What’s trending in HR now?

What’s trending in HR

A mid-year review

The year is half over (or half full depending on your mindset), so thought it would be a good time to look at several 2018 HR trends projected by SHRM back in January and what’s new with those topics now.

1. The War for Talent – the demand for good people is getting more and more intense. According to a recent Atlantic article, the problem isn’t a lack of jobs but a lack of people with the right skills and knowledge to fill the jobs. Attracting and retaining talent continues to be the biggest challenge for HR in 2018, driving company success and growth.

   

   Mid-year tip: Leverage the skills of your summer students. One of our clients tasked his interns with analyzing the company’s Google Adwords and search results. The students discovered reasons why the company’s advertising and click through rates were underperforming and suggested easy ways to improve the company website and campaigns to optimize results.

   Image source: https://www.awaketn.org/meet_our_summer_interns_2018

2. Upgrading and Reskilling – Obama, Gates and Buffet say if you’re not spending 5 hours per week learning, you’re irresponsible. Ouch. These gurus believe the #1 career enhancing move you can make in this knowledge economy is to carve out time to learn. Speaks to the common phrase of working smarter, not harder.

   The most successful people will be those who identify the skills needed for future jobs — e.g., data analyst, product designer, physical therapist and are able to communicate the value of their skills to others. Those who don’t look forward, risk being stuck at the bottom of the career podium and risk losing their job to AI and automation.

   

   Mid-year tip: Start an office book club. Pick a topical or relevant business book each month and get together to discuss learnings. Knowledge makes our brains work better, improves our vocabulary and makes us better communicators.

3. Online Learning – The majority of the workforce is relatively wrinkle-free and holding onto their hair, by which I mean they are young. A younger workforce grew up Googling and using YouTube to complement or better explain concepts from the classroom. They are accustomed to e-learning and virtual training programs. It is easier than ever to educate and upgrade skills with online learning options, while saving dollars on travel and program development.

   

   Mid-year tip: There were more eLearning companies than ever at #SHRM18 this year. One company, in particular, stood out (and not just because they had a Gene Simmons look-alike at their booth). eLearning Brothers Training Arcade and asset library combined with custom solutions drew a big crowd.

   Source: Twitter

4. Flexible Work Arrangements – Deloitte released their 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey based on the views of more than 12,000 millennial and Gen Z respondents. Their study shows lack of work flexibility is the most likely reason a young person would quit a job.

   And it’s not just young people. According to Gallup, 54% of office workers say they would leave their job for one that offers flexible work time. Gallup also found the optimal engagement boost occurs when employees spend three to four days in a five-day work week working off-site. These employees are 87% more likely to love their job compared to 24% of workers in traditional environments.

   Mid-year tip: Check out some ways you can manage a remote workforce effectively.

5. AI in HR – Artificial Intelligence sounds scary for some but it won’t make your HR job redundant. In fact, AI :

   • reduces human bias improving the hiring process as stereotypes, applicant race, gender and ethnicity are not part of the employee screening process
   • saves time in reviewing resumes, checking social media profiles, contacting references, etc.
   • improves success as AI designs relevant interview questions for faster filtering of superb candidates, separating the good from the great.
   • assists with answering common questions related to benefits, holidays, policies, etc.
   

   Mid-year tip: While at #SHRM18 I met folks from ASK HR. This AI company is less than one year old and already has one large enterprise client. They use an AI autochat customized for clients that answers common HR questions employees have; saving HR time, distractions and costs while gaining insights and ensuring accuracy of information communicated.

6. Continuous Performance Management – Over 10% of Fortune 500 companies have done away with the annual performance appraisal.

   

   

   

   

   

Source: /2016/12/05/5-reasons-its-time-to-re-invent-the-annual-performance-appraisal/

Many long term HR goals will depend on decisions made now. If you need help developing your recognition strategy, our experienced professionals are happy to provide guidance and a custom plan to meet your challenges and budget. Contact Us Today!

Author: Lori McKnight

Lori is the VP of Recognition for CSI International Inc. She has a MBA with a minor in Human Resources, is a Certified Recognition Professional and member of the SHRM blog squad. Prior to joining CSI STARS, she worked at Mercer Human Resource Consulting and Youthography, a youth market research agency. Connect with CSI STARS on LinkedIn to learn how we cultivate a workforce that loves coming to work.