Are you Prepared for the Future of Work?
Emerging technologies like Automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics are transforming how the global workforce performs their daily tasks and collaborates with distributed teams, while also reshaping how we work by redefining the skills needed to adjust to changing market dynamics…
Is the Future of Work the Future of HR Tech?
The introduction of more sophisticated HR tech tools that help you shortlist candidates and recruit teams faster or engage employees better, or, automate mundane monthly activities like payroll processing is already influencing how Human Resources functions.
The role of HR Tech and changing workplace trends at the level of the quintessential employee directly demands a change in how companies formulate HR policies and build organizational hierarchies to suit the changing working styles of the global talent force.
Read More: Three Ways Technology Supports the Digital Workforce
How will technology play a role in the future of HR?
Tom Haak, Director at The HR trend Institute says, “The role of technology is increasingly important. Technology helps to increase the impact and the efficiency of HR in all areas. HR is becoming more and more fact based and data driven. People analytics, powered by clever technology, is accelerating. I often say: technology will help HR to become more human. Technology will take away the burden of HR operations, and allow HR to focus a lot more on improving the candidate- and employee experience. We might need a different breed of HR professionals. We need HR professionals with a love for data, technology and people.”
Is the Future of Work something to be Weary of?
Amid various news releases and headlines about predicted loss of jobs due to automation and new technologies, the truth is that it’s the way we work AND live that is being transformed.
What’s important to keep in mind is what companies or HR teams need to do to keep up with changing workplace demands:
It is not only technology that is changing the way we work, it’s a combination of changing workplace behaviors and changing employee needs coupled with better technology.
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The Generation Z Impact:
The changing behaviors of the typical Gen Z employee will lead to more adjustments and transformations at the workplace. It is this change that will drive the need for remote work, especially the gig economy based model of work and the need for more project-based roles and team structures.
Within organizations, teams will have to cope by ensuring full-time positions are built out to be more fluid while doing away with strict organizational structures and charts. As a result, decentralized teams and distributed teams will become more common.
These changes are also a direct impact of the availability of sophisticated HR Tech and collaborative tools and also easy accessibility to mobile devices and internet too.
Read More: How to Effectively Use Social Media for Recruitment
2. Renewed Focus on Better HR Tech for Employee Experience and Engagement
HR tech helps you be better at Human Resources. While adopting tools, keeping employee engagement foremost in mind will be the priority. Tom says, “becoming more digital and becoming more employee centric can go hand in hand. If organizations investigate the employee experience, they often find certain elements employees (and managers) like to see improved. For example: employees want quick and easy access to relevant HR information. They lose a lot of time searching the intranet and then finally they find a lot of text that is not totally up to date. If employees have an HR related question, they want to be able to get a quick answer, 24/7. Applicants are very keen to hear as quick as possible whether they have gone to the next round. If they are hired, they do not want to wait days for their contract. Ease-of-use, speed and transparency are vital. Technology can help a lot to deal with these issues. A real user-friendly employee portal, chatbots that are available 24/7 and service-oriented HR professionals in the call center as a last resort. By becoming more digital, HR can become more human!”
3. The Need to Upskill/Reskill
Advances in HR Tech will increase the need for organizations to upskill employees, across functions. Technology will continue to evolve how humans play a role as part of the typical workforce. But the skills required for man and human to collaborate better and augment efforts will need focused upskilling and training alongwith the right investments in the right HR tech tool.
According to this recent study by Deloitte, with emerging technology reshaping the way we work, workers do lack the necessary digital skills and will need to narrow the broadening skills gap that is being created with advances in Tech.
Read More: Reskilling: How to Create a “Learn-It-All” Culture With Career Pathing
4. Optimal use of Automation to Boost Efficiencies
On the one hand, managers the worldover are trying to take advantage of new opportunities that open up when more and more workflows are automated. The aim for everyone with the introduction of sophisticated tools and technologies is to redesign jobs to boost overall efficiencies.
As a result, the typical role of the yesteryear marketer, salesperson or even HR manager is undergoing a change. Tomorrow’s marketer will need to be more of a martech-er, for instance. Tomorrow’s salesperson would need to be fluent with salestech while the same goes for the future role of an HR Head or Manager.
Conclusion
When it comes to HR Tech specifically, Tom concludes, “I would like to see systems and tools in organisations to be a lot more adaptive and user friendly. “One-size-fits-all” still seems to be the norm, while technology and artificial intelligence allow you to get to know the users individually, and adapt the tools and systems to the personal situation, preferences and capabilities of the user.”
Given the changing dynamics in the marketplace today, are you prepared for the Future of Work?