Even though the year behind us was a difficult one, there is a lot to look forward to in the months to come. This is especially true for all of the professionals out there working in the human resources departments and people operations.
As we have seen, almost all industries have gone through significant changes and the HR space was one of the most affected fields, without a doubt. It had to evolve and adapt fast because the entire experience of work and everything that was job-related had to change.
In order to succeed, you should try to predict the changes and then take advantage of them as soon as they arrive. If you are interested in doing so, keep reading. Below you will find a few interesting human resource trends to expect in the months to come.
Hosting virtual parties
Just because we are forced to do all the work remotely, this doesn’t mean that we should say goodbye to the socializing element we had at work. In other words, drinking your favorite beverage during breaks can continue, it just has to go online.
Hosting a virtual party is definitely something your business should consider. Virtual parties have become a great way to celebrate milestone moments, both personal and work-related. And the best bit about this is that companies are slowly starting to like it.
Virtual parties have been a great option for companies over the past year since they allow people to spend time together without having to worry about social distancing. This is a trend that is here to stay because it means we can still stay close and celebrate.
So, if your business is a remote-first company where teams across all departments are working from their own homes, Hoppier’s guide to hosting a virtual party can help you organize an unforgettable online party. Even though this kind of event is only a substitute for the real, in-person team-building events, it works great in these circumstances if you follow the tips it lists.
Flexible working hours
Millennials are slowly becoming the main driving force of the entire labor market. This means that your company needs to cater to their needs.
You should know that diligent and ambitious millennials have been raised with technology since childhood. These individuals find it difficult to accept frames and strict schedules, which means that they are most productive in the schedule they create on their own.
Since they stay online almost all the time, they can work safely away from the office and achieve the results your business needs to move forward.
According to various studies, millennials simply adore working away from the office. Also, they don’t like working under strict schedules and regimes, which means that the standard nine-to-five schedule is slowly becoming irrelevant.
Keep in mind that a free schedule helps to avoid professional burnout and maintain the necessary balance between work and personal life. This should be relevant to your company because you will have to hire millennials in the years to come.
Try to transform your work environment if it is still one of those traditional settings. Provide your employees with the ability to create their own work hours and allow them to work according to their preferred schedules, as that is the only way to keep them happy and productive. Make sure, however, that your company utilizes time and attendance software in order to organize shifts better and boost productivity.
Hiring freelancers
Did you know that there are more than 1 billion freelancers around the world? This means that you will be able to hire a lot of freelancers to deal with various business tasks your company usually had to deal with on its own.
An average company has a lot of its processes covered by freelancers, and this trend only proves that millennials still prefer results over processes. When it comes to freelancing, their earnings do not depend on the employer but on their productivity.
All of the individuals in the HR realms should therefore keep in mind a few things:
- There is no need to spend additional funds on a freelancer in the form of office expenses, training courses, corporate events, etc.
- A freelance employee does not need to be supervised, since it is in their own interest to complete the task efficiently and on time.
- The company does not waste time and effort on the selection and scanning of candidates but can independently choose a suitable employee based on their portfolio.
- Outsourcing is financially beneficial for the company, significantly cutting on expenses.
- The company can now work with talented employees from anywhere in the world without being tied to its location.
However, also keep in mind that freelancers can’t fill all positions at your company. Leading positions, teamwork, and various other experts (that are rare) can’t be replaced by freelancers. At least not entirely.
On the other hand, you will have access to a certain set of skills, so make sure you take advantage of that. Freelancers offer fair rates, and you don’t have to include them on your payroll. You just pay once the project is finished according to the hours of work they put in (most commonly through escrow contracts).
Home is the new favorite office space
This has been a drastic development that took businesses by storm. Switching from the traditional office to a home office is one of the most significant shifts in 2020. Much of the workforce had to leave their office and go home to work.
Even though working from home had already become an increasingly common phenomenon for knowledge workers before the pandemic, there weren’t many organizations with a decent work-from-home policy in place.
On top of that, the differences between countries when it comes to working from home readiness were significant. In the Netherlands, for instance, it was rather common for companies to give their office workers the possibility to work from home a few days a week, while in Germany this was much less the case.
All in all, most entrepreneurs don’t expect the pandemic to transform every single company, but there is no denying that working from home is a trend that will only become stronger.
We still have a lot to learn
This trend belongs to the learning and development area. The need for upskilling a huge part of the global workforce was present even before COVID-19, but this trend has only grown more apparent in recent months.
Many businesses suffered due to the fact that not many HR professionals possessed future-oriented skills. Instead of continuously searching for new talent, the most efficient way to go on about this is to upskill your HR team, ensuring they have the expertise to secure success in a changing and volatile future.
There are three key capabilities for HR:
- Business sharpness. HR professionals need to work on their business sharpness. They should understand the business, its strategy, its customers, and its context.
- Data literacy. These experts should have the ability to make data-driven and evidence-based decisions if they want to add more value to the business.
- Digital integration. Digital HR offers the chance to drive HR efficiencies, deliver HR strategy, and drive business impact through technology.
Definitely try to upskill in these areas if you want to boost efficiency in the months to come.
Final words
2021 will become an even more important year for technology. The human resources field will have to focus even more on candidates and digitalization.
Businesses that have not managed to automate their HR processes in the year behind us will definitely have to do so soon. You should be aware of this if you want to grow your HR department.
