest to enhance the employee experience aims to improve employee satisfaction, rise companies’ reputations and facilitate the transition towards a more effective, agile and flexible organizational model.

While several companies might be worried about the negative impact of the technological revolution, they should consider it as a huge opportunity. Combining employees and machines may create new jobs, boost productivity and allow employees to focus on the human aspects of work.

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