Where do you see the HR function going in 2018

The insights and expertise, HR teams bring to a business are unique. I am glad that organizations are realizing this and are spending significantly more efforts to ensure the success of their HR teams.

I feel the whole HR function is at an important crossroad. Technology, Artificial intelligence can now accomplish many of the traditional responsibilities that HR is responsible for. Having said that HR teams should not feel threatened. In fact, they should make use of the capabilities available and use that to scale HR to the next level.

Another thing that is changing is the focus on employer branding so that you can hire the right talent. It is becoming increasingly important as, without the right branding, recruitment teams are having a huge challenge sourcing the right candidates.

What challenges are worrying HR heads, as they get into 2018

HR has been evolving a lot as a function in the last couple of years. HR has to deal with the full lifecycle of employees right from hiring to retirement/attrition.

Sourcing the right candidates and getting them to join is becoming one of the major challenges. Meeting people’s aspirations and resolving conflicts amicably are some of the other challenges that will keep HR teams awake at night. While a lot of companies are focusing on employee engagement initiatives, there are certainly several areas, that need improvement.

Employee safety and especially of women employees can be a thing of concern. One bad incident and it significantly affects the reputation of the company. The other biggest concern HR presently has, when it comes to benefits, is skyrocketing health care costs and how to provide covers to the extent possible to employees.

Having said all of the above, getting budgets allocated to these initiatives has always been a challenge that HR needs to deal with. This makes the difference between providing a makeshift solution vs. a really good one.

What are things HR should do to ensure that they along with other employees are able to meet org goals?

Managing employees involves aligning their personal goals with those of the company. A company’s goals and objectives are really related to their top line and bottom line. It could also include objectives like gaining market share or gaining global recognition.

Human resources managers are first concerned with ensuring that the business is properly staffed, and thus able to pull in the human resources it needs to drive the growth forecast and work as a team.

Once the required workforce is in place, HR managers must ensure that employees are well motivated and dedicated so as to maximize their performance. Grooming leaders within the teams is an important challenge that HR, as well as leadership teams, need to spend quality time on.

In terms of technology, what do you think will make a lasting impact in HR during 2018

As I said before, there have been rapid advancements in technology and this has led to several automation tools, AI, and robotics based solutions. A lot of these advancements will change the nature of the current jobs.

What will make a lasting impact remains to be seen? There are some interesting solutions in smart recruiting as well as in managing the entire HRMS cycle. I would love to see some interesting tools leveraging social and digital that will help in enhancing the employee engagement process.

Employee recognition is a hot topic, How do you think HR Managers can manage this challenge currently?

In today’s war for talent, organizations are looking for strategies to attract and retain their top performers while increasing employee productivity. From offering new perks to designing flexible workplaces, company efforts to optimize the workplace are as strong as ever.

While a lot has changed and will continue to change or evolve about employee recognition, certain things are likely to remain the same. Firstly the best way for recognition to make the desired impact on employee it has to be timely, personal, and specific. Secondly, how you present the recognition is equally important along with it being timely and specific. Thirdly across geographies and age groups, recognition continues to be the best motivation for employees at work.

So while designing your employee recognition program; you need to keep these fundamentals in mind, while ensuring that you are looking to continuously adapt your program to the changing business and employee needs and aspirations, you can have a great recognition program that delivers business results.

Rekha Jain Vice President – Corporate Sales at Paysquare Consultancy Ltd.
Rekha has over 15 years of experience in providing payroll solutions across different industries. She has been pivotal in the growth strategy at Paysquare, both pan-India as well as in international locations. She is skilled in Personnel Management, Business Development, Employee Engagement, Recruiting, and HR