Latest HR News: Employee Experience & Engagement Surveys, HR Operating Model Transformation, and the Demand for HR Skills
Read on to stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in the world of HR.
HR Technology Market Disrupted: Employee Experience Is Now The Core
Josh Bersin, a leading HR analyst, says in the past, Human Capital Management (HCM) systems were the most important software systems for companies. However, this is no longer the case. The Employee Experience and Talent Intelligence Systems are now more important than ever before.
According to Bersin's research, the most successful companies in HR Tech focused on employees first and technology second. They defined their employee and management needs, their new talent practices and cultural goals, and the data they wanted to capture. They then built the stack from the bottom up or top-down. These companies looked at new HR Tech as part of a business transformation, not as an IT or technology project.
The company's leaders first focused on developing new business models, operating models, and HR and talent practices, then looked to technology as an enabler of these goals. By taking this approach, they were able to ensure that their technology investments would support and drive their overall business strategy.
Discover more about the new Employee Experience technology model for HR here.
Or read Dovetail's The Ultimate Guide to Employee Experience (EX) Technology.
Why the Employee Experience Needs a Complete Reassessment
In today's world, it's more important than ever to have a clear understanding of your work life and your personal life. According to Lorna Hagen, chief people officer at Guild Education, we're in a completely different world than we were just a few years ago, and everyone needs to be aware of that. Talking about the employee experience, Hagen said:
"The employee experience is so important when it comes to keeping our workers happy, because if they aren't, they go right to sites like Glassdoor to comment," she said. "It's all about how you make your employees 'feel,' making sure that they are 'heard.' You need to convey to them, 'You matter,' 'You matter here,' and 'Here's why.' "
Click here to find out how to reassess your employee experience.
HR Faces Tough Choices as Digital Transformation Redesigns Work
Referencing a survey of HR professionals published in February this year, SHRM writes that, enterprise digital transformation is a top priority for 61 percent of companies, up from 53 percent in 2021. To support these efforts, 67 percent of companies have embarked on major improvement initiatives that will digitize various aspects of human capital management, such as recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training and employee performance.
SHRM goes on to say the future of HR looks bright, with many opportunities to improve performance and add value to the enterprise. Here are four ways to do just that:
- Double down on digital transformation
- Virtualize HR service delivery
- Put the customer—employees, managers and candidates—at the center of service design
- Develop strategies to minimize the impact of structural talent shortages
The Changing Tides Of Employee Experience For HR And IT
There is a growing realization among businesses of every size that Employee Experience (EX) is at least as critical as customer experience, but it is now gaining momentum in businesses of all sizes and types, according to this Forbes Council Technology post. It cites a recent study that found that 75% of HR leaders say employee experience has become a broader company initiative.
The article points out that the new focus on employee experience is a response to the high turnover rates and difficulty in hiring that businesses face. The goal is to create a better experience for employees so that they are more likely to stay with the company. This is especially important in the current job market, where prospective candidates can easily find information about businesses online.
A poor employee experience can lead to disengagement and reduced productivity, even among those employees who elect to stay. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including feeling undervalued or unsupported by management, feeling like their work is not meaningful, or simply not having the necessary tools or resources to do their job effectively. When employees are disengaged, it can have a ripple effect throughout the entire organization, impacting everything from customer satisfaction to company profitability.
This Forbes article, explores how a partnership between HR and IT could be a way of solving issues around employee experience.
Worker Mistrust Leads to Flawed Data in Engagement Surveys
SHRM writes that the level of mistrust among workers is rising, leading to less-than-honest responses on engagement surveys. More workers are now afraid to speak their minds at work, for fear of reprisal. And even those who do speak up are often skeptical that their feedback will lead to any real change in the workplace.
The article references a recent survey by Gartner that found that only 29 percent of employees trust their organizations with data collected through common feedback processes and technologies. Another survey by AllVoices, an employee feedback management platform, found that only 47 percent of employees were fully honest when giving feedback directly to HR. The AllVoices study surveyed 1,000 full-time U.S. employees at companies with 100 or more workers.
Read this post to find out what actions you can take to build trust with your employees and improve employee engagement.
Imagining HR for Today’s Worker
Introducing the People Product Operating Model
In a new report by Deloitte, in order to keep up with the rapidly changing world, HR organizations must manage their services like products that are constantly evolving. Deloitte writes that this is not a new idea as many organizations have been trying to adjust their current operating model to deliver in an agile fashion for years, with varying levels of success.
Organizations that want to produce consumer-grade products with curated, personalized experiences need to take bold action and completely change their old operating model. Making small changes will not be enough. HR organizations must shift to a new approach to achieve this goal.
Click here to download Deloitte’s Imagining HR for Today’s Worker report.
Read The Ultimate Guide to HR Case Management in 2022 to discover consumer-grade Employee Experience (EX) technology for HR Services.
Directors with HR Skills are Becoming More Important for Companies Amid Great Resignation
Writing for CNBC, Susan Caminiti says that as the SEC requires more transparency on workforce issues, companies are looking for board directors that have human resources experience. The number of companies in the S&P 1500 with HR directors who possess specific HR skills has increased from 11.3% in 2020 to 19.4% today. This increase indicates that businesses are valuing HR skills more highly and are seeking out individuals with these abilities to fill leadership roles.
Caminiti details how many of the world's largest companies are placing an emphasis on HR by having a significant number of their directors with an HR background. For example, HP has four corporate directors with HR experience, Citigroup has 11 directors with human resources expertise, State Street has two directors with HR skills, and Bank of America has eight directors with an HR background.
This trend shows that these companies understand just how important HR is to the success of the organization.
