The Future of HR

I recently had the pleasure of participating in the Future of HR Summit.  Careers24 has supported this initiative for a few years because we see the need for a space where the HR community can come together and find ways of collectively solving issues that will ultimately define the way we implement HR strategy.

For me, there were a couple of noteworthy trends that presented themselves very clearly at the Summit and it is particularly interesting to see how the two feed into each other.

Digital HR: As the world moves to cloud-based solutions, so are the HR and recruitment processes. Technology change is everywhere and digitising the recruiting, hiring, training, and on boarding processes are already underway in many companies. Social Media is now actively used to advertise positions, engage with candidates as well as present the culture for many companies to the point where we now have Facebook bots that are capable of building a resume by asking the right questions – and this is just the tip of the iceberg. On the job-seeker side we are facing a workforce that is younger, more demanding and highly mobile, especially in South Africa. We have seen how our millennials search for jobs, and we have to constantly challenge ourselves and the industry to embrace new processes to ensure we are geared towards speaking to the next generations. That being said – while technology undoubtedly makes the recruitment process faster and easier, we have to remember that there will always be a need for personalisation and engagement that speaks directly to job seekers.

That takes me to the next trend – the employee experience. Taking a step back to explore the role that HR has traditionally played in companies one can very clearly see where the changes are happening. HR has moved away from being an isolated, singular service process into becoming a decentralised, integral part of organisational success across the board. Mainly, I believe, because we are living in such a competitive world and to appeal to the top candidates, companies need to ensure they are speaking to candidates the way they want to be spoken to and where they want to be spoken to. This makes the employee experience an essential part of organisational success. We have seen fascinating examples of how candidates and employees alike are now acting like consumers, and how we need to adapt our recruitment, marketing and organisational strategies to fit with their expectations. For example (and this is one of the ways the employee experience links back to digital HR) – there are now countless digital applications that companies across the world are using to improve their employee experience. These range from real-time employee feedback to managing wellness, mindfulness and physical activity to goal management and goal transparency to knowledge sharing, video learning and content curation. There is a strong shift towards helping companies improve their employee experience with digital tools – making it faster, more collaborative and very connected.
We are living in challenging times, with a struggling economy resulting in recruitment freezes, retrenchments, small increases and limited bonuses. These conditions often result in low employee morale and drive, making the role of HR teams significantly more important. Smaller teams require clever structures and high performers. Demotivated teams need motivation and purpose. And where there are low increases, employees need to be encouraged via alternative avenues to deliver on their goals. All of these challenges we face in South Africa need to be addressed in a way that recognises our diverse and interesting landscape but which also ensures we remain relevant and tuned into the global marketplace.

Client: Careers24

Coverage received in HR Pulse

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