Top HR trends for 2018.

'As we get back into the swing of the new year, not only do we plan our personal goals for the year, it’s also the time when we re-set expectations for our people to meet company goals.

While trends aren’t an annual thing - sometimes they hit us in the face with a bang, other times they build slowly – as you consider how to make twenty eighteen one that delivers for you and your company, consider these HR trends we expect to see this year.

Employee intimacy.

The role of human resources has been elevated in many industries with CHRO’s now firmly entrenched on the leadership team. HR is strategically involved in guiding companies and HR roles at the top hold the same weight as the heads of sales, marketing, technology and finance. When you consider that many companies are now knowledge-led, HR leadership is fundamental to success. But you know that, right?

In 2018, the focus will change from leadership to getting to know employee’s more intimately and building greater insight into the individuals that work you. Great leaders know their people, not just how they perform at work but what really makes them tick. Employee insight not only helps you find ways to turn up the volume at work, but also makes employees feel valued.

Building insight is, in part, a face-to-face activity - being present, walking around the worksite or office and chatting with your team, interacting with those that are off-site. However, to effectively build a deeper level of understanding, look for tools that highlight your teams efforts, personality and create transparency across the business. Your employees will thank you and results will improve.

Agile roles.

Where employees once played to a specific job description, more and more we are asking for more and more. There has been a shift from pre-defined roles to a more flexible way of working. Tasks are assessed based on qualitative and quantitative capabilities required to deliver them and the team assembled based on who can best contribute to the successful delivery of the job at hand.

This approach gives employees the opportunity to showcase their strengths and capabilities, regardless of their role and creates opportunities for them to lead projects. Opportunities to grow and new challenges are key to engaging employees so this approach gives the company a chance to not only have tasks achieved with maximum efficiency and proficiency, but also build engagement along the way.

While job descriptions still have a place in many workplaces so that there is a base level of agreement as to what an employee is expected to do, this year we see agility being key to maintaining an effective workforce.

On-demand workforce.

The gig economy started with smaller companies hiring freelancers, or gig-gers, to outsource tasks they could not deliver in-house. With the rise of platforms like UpWork, Fiverr, Elance and Sidekicker, the on-demand workforce is now here to stay in a big way. Hiring the expertise you need when you need it has many benefits including lower labour costs, but outsourcing does come with it’s own challenges. How do you get contractors up to speed on company culture quickly and how much time do you invest building their knowledge about the company if they are out the door next month? It’s important they understand the culture and expectations, particularly if they are client facing, so tools that will help you immerse them in the culture, while still considering the unique nature of their ‘employment’ are important.

Look for HR technology that allows you to involve freelancers in your organisation as freelancers, giving them the one-o-one on who you are but not giving them all the benefits of your full-time team.

Personalisation.

One size may fit all when it comes to your payroll system – your employees want to get paid and you need a simple way to process it - but it’s not the same when it comes to other employee technology. Especially once you ask your employees to adopt the use of new technology on a daily basis - and the reason is simple.

People expect more personalisation than ever. We want to build our own avatar next to our profile, add our personal thoughts and make technology our own. We want to use technology the way we want to use it, because let’s face it, we can now do this in so many areas of life (hello sneakers with your name on them, chats with your driver before your Uber arrives and that pizza you built yourself) - and there are benefits.

Traditionally, companies purchase technology programs and can choose some simple configuration settings, but really end up using the software how the architect wants it used. By design, users are annoyed into adopting new features, regardless if the feature really works for them or not. The software designer wants you to use it, so that pop-up keeps popping up until you do.

Choose employee technology that allows both the company and the employee to truly personalise it - not just choosing a few settings, but adding your own brand, choosing your own functions, features, setting your own rules – without having to custom build it. Software as a Service (SaaS) is leading the charge for all technology now so unless you are NASA-esque in what you do, there is no need to build your own.

This approach will not only make the technology more effective and valuable for you, your employees will want to use it.

Work-life balance.

Yes, it’s been HR banter for a long time. We are now seeing that companies that are actually creating a balance for employees, not just talking about it, are attracting and retaining the best people - and we are not referring to ping-pong tables in the lunch room and sleep pods on the second floor.

Successful companies are increasingly making work-life balance a reality outside of the workplace, as well as creating fun at work. Look for ways to build flexibility into how and when work is delivered so employees can actually find the balance for themselves, not just dream about it. Support those that want to work remotely, incentivise employee efforts that lead to more equilibrium, give employees activity-based perks like time off to donate to charity, a late start or a free yoga class.

The amazing thing about employees who do find the zen in their life, is that they will be more productive and focussed in the hours they spend at work.
 

Employee recognition.

Traditionally, engagement programs have focussed on rewards. What you can give out and how much of it. The problem is that without a large budget to give out the latest gadgets, you are left in no man’s land if rewards are the focus. And when it comes to rewards, more you give the more your employees expect.

From a recognition perspective, there is a trend towards programs that allow recognition to be the hero, without rewards having to feature at all. Recognition is cited in many a study as being what humans really strive for. Napoleon conquered Europe on the back of the introduction of medals, leading to the famous statement that ‘men will die for medals’. Employees frequently state in surveys that ‘appreciation from their managers’ is high on their give-me-more list.

While there is a place for rewards in an employee recognition program, you can have a profound impact on behaviours through recognition alone. We are seeing more programs that don’t have any financial rewards on offer delivering some impressive results.

If you are not sure if recognition is right for you, here the signs that indicate you need an engagement boost.

These trends bring with them their own set of challenges in terms of how to build them into what you are doing today, what you have planned and where you want to be as an organisation longer term. They also set the tone for happier, more effective and more successful employees in 2018 – something we all strive for.