Economy

Here are the top human resources trends to look out for in 2020

Updated : January 01, 2020 12:54 PM IST

Organisations will become more open and honest with their internal communications.

In the past few years, there has been a sustained effort to close the gender gap within the workforce.

Advancing the emphasis to enhance work-life balance and personalise employee-related services, role of human resources will continue to evolve in 2020. From mere gatekeepers of an organisation, HR is seeking to become the conscience-keepers of its strong workforce. In coming years, HR will enjoy the Veto Power at the high tables of the organisations. With senior management highlighting the need for employee loyalty, the often ‘overlooked’ workforce is in for a treat. What is even more heartening to see is the willingness of HR to use technology to accentuate this transition. Here are some key HR trends to look out for in 2020:

Internal communication

Moving forward, organisations will become more open and honest with their internal communications. Using social media tools to communicate directly with employees, delivering company news on a real-time basis will gain traction among employers. Involving and engaging employees to better their existing knowledge-base, the health of the project and subsequently the organisation will be a key challenge. Such applications tend to measure the absorption of any training programmes accurately. Creating adaptive systems, which map the behaviour of its users and adapt according to the data provided, will definitely act as a relief for the employees, at the same time they will decrease wastage of resources. Thus 2020 will see employers investing heavily in virtual and augmented reality, gamification and other systems to provide an enhanced training experience to their workforce.

Analytics for the people

As the theme of employee-centric organisation continues to soar into 2020, applying any technology for the sake of control and efficacy will invite suspicion and rejection from employees. While it is true that organisations have to justify investing in such applications, employee welfare must remain the fulcrum for such decision-making. While HR sits on a war chest of employee data, making sense of it in order to overcome loss of trust will remain the key. Utilising the data at hand to identify and analyse employee-related issues shall be the right application of HR Analytics. HR must start by asking the right question – about their organisation and long-term strategy. Using Analytics to implement the best-proven recruitment practices, improving employee satisfaction and productivity, reducing employee attrition will ensure organisations remain one-step ahead of their competition.

Employer branding

While Employer Branding is a relatively new term, the cluster of organisations implementing serious initiatives to alleviate it is becoming denser. Employer Branding shall continue to rise in 2020. As the key to success in coming years lies in keeping employees interested and satisfied; developing a positive image of one’s organisation towards its clients, employees and prospects will need a great deal of planning. Employees-considered our first customers are natural promoters of the organisation. Having said that, one has to tread the path carefully. Social media platforms, QnA websites like Quora, Glassdoor etc. can destroy an employer’s positive image within a matter of days. Thus, in order to realise the best from Employer Branding, HR will have to work closely with their colleagues from Marketing as well as PR.

Continuous performance management

The legacy system of the annual performance review is detrimental to the morale of employees. No wonder, organisations see a surge in attrition right after this process. Organisations can keep their employees engaged through continuous performance management. Periodic feedback and performance management will act as a catalyst for enhancing the quality of both training programmes as well as employee productivity. Tools motivating continuous skill development, comprehensive reviews through mentoring and providing constructive feedback are set to become a norm. With the employee becoming more aware and ambitious, it bodes well for organisations to acknowledge this through Continuous Learning programmes. Employees who benefit from these initiatives are bound to adapt themselves against future challenges in their roles. Thus, strengthening their loyalty towards one’s organization.

Equal opportunities

In the past few years, there has been a sustained effort to close the gender gap within the workforce. 2020 will see organisations answer this shortcoming on war footing. Encouraging diversity and equal opportunities remains the key transformation of workplaces in the past decade. Organizations are earmarking job opportunities for returning mothers, the differently abled, establishing entry of women within Senior Management through quotas, providing paternity leaves etc. HR is not only ensuring the office space is safe and secure, but also setting up committees to investigate, resolve and redress conducts of sexual abuse. Finally, 2020 will perhaps see the biggest push towards increasing the salaries of women on par with those of their male counterparts.

2020 will bring in ‘Digital Transformation’ for a majority of industries and a shift in approach from ‘pleasing the manager’ to more inclusive employee experience.

Nilesh Gaikwad is Country Manager at EDHEC Business School, France. He can be reached at nilesh.gaikwad@edhec.edu

Here are the top human resources trends to look out for in 2020

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