By Nilesh Gaikwad – Country Manager at EDHEC Business School, France :A year back, I wrote on ‘HR trends for 2020’. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine the context that expedited those trends. Thankfully, few countries will commence administering Covid19 vaccine to their population starting early next month. Shouldn’t it be natural to feel a sense of triumph as we outlive the collective grounding of world economies due to global pandemic? One of the key learnings from 2020 must be the importance of being flexible and patient. When the lockdown hit industries, HR was at forefront of navigating through Covid19 induced uncertainties. As we look forward to new beginnings, companies will strive to develop further their learnings and competitive advantage built during past months. Let us discuss the HR Trends for 2021.
Rethinking importance of HR: HR is a permanent presence in an employee’s lifecycle. Within an organization, HR not only oversees process implementation but also doubles up as an influencer of employee well-being. Thus, role of an HR has evolved significantly in past decade. During Covid19, HR departments were firefighting at multiple levels – be it employee onboarding, dispersal of pandemic information, implementing social distancing norms in day-to-day activities, tracking employee performances etc. Moving forward, role of HR will entail them to be better listeners & observers. There has never been a better time to be empathetic to fellow colleagues. The aim of HR will be to help employees thrive no matter the circumstances. Fostering a ‘team culture’ despite the e-Work set-up requires constant monitoring. Reinforcing mental strength of one’s employees shall be a key goal for HR. Hierarchical structure within organizations will be adapted to implement ‘buddy support’ to all employees in order to make up for the shortcomings of remote working.
Employee experience: Today HR face a monumental challenge to uphold the company culture while ensuring an employee experience to keep up with their needs. As in-person interactions among employees have dried down in recent months, organizations must redesign the employee journey keeping in mind vital data-points that measure impact of a virtual employee experience. Chambers of Commerce have been quick to offer ‘online networking’ events. Organizations can implement similar events to welcome new employees and or as reminder to employees of them being part of a bigger team. We are past the phase of collecting employee engagement surveys. With a growing impact of technology on business functions, AI algorithms can help automate processes involving repetitive tasks. Furthermore, AI Tools can improve sorting and visualization of data collected from remote working employees. Continuous learning and performance management tools ensure HR build data-driven platforms for employees to perform at their best.
Employee mental strength & well-being: Organization performance & employee wellness go hand-in-hand. Consistently successful organizations look after the comfort (both physical & mental) of their employees. Everyone who has been working from home over past few months – blurring the difference between professional & private life, will agree that Covid19 has had a certain negative impact on mental health. Role of HR in influencing mental health of their employees is paramount. More importantly, gaining employee trust in times of job fluidity will make for their improved participation. Frankly, it does not take much effort. More often than not, just being available to hear a struggling employee speak up their mind can provide vital clues to HR. These clues can help build processes that overcome such challenges among a wider audience. As we stare at an extended ‘remote work’ set-up, offering a round-the-clock eSupport system to employees should help overcome the initial trust-deficit among workforce.
Gig economy: Grass is greener on the other side! Past few months have punctured the basic argument of having a ‘permanent job’. As job security becomes a sore point, merits of ‘working for oneself’ have gained traction within various circles. We are in initial stages of Gig-economy. HR department must build strategies for this increasing ‘group’ that prides in possessing individual interests, ambitions & values. Thus, personalization of employee experience is the next challenge. Furthermore, gig-economy will fuel healthy competition within workforce, which in turn shall influence upskilling among all kinds of employees.
To reiterate, HR must develop critical leadership, an adept hierarchical structure and a responsive digital framework to build an effective hybrid workforce model. Organizations of tomorrow will have to be resilient not only keeping in mind current challenges but also future disruptions. Employee mental-health and performance management will remain key themes of value proposition while employee loyalty will be the biggest catch for organizations in 2021.
