The evolution of HR and its impact on the future of work

The evolution of HR and its impact on the future of work

The roles and responsibilities of human resource professionals are evolving at a rapid pace compared to just a few years ago, making HR an increasingly challenging environment to navigate for all stakeholders. Where the challenge of recruitment, performance management and training were once our main concerns, we now contend with a multitude of modern-day demands and considerations, all of which impact the future world of work.

The onset of COVID-19, and its impact on employees and the day-to-day running of businesses as well as meeting business objectives, has contributed greatly to the changing HR environment. Most importantly, we have had

to shift our perspectives from overseeing workplace protocols to being at the forefront of unprecedented work-from-home and hybrid work models.

As a result of the lockdown, we needed to act and adapt quickly in the interest of employee wellness – that is, advocating for the wellbeing of employees in a holistic way, which includes looking after their physical, emotional and mental health needs.

Added to this, the face of recruitment has changed dramatically as companies compete for the best and brightest among the current generation of employees, with a strategic nod towards the hiring of

4IR-skilled workers. There is a high demand for people with technical skills in the industrial and energy sectors, which means that organisations are re-evaluating their approaches to recruitment to ensure they are able to better accommodate the needs of these new recruits – and more specifically, millennials.

The answer is not always in monetary rewards, although it does play a crucial role. Meaningful, challenging work that is engaging and provides opportunities for continuous learning and growth is key. Moreover, people want to be able to identify and align with a company’s values, to know that the place they work for values them as individuals, emphasises work-life balance and recognises and rewards accomplishments. Importantly, they want to know that the company they work for is committed to uplifting and empowering surrounding communities, has an authentic approach to environmental sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.

Companies that don’t meet these criteria, especially the new generation of employees’ requirements on providing opportunities to engage in meaningful work and creating a positive work atmosphere, will typically experience high staff turnover rates – something we have seen during the pandemic during what was termed the ‘The Great Resignation’.

HR trends to keep an eye on

The employee experience is now a major part of business strategy.

Understanding how employees feel about the workplace is assisting HR to be proactive in identifying problems, resolving issues before getting out of control and creating more ‘moments that matter’.

Furthermore, HR professionals are now required to be business partners and understand the business instead of playing the behind-the-scenes role they once assumed. As HR professionals use technology to make crucial decisions and free up their time from having to execute mundane administrative tasks, among other old practices, they will play a more vital consultancy role in businesses. HR professionals must also be adaptable to change, drive the change in the organisation and make sure no one is left behind. They must be willing to unlearn old practices that are now irrelevant and learn new skills required for the future, such as digital skills and using analytics to make informed decisions. As such, the willingness among HR professionals to upskill themselves and learn a few new tricks is just as important.

Navigating this new ‘era’ of HR has been and continues to be a steep learning curve for many HR professionals and organisations. However, I believe these challenges and changes have created a more conducive and productive environment for HR to play a more central role in not only supporting the achievement of business objectives, but contributing meaningfully towards preparing organisations for the future world of work. 

A competitive market may present the perfect motivation any firm needs to get clued up on what’s going on in the recruitment industry, especially when it comes to contingent hiring.

A skilled and reputable contingent agency’s role is to stockpile as many CVs as possible for those mid-level positions, knowing that money will only change hands when a preferred candidate you’ve put forward is chosen for the role.

Internal hiring

To stay ahead, you’ll need to know that trend number one, this year, sees internal hiring getting first dibs. With this in mind, it’s worth getting to know a company’s HR manager and making an assessment of the inhouse talent within a firm – before you invest time and energy in providing a barrage of CVs for a particular role that they need filled.

If the HR manager is new, fairly inexperienced and/or inadequately networked, and you’re sure no in-house person properly fits the bill, it’s worth going ahead and conquering that particular role from your contingent agency. “Just bare in mind at all times that internal mobility means lower costs to the company and a faster hiring process. So if you’re skilled at the contingent hiring game, you’ll know exactly when to pounce and when to stand well back,” advises Jeremy Bossenger, founder at RecuitIn.

Pandemic skills

Then, how about alerting the firms who call on you as to the skills your contingent team sought to master over the pandemic, a decided trend number two in 2022 hiring.

Virtual interviewing webinars (and in-person experience); remote talent-advisory training, together with knowledge gained in the field; and how about virtual onboarding skills.

No valued recruitment firm would have steered clear of opportunities to gain talent metrics and to accurately assess mental/emotional/spiritual health in candidates. Plus: the fact that a contingent agency has gone the distance in this way, means they’re all the more worth taking on to find that all-important midlevel candidate, than any other less clued up firm in the niche.

B-BBEE Expertise

And how about trend number three, a contingent agency’s investment in Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) know-how? These days, it’s a nobrainer – candidates want to join a firm that is as diverse, equal and inclusive (not to mention ecofriendly) as humanly possible, and your ability as a contingent agency to make this happen, i.e. the placing of a B-BBEE candidate at a company where their skill and status is considered essential, will put you ahead when you’re making the hiring thing happen.

“You can’t deny the value provided by this hard-working and multitalented portion of the recruitment market,” enthuses Bossenger.

“Our skill is most times way above internal HR. But firms need to know about the inherent value that we add – extensive experience, a wide network, and more suitable/ talented mid-level candidates to offer if firms are prepared to make the investment, over and above what their own HR departments are likely to be able to source.” n