Major HR Trends and Topics to Guide Your Year 

Continuing to adapt to remote/hybrid work

Although remote work and hybrid work models were becoming more popular before COVID, the pandemic made them the best (and only) option. Even though most businesses have used remote or hybrid work, these methods still have room for improvement.

Today, creating a long-term remote work plan is essential, and hybrid work necessitates striking a careful balance. Fix what doesn't work and keep what does.

·         Adding expectations for remote and hybrid work to employee handbooks and contracts.

·         Your employee benefits should be adjusted to match this new work experience.

·         teach managers how to better manage hybrid and remote teams.

·         Examine the potential security hazards of working remotely.

·         Address the drawbacks of distant employment, such as loneliness and burnout.

Figure 1(Azmi, 2021)

Expanding HR technology and automation

The goal of HR technology is to speed up, simplify, and increase the accuracy of HR professionals' work while saving your organization's resources. Modern workplaces and workforces today require HR technologies.

Many routine HR operations are now streamlined, automated, and improved thanks to HR technology, especially those that are most impacted by the changes in the HR landscape brought on by the pandemic.

·         Recruiting - You may speed up the hiring process and make wiser decisions by using a virtual application tracking system.

·         Major components like new employee paperwork, training, and compliance won't ever be short changed or ignored thanks to an onboarding process that is more streamlined and uniform.

·         Make sure that employee evaluations align performance, expectations, progress, and manner for both employees and managers.

·         Learning management - Promote ongoing education and give staff members the freedom to advance at their own rate. Training may be managed more easily with fewer disruptions to the working day.

Keeping a spot at the table

During the pandemic, HR shifted to the forefront of the majority of organizations. The many moving pieces, adjustments to the policy, worries about compliance, updates, and employee check-ins. As decision- and policy-makers seated alongside other corporate leaders, HR leaders developed. How do you stay there now?

·         Closely align their departmental and personal ambitions with the overall objectives of the company.

·         Look for other ways that HR technology might enhance corporate-wide procedures.

·         Wherever HR expertise is required, influence business choices.

·         Promoting acceptance, diversity, and equality through HR initiatives.

·         Most importantly, work nonstop to enhance employee satisfaction and engagement.

Employee engagement and company culture

HR experts will constantly focus on improving employee engagement and developing a healthy corporate culture. It is how we manage these HR pillars in the face of fresh workplace issues.

The difficulties in 2022 are obvious; the most of them have already been covered here or will do so soon. Your ability to adjust and still communicate effectively will determine how successful you are this year. 

How can a remote or hybrid workforce be motivated? How do you communicate corporate culture to new hires, especially those who work virtually?

·         Clear, up-to-date communication.

·         Employee surveys.

·         Employee check-ins from managers.

Focus on employee well-being, including mental health

With good reason, the HR industry places a lot of emphasis on health and wellness. The happiness of a company's employees directly affects its success as a whole. With the pandemic of loneliness and burnout, mental health awareness has increased.

·         Keep lines of communication open and transparent between management and HR.

·         Encourage staff to take time for self-care

·         Set limits and criteria for a work-life balance.

·         Permit flexible working hours

·      Redesign the employee benefits package to include telemedicine, more healthcare options, and wellness initiatives(Meister, 2022).

Prioritizing diversity and inclusion initiatives

Every company should work to create a culture where everyone is respected as an equal member of the team and has access to opportunities for growth. Discrimination is not only wrong, but it can also cost you some of your best customers and employees. D&I initiatives assist you in attracting top people and enhancing the general working environment.

·         Make sure the company has individuals from diverse backgrounds.

·         Even while working remotely, make an effort to foster a culture of learning, acceptance, and understanding.

·         Since it is simple to ignore differing viewpoints when everyone is of the same gender, color, religion, and sexual orientation, diversity in management is essential.

·         To guarantee that everyone feels equally welcome at work, the organization can reap real benefits from training on diversity and inclusion.

Multi-generational workforces

The workforce of today is becoming increasingly diverse in a variety of ways. The challenges presented by a multigenerational workforce are frequently disregarded despite their rising prevalence.

There are Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Z in the workforce today. In order to address each generation's needs, HR must take into account the longer retirement of Baby Boomers, the upward mobility of Millennials, and the entry of Gen Z(Duvigneau, 2022).

Conclusion

The next five years will see an increase in these recent HR Trends. The globe has undergone numerous changes in the recent year. We hope that these trends will make it easier for you to change with the times. Work from home trends have gained a lot of traction and will keep changing how businesses are organized in the future.

 

 

References

Azmi, W., 2021. startuphrtoolkit. [Online]
Available at: https://www.startuphrtoolkit.com/hr-trends/

Duvigneau, A., 2022. beekeeper. [Online]
Available at: https://www.beekeeper.io/blog/top-5-hr-trends/

Meister, J., 2022. Forbes. [Online]
Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2022/01/05/top-ten-hr-trends-for-the-2022-workplace/?sh=32b8d3833006