A vision for what human resources will look like in four year’s time comes from Paycor, in a report titled “2018 Report: The Future of HR”. This report acknowledges that world of human resources is evolving from core human resources functions to people-focused professionals.
Digital workforce
Digital transformation is impacting on human resources in three ways. The first is the expanding digital workforce. Here human resources need to consider how organizations drive new management practices; this is because upgrading technology is not enough. Companies also need to change their processes and structures. This requires nurturing a culture of innovation and sharing.
The digital workplace
The second area is the digital workplace. This concerns issues like how organizations can design a working environment to encourage productivity and make use of modern communication tools. This also concerns enabling employee engagement and encouraging wellness.
Digital HR
The third area is with digital human resources itself. This is how technology can influence human resources functions, and how human resources departments can use technology to function in a digital way and use digital tools and apps to deliver solutions. Examples include offering e-based training sessions and video-based learning. Furthermore, digital disruption has already redefined the role of human resources professionals. Here there has been a transition from handling payroll and holiday queries to looking at analytics and strategy.
New metrics and technology
The report goes on to discuss how developing recruiting and retention strategies will be the metrics define how well a human resources department works in the future. Big growth areas are in recruitment (getting the right employee for the job, especially in terms of digital skills) and with performance management (where new key performance indicators will be required to assess the digital workforce). Another important area of role change is with digital analytics.
The report also has a strong focus on technology. Here it is noted that technologies which automate routine and repetitive tasks are particularly advantageous, especially those which augment the ability to forecast and plan with data-driven decision-making tools. These disruptive technologies are set to change human resources managers into “talent strategists and retention experts who build and nurture company culture and positively impact employees’ lives.”
