With the year drawing to a close, many of us are starting to look towards 2019 and what the year will bring with it. For me, I’ve been considering what the new year will bring for HR technology. There’s an undoubtedly tumultuous year ahead for many European businesses thanks to Brexit and its implication on people management – particularly in the UK – but HR technology is going to help guide HR teams through this process to help ensure things stay smooth. Here’s my top trends that I expect to see grow in 2019.
The first is individual power and how HR reacts to that. We’re in a candidate-led job market and HR teams know how individuals can alter employer brands for better or worse. The way people use their tech can do the same. With smartphones, for instance, people have 24/7 availability of information and expect the same when dealing with HR, so HR teams must adapt to this.
The second is HR making more strategic decisions about how they support the workforce through data. HCM technology allows HR to get ahead with employee development. Instead of the conversation being ‘what learning can you do next week to upskill?’, it changes to ‘what learning can we plan over the next year to get you to your next role?’.
The final trend is around mass recruiting. Recruiting isn’t just about sourcing new people or finding hidden talents, it’s also important for companies to ensure that they always have people to do the job, whether it’s a qualified role or not – there can’t be skills gaps. HR teams will use HR technology to help predict and plan for possible skills gaps, internal recruitment possibilities, and employees’ career development opportunities. It’s a more holistic form of HR.
Ultimately, with HR technology’s help, we’re seeing HR teams shift from being partners to the business, to being part of the business. With people being a critical asset in companies’ success, it’s vital to ensure HR is aligning with business goals and helping develop people for both their future and their company’s future – and these trends reflect HR’s shift in this direction.
