The future of HR is agile, digital and fast

By The Standard and Newsday | Jan. 4, 2022 | 5 Min read

Many organisations are still stuck with heavy compliance driven, bureaucratic and silo-based HR processes continuing with the legacy of top-down decision making, all that does not compliment with the current environment.

By Emmanuel Zvada

THE year 2022 will continue to be a dynamic one in which we will see the continued rise of automation worldwide. In such a competitive world, human resources (HR) need also to transform itself to help the business be more agile and efficient.

Technology plays a key role in digital transformation and this has been accelerated by various variants of COVID19.

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t solely been responsible for some of the shifts in the way people work and think.

When it comes to adopting an agile, digital and fast mindset the best place to start is with HR.

What does agility mean to HR?

The normal and well-known definition of Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily.

However, in the context of HR, it is the ability to adapt and evolve people and processes to keep pace with the accelerating and unpredictable changes.

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In actual fact, agility is the backbone of efforts to design, understand and improve the employee experience.

Agility is all about thinking and understanding concepts quickly. As the pace of the world quickens so too must HR’s response to it.

Agility helps move the HR departments and the organization as a whole move forward.

At the end of the day, it’s about taking on projects and turning those projects in a high-speed, correct manor ensuring that there is high efficiency and productivity for organisational success.

Current and future outlook of agile HR

As organisational structures are seen becoming more fluid, current rigid frameworks of HR practices are not able to meet the requirements of a value driven HR function hence the need to be agile.

It is nevertheless the time to adopt a way of working that facilitates responsiveness and adaptiveness in HR structures and processes.

Moving beyond the limiting and restricted viewpoint of HR to just implementing controls and standards for driving execution, HR leaders must use agile principles to help bring real change at the same time improving organisational agility, decision making and innovation.

HR digitalisation

Digital workplaces are growing and with this growth comes a myriad of options.

Now HR professionals must not only master traditional HR skills and knowledge, but also have the ability to apply that knowledge via technology.

Due to the digital revolution in the world, e-HR is such a tool that organisations can employ to manipulate the performance and behaviour of the people on whom they rely on to achieve business success.

Technology has caused sweeping transformation across industries in the last couple of decades.

The ability to disseminate information to a remote workforce is made easier when the proper digital communication channels are in place.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in HR tech

AI integration into HR practices will make organisations better because these applications can analyse, predict and diagnose to help HR teams make better decisions.

AI-enabled programmes are increasingly playing an important role in companies.

Technology is being used to cement and reinforce internal structures of the workforce and ensure employees feel secure and supported during the shift to a digital workplace.

AI is reinventing human resources in a way not seen before by automating recruitment, on boarding, learning, and development, allowing HR teams to focus more on creative and strategic work.

AI in the workplace allows a company and its employees to reach maximum efficiency levels, leaving more time for projects and networking.

HR virtual assistants (HR robots) on the rise.

HR chat-bots are already getting strong traction. They are being used as a kind of virtual HR help-desk and employees are increasingly using chat-bots to get answers to routine queries.

The pandemic has made organisations realise they too need to interact with employees.

Virtual assistant technology can initiate this, share policy changes when remote working, promote wellbeing and mental health with push notifications.

COVID-19 has changed the paradigm for virtual assistants. Business leaders must prepare now for this shift as it becomes mainstream.

In the future, it is expected that AI-powered virtual assistants will be able to handle a range of HR functions as a result improving employee engagement, generating insights on talent metrics, managing process workflows, and so on.

Data analytics transforming HR (HR analytics)

It’s all about data. Expanding HR’s analytical capabilities to improve decision-making and facilitate the discovery of human capital insights is key.

The goal is to move from data being purely descriptive to being prescriptive, where it tells a story that enables you to make better data-driven decisions.

Using analytics, data driven decisions can be made by HR professionals to attract and retain top talent.

Data analytics will play a prominent role in increasing workforce productivity and engagement as well as improving workforce planning and talent development.

With data based from surveys and employee information alone, your HR team can start to make more informed people decisions and address top concerns.

New digital communication tools on the rise.

We want employees accessing HR self-service to be able to do so from laptops, PCs, mobiles and tablets.

Self-service technology has to be accessible for employees and line managers.

By embracing IT as an enabler of workplace change, forward-thinking businesses will be able to move forward swiftly, empowering a new generation of staff through flexible and productive working practices.

With remote working more widespread than ever, it is inevitable that new communication methods such as over WhatsApp, Zoom, etc, instigate faster decisions, more streamlined processes, and instant approvals and are superseding email in many cases as preferred tools for employee communication.

Collaborative social learning tools

Collaborative social learning was already on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Collaborative learning is an e-learning approach where leaners are able to socially interact with other students, as well as instructors.

In essence, learners work together in order to expand their knowledge of a particular subject or skill.

During this pandemic we are seeing a rise in collaborative learning where consulting firms are now delivering training, virtual learning and offering online coaching over the internet.

HR needs to take the lead, ensuring we are at the heart of enabling organisational success.

HR must rethink the capabilities and operating models required in the future. The future of HR rests entirely on the shoulders of the HR professional hence they must act to ensure that they embrace agility and digitalisation.