I'm very excited and optimistic about the future of HR. This role is undergoing massive transformation both in terms of name and function. Over the past few months I've been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time speaking with some of the world's top talent, human resource, and people officers at organizations around the world including: Cisco, Deloitte, Marriott, Accenture, Linkedin, Tata Sons, Airbnb, Staples and many others. Based on these conversations and observations I'm seeing a few trends emerge. I've compiled these trends in an ebook but wanted to share them here. The five trends shaping the future of HR for 2016 and beyond are:
1. The employee experience
2. Data & analytics
3. The gig/freelancer economy
4. Shift from work-life balance to work-life integration
5. HR working closer with IT
The Employee Experience
I define the employee experience as something that is comprised of three environments: the physical, the cultural and the technological. It’s the organization’s recognition that they must shift from creating a place where they assume people need to show up to creating an environment where people actually want to show up. The employee experience is a symbiotic relationship that not only allows employees to feel more engaged and happy at work but it also allows employees to contribute their best ideas and work efficiently and productively. The key here is for organizations to realize that they can't just focus on one environment, they must focus on the full employee experience equation.
Data And Analytics
HR is typically not a data intense part of the organization, but all of that is changing. Today, data can come from a variety of sources ranging from performance numbers and attendance to surveys and tracking employee life events. Not only is there a lot of employee data that is becoming available but HR teams also need to understand what to do with that data and how to make sense of it. This requires a deep understanding of analytics and data science. The smart HR teams around the world are staffing up with plenty data, science and analytics professionals to help make sense understand their people better.
The Gig/Freelancer Economy
Although there isn’t a definitive number for how many freelancers there are, some studies show that 60 million Americans have tried some form of freelance work. When used correctly and effectively, freelancing is a win-win situation for the company and the freelancer. Organizations can hire people for specific projects and avoid paying permanent wages and covering the costs of benefits packages, while freelancers are free to set their own general schedule, take on however much work they want, and choose projects and clients that meet their talents and interests. I've identified six freelance models that organizations are currently using.
Shift From Work-Life Balance To Work-Life Integration
Just a few decades ago, the dream for most employees was to achieve the elusive work-life balance. However, the growth of technology has made it so that most employees are almost always accessible which has led to a shift away from separating work life and personal life. In its place is the blurring of the two areas with flexibility to work during non-work hours and take short personal breaks during the traditional workday. Instead of work being a place you go, work is now a thing you do. It has become an integrated part of most employees’ lives and personalities. This means that work-life balance is dead and is being replaced by work-life integration. Work = life and life = work. You can listen to this podcast with the former Co-CHRO of The Gap to learn more.
HR Working Closer With IT
Traditionally HR was responsible for many of the people functions associated with an organization and IT was responsible for the “plumbing” that allowed the organization to function properly. This included things like looking after servers and resetting passwords on employee devices. However, as we can clearly see in our personal lives we are merging with and becoming more reliant on technology to live and work. In fact for many of us, technology is like air that we simply cannot live without. So it only makes sense that the people and technology roles within our organization work closer together to not only improve engagement and performance but also explore new ways of working and fundamentally structuring our companies. I did a video about this called, Why HR and IT Need to Get Married.
If you're in HR then I strongly recommend you pay attention to these five trends. I'd love to hear from you on this—are you doing anything about this? Are there other trends you are following?
Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author, and futurist. Subscribe to his newsletter or download the Top 5 HR Trends For 2016 And Beyond.
