January is not only the first month of the New Year but it is also the most popular time for resolutions. Not only for individuals but also for businesses. All individuals, businesses, SBUs, divisions, departments, managers, and employees can benefit from reviewing processes and decisions made in the past year. Human Resources in particular should be looking at what they can learn from the last twelve months gone by, that’s when resolutions for the coming year can be and should be made. After all, resolutions should be a well thought of engagement so that we are able to see them through.
As we usher in the New Year 2019, HR will continue to evolve, here are a few trends that will take center stage in this New Year. HR experts stress that some of the projections for 2018 such as personalized employee engagement, focus on Artificial Intelligence, etc. will continue to gain momentum this year too.
In today’s scenario HR departments have a new world of possibility to explore. While these transformations are already in full swing, 2019 will be a period of enhancement, as companies even over the edges of new HR strategies.
A lot is being spoken about inbound recruitment. Click To Tweet Inbound Recruiting is a recruitment marketing strategy where you proactively and continually attract candidates with the goal to make them choose you as their next employer. Lately, there has been a switch from outbound to inbound recruiting. Merely reaching out to the candidates and offering an open position is not the way to attract talent any longer. If you are looking for a long-term solution to advance your recruiting and hiring strategy, inbound recruiting is the recruitment trend you should adopt.
For that, HR should look at becoming employers of choice/feature in the best places to work list. The goal in inbound recruiting is to attract, convert, and engage candidates.
Digitally verified resumes and Blockchain based CVs is the future Click To Tweet In simple terms, Blockchain exists as a shared database consisting of digitally recorded data. As the name suggests all the data is logged in ‘blocks’ and then stored within an ever growing ‘chain’. Each block of data within the chain has a timestamp and is intrinsically linked to a previous block, verifying the data and ensuring it remains untampered with. These are tamper proof and ensure security of data.
Going ahead candidates can and should ideally create a verified career profile and use this to apply for jobs. A verified career profile is a resume that is able to be verified by employers, educational institutions and training companies using Blockchain technology. Verification at the beginning of the recruitment process means a quicker hiring process and confidence and validity of the information you are presenting to employers. Blockchain based resumes are here to stay. The Blockchain revolution has begun!
Now moving over to learning and development. Learning and development goes through various trends like any other field. It makes it challenging to identify which trends are worth following. Micro-learning, gamification, and mobile-friendliness are all trends being followed right now. Will they stay around in 2019? I think they will! Peer-to-peer learning is another trend that’s been gaining traction in the learning and development world Click To Tweet
An increasing number of organizations have begun to include peers in the learning and recruitment process. It’s an L&D intervention wherein employees/co-workers teach one another and help one another learn. Knowledge here is shared not by a trainer/coach or other person of authority. Its individuals on the same level teaching each other what they know. How can you include this at your workplace? Start learning lunches – A learn @ Lunch program, mentoring, or maybe think of an innovative way your employees can interact and learn from one another in a formal or informal setup.
What’s great about peer to peer learning is that both the sender and the receiver can find the experience valuable. While it is not a new idea, it certainly is an idea whose time has come to be in the forefront! You can implement different peer to peer learning programs with very few resources.
HR technology companies are developing and promoting more and more Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. The technologies developed can assist HR professionals in tracking and revealing troubling patterns such issues as employee engagement, employee turnover, absenteeism, etc. A lot of repetitive tasks can be automated using AI to improve workforce productivity. AI is being used in recruitment management system in some organizations. Chatbots have been incorporated which eases the transactional work away from HR. It can reduce the HR personnel’s time in reviewing and responding to employee requests. Going forward AI will be incorporated in a lot many more areas. Going ahead with AI automating tasks and processes, HR employees will have more time to focus on learning & development, engagement strategies, and making deeper connections with employees.
It’s a known fact that employees who are happy and healthy tend to be more productive and more likely to stay with the company longer. The trends for 2019 suggest that more companies will priorities employee well-being as part of their corporate strategy. Businesses will invest more in wellness programs – for financial wellness, mental health, stress management, healthy diet, and exercise. Investing money in these programs isn’t enough, we have to cascade and drive these changes into the culture and leadership behavior. That way it will seep into every corner of the organization and in due course should become a part of the organizations DNA.
Investing in employees’ well-being is an important part of improving employee engagement and promoting a healthy workplace culture, hence, we can expect corporate wellness to expand in the coming year.
2019 should nix the 9 to 5 routine Click To Tweet HR departments are finally getting used to the fact that job roles are becoming more and more transient. Companies have the opportunity to save money and employ skilled talent on an ‘as-needed project basis’. Rather than having a workforce of employees who may or may not have all the skills or passion to meet a company’s expectations, HR departments can nurture an ever-growing network of high quality talent. The coming years will witness companies moving away from the hierarchical management. Predictions are that organizations will move towards relationship oriented employment of talent.
The year 2018 was rocked by the #MeToo movement. The good thing that came out of it was that it made corporates and organizations relook and in some cases implement PoSH in the workplace. I have written separate blogs about the #MeToo movement(https://www.jantakhoj.com/blog/metoo-more-power-to-you/) and about POSH(https://www.jantakhoj.com/blog/simplifying-the-sexual-harassment-of-women-at-workplace-act/). In case you require clarity on any of them you may refer to my previous blogs.
In the light of the #Metoo movement companies have and will continue to sensitize and train employees to be fully compliant with the requirements of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act of 2013. Organizations who don’t, in 2019 will want to have their PoSH policy in place. We strongly recommend that you implement it. 2019 will see organizations creating awareness about the meaning of sexual harassment to forming the internal complaints committee and promoting a safe working environment.
My suggestion to you for 2019 is - Listen Fearlessly! That’s my resolution for the year 2019. Click To Tweet To do anything, the first and foremost step is to commit to the skill of listening fearlessly. I must admit I did lack this skill. However, I have identified what I have to work upon and I shall.
At work, we are always asking for feedback, questions, sometimes we are afraid of what we might hear. Sometimes we are appalled at what we hear. Also, at times certain answers stump us. We then go into denial and self-justification.
Let’s be brave!
Come join me; let’s listen fearlessly in 2019 and the years to come! Click To TweetMay you have a year of learning, contentment, and happiness! Happy 2019!
