Future of Work is here: 5 Ways How HR is Handling this Change

The workplace dynamics have changed – at supersonic speeds; changed towards what? We hear veterans say Industrial Revolution 4.0 is round the corner and Future of Work is here. Let us deep dive and delve upon the key triggers to this change and the initiatives being rolled out by HR leaders in organizations at all scales. The insights presented here are crowdsourced from HR discussions in forums and industry SME talks.

1. The growing millennial generation has been pivotal in moving the needle. I think they are clear (though, I would say that we all are!) in their objectives and expectations from themselves, from the organizations and the social ecosystem. They aspire flexibility in a job, quality of experience- at early stages of career and are ardent followers of fail fast- fail often thinking. And guess what, we hear the analyst say that this generation will comprise more than 75% of the global workforce in 2025. So millennials are driving the tide.
2. Traditional hierarchies are paving the way towards the new models of work. I remember my next door neighbor who retired from his job after 30+ years of service. Today, the future of work belongs to a contingent workforce, the workforce that wants to try out new ideas, possibly switch jobs, move on – learn fast.
3. Mobility has become ubiquitous – anytime, anywhere connectivity and a connected world experience has become the new normal. Possibly, immersive user experience was the trigger, and this ‘freedom of place-medium-channel’ leads to better productivity levels.
4. Bulk/Mass messaging induction models, business models, have been replaced big time by personalized user experience or in other words ‘crafted especially for you’ feeling
5. The classic jobs are changing as the digital transformation is making its presence felt. High skill instability is foreseen; as some disruptions open up totally new jobs, some mandate a shift in people’s skills and others make ‘once in demand’ roles redundant. Shortage of right skilled talent – at the right time is the pressing challenge faced by HR today.

With this as the setup, let’s look how HR is preparing for Future of Work shift. The role of HR has transformed, and organizations are at a helm of a massive disruption. The organization’s business models, the technology advancements and how teams are consuming the information, is changing.  Here are some notable highlights of how technology advancements have helped HR in responding to the Future of Work change:

1. Lately, being effective is priority for organizations. HR is focused on strengthening employee engagement and boosting one team culture. The power of interactive, personalized videos is being explored to improve employee experience, engagement, and retention. I want to mention that maybe HR is walking all the nine yards to connect with the ‘individual’ within an employee. Gamified apps are being used to encourage employees to contribute and learn in a fun way. Crowdsourcing model has found an entry in organizations’ workforce planning, talent strategy. And, not to miss out, ‘Employee experience’ is being super valued as well. We see flexible working environments being supported by HR. The thinking is, work should get done within the planned timelines, the ‘when’ and ‘where’ part can be left with the employees to decide upon. The ‘5 hours work day’ is potentially one step in this direction. In other words, Consumerization of HR, the ‘employee first thinking’ has come at the forefront of the Digital HR strategy.
2. Digital HR has brought the best of social, mobile, analytics and cloud (SMAC) technologies, together. The availability of HCM applications on Phablets and smartphones enable a strong integration between employees and employers communication. They provide flexibility and ensure any-time access to information and open communication mechanism. The mobile apps have built-in social, geo-location and collaboration features. They help in improving the employee engagement and complement the hiring process manifold.
3. Employers are more conscientious about their social image. Social channels are being leveraged for talent acquisition and brand building. In fact, social recruiting is helping to ease the pressure on talent management.
4. The role of BigData and analytics in HCM is increasing each day. Human capital analytics is becoming an input to help business leaders prepare and plan better. People analytics can help to predict workforce trends,getting a better understanding of employee engagement patterns, effectiveness of recruitment programs and    much more.
5. Organizations have invested in HCM solutions and many have replaced the core HR technology (Systems) with modern cloud HCM systems. These clouds based platforms are inexpensive to own and bring in efficiency advantage over legacy solutions.

Harbinger Systems provides product engineering services in HCM and L&D space. With agility and technical prowess at its core, we can help transform your people solutions to create more efficient digital workplaces. We have an experience of working with product companies of all scales and delivered great success stories touching more than two million lives.

Machine-human collaboration is being the much-talked phenomenon in the days. I am sure it will increase efficiency and deliver a better business outcome. Moreover, the new (automation) technologies will bring in substantial changes required in the competencies of the employees and their role. I think among all these advancements, the foundation of an organization’s success will lie in a healthy organization culture – A culture that is built on the principles of trust, openness in communication and collaborative working.

Would be good to know your views on how do you see the transformation in the HCM space and how organizations are preparing themselves to handle this change. To learn more how Harbinger can contribute in your HCM product development, write to us today.