COVID-19 hurled unprecedented professional challenges, as every blow directly impacted employees, their lives, and the association with the company. Professional changes such as work from home, remote recruitment, and onboarding besides The Great Resignation steered a dramatic shift in the work and management approach. All of this has had an impact on employees’ professional behavior. The HR mechanism tactfully absorbed the shock and shielded the organizational environment from the blow.
In the present time, the work environment, the reliance of professionals on digitization and utility software to complete their tasks has surged. Their dashboards now are stuffed with tools, and they swiftly juggle between software such as moday.com, ZoomInfo, slack, and many more. Organizing and keeping track of this new work pattern needs a new approach. The trend is the weathercock that indicates the direction of the airstream in a corporate environment.
Hybrid work culture is a new requirement. To include this new pattern in the traditional system, the organization must build a proper infrastructure to punch their attendance physically and remotely. Such situations demand an omnichannel approach, and hence such upgradations form new-gen trends. However, the HR trend is more often used and exercised due to workforce management’s dynamic and volatile nature.
Here are the top 7 HR trends for 2022 to get through these demanding times to keep the employees happy and productive.
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Hybrid Work Model
Hybrid work environments appear to be the way of the future since they provide benefits to both employer and their employees. It lowers employers’ overhead expenses and sometimes reduces relocation costs for new employees.
This HR trend is projected to continue in the future year. In fact, “79 percent of the C-suite will allow their employees to split their time between corporate offices and remote working, if their position allows it,” according to a study. Other major companies like Facebook, Shopify, and Slack have also adopted the new reality that’s normalized and elevated working remotely.
Considerable employees prefer working from home because it allows them to achieve a better work-life balance, reduce commuting time, and accommodate care duties.
Ensuring that employees are happy and supported boosts productivity and lowers turnover. One method to boost employee satisfaction is to provide more workplace flexibility. This worldwide HR trend, in which employees can work from home and the office, will undoubtedly be one of the future HR trends in 2022.
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Technology adoption and Employee Skills Development to gain Competitive Advantage
Technology adoption and deployment have become the top priorities as companies seek to unify scattered, digital-first workforces. Technical innovation drove in having gigs such as artificial intelligence, digital transactions, data mining, data warehousing, and e-commerce which raised customer expectations.
Hence one of the most imperative HR trends has always been upskilling employees. Reskilling and upskilling are vital not just for employee development but also for business growth. Companies obtain increased productivity and optimize their investments by upgrading staff skill sets. Businesses encourage this trend to promote practical innovation, cut employment expenses, and meet client demands.
Employers discovered that to meet upcoming company requirements, they needed to estimate the future skill needs of employees. This will be one of the following global HR trends, and it will stay a long time.
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Inclusion of Internal movement as talent strategy for employee retention
Internal mobility refers to the movement of current personnel between departments or responsibilities inside the company. An internal mobility program ensures employee retention and leadership development. It also saves money, time, and effort when employing external personnel.
Internal mobility programs that are well-driven can help retain more of the company’s best employees while also preparing them to be future leaders. The right decision-makers and receptive work culture are essential for a successful cross-functional employee movement.
According to a study conducted by The Conference Board in 2019, the most important strategic goal for talent mobility is to develop high-potential performers.
Internal mobility solutions can be implemented using training programs, the necessary resources, and technology. Suppose the employer declares that the employees could advance their careers within the company and attain long-term career goals. In that case, the strategy will help in the retention of top talent and the development of future leaders.
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Diversity espoused with People Analytics for Data-Driven Decisions
Greater diversity has shown proven results of reduced absenteeism and increased productivity. An inclusive culture that celebrates diversity with a workforce that is diversified (in terms of age, color, religion, nationality, sexual orientations, and gender) will result in more substantial organizations that are more likely to succeed in the long run.
45 percent of HR professionals plan to spend more on diversity and inclusion, according to a Gartner report. A strong company culture relies heavily on diversity and inclusion.
Companies that want to expand must hire people with various educational, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds and maintain robust people analytics. This is an allied HR trend for the future as analytics enables employers to examine worker data quickly and efficiently, allowing firms to increase productivity.
The majority of companies now use analytics to make educated decisions in managing employee retention risks, enhancing engagement, controlling HR expenses, and more.
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Automation and Cyber Security Practices to Create a Fast and Secure Workplace
With the remote work model, businesses have faced new cyber security challenges. The most common dangers are phishing and malware. There has been an increase in cyber risks since the COVID-19 epidemic. On the other side, HR automation is a reality that has permeated practically every facet of human resource management. It is envisaged that advanced HR technology solutions will continue to drastically alter workplace dynamics in 2022.
AI and Machine Learning are used in modern workplaces to suit commercial objectives. As a result, HR technology solutions will be widely used in the future year. These would be utilized to address HR issues and boost business efficiency and employee productivity.
Therefore, one of the crucial upcoming HR trends in 2022 will undoubtedly be creating a swift and secure environment with automation procedures.
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Employee experience to gain absolute productivity
User experience, or UX, has revolutionized SEO strategies. For the HR domain, Employee Experience (EX) is the same. Employees are rightfully regarded as an organization’s most valuable asset. Employees who are highly engaged are unquestionably more productive. They also provide excellent customer service, increasing revenue and company growth.
Employee experience instances offer excellent pay and benefits and a culture of trust and respect between employees and their leaders, in which even critical input is welcomed. This encourages employees to provide more candid feedback, which human resources and company leaders can improve. As a result, Employee Experience will undoubtedly be one of the most crucial HR trends in the future.
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Constitution of Multi-Generation workforce
Employees from different generations, such as the baby boomer generation, Generation X, the millennial generation, and Generation Z, constitute a multigenerational workforce. This may be described as a technological and experience-based partnership. Traditionalists who have experience are regarded to be less tech-savvy and place a lower priority on professional advancement opportunities. Millennials and Generation Z, on the other hand, are more likely to choose companies that provide more significant opportunities for advancement and have digital work environments.
People will be able to learn from one another and hear different viewpoints on the same ideas due to the 2022 trend of many generations in the workplace. “Reverse mentorship,” a practice in which younger and older employees help each other acquire new concepts, is becoming more popular.
According to a Deloitte survey, only 6% of respondents believe their leaders can effectively lead a multigenerational team.
Final Thought
The complexity and scale of business objectives in 2022 will necessitate more detailed participation of intellectual capacity and experience across boundaries. Companies will need to embrace human capital management (HCM) solutions to keep up with talent expectations and realities.
They will have to work with HR to invest in algorithms that identify worker abilities and competencies. The upcoming year would demand the necessity to try new management techniques that aren’t commonly used. COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on people’s lives, enterprises, and global trade and travel. Therefore, employers must re-evaluate their tactics in light of COVID-19 and keep up with global HR trends to succeed in the future.
