HR STRATEGY
Article | November 22, 2021
Learning and development have gained much traction in the past couple of years. Mobilizing the workforce from office spaces to homes means that upskilling, reskilling, and multitasking have become critical in staying competitive.
With the rapid digitization and data analysis, organizations can better understand and predict the behavior of learners and measure learning outcomes of L&D training programs.
“Our people are not only employees; they are valuable team members. There is no doubt that our employee-centric culture drives our company’s success.”
- Brandy (Rosner) Zimmerman, Vice President of People Operations at TaskUs
2022 will see more organizations taking an employee-centric approach with a focus on competencies rather than qualifications. They will move away from traditional classroom learning to more blended learning classrooms with an emphasis on contextualized interactions.
So what are some of the learning and development trends that you must keep up with?
Micro-learning
Microlearning is a concept that has been around for quite some time now. It is also a great way to maximize learning by training learners in the most immediate and relevant material.
The idea is to teach employees periodically what they need to know instead of training them the whole module at once. People take in information better when it’s broken into small chunks that are easy to digest. Some of the most compelling benefits of microlearning are:
The opportunity for learners to revisit content as needed
Self-paced learning in a digestible format
Ability to track the number of sessions required to learn a particular set of skills
The ability for organizations to measure retention and Return on Investment (ROI)
Creating bite-sized learning modules that address the most urgent skill gaps in an organization is the route many forward-looking HR teams will be taking in 2022.
Customized Upskilling
One of the most needed learnings and development trends. Customized upskilling is the process of adjusting training to individual needs. It can be done through one-on-one meetings with an expert, or by providing online resources tailored for the person’s needs. When organizations consider what type of upskilling they want to do, they should consider three factors: whether the learner has the necessary skill set, whether they have time for training, and whether they have motivation. Customized upskilling is becoming more popular as it allows companies to keep their employees engaged and trained in their skillsets. As technology advances, this will be an essential part of workplace
Incentivized Learning
In the past, organizations needed to design courses and lessons for learners to follow manually. But now, with incentivized learning, they no longer need to plan individual steps- students can decide for themselves what they want to learn and then get rewarded for their effort. Incentivized learning is a reward-based system that motivates employees through incentives. It is used in an e-learning setting, and it has shown excellent results in many companies. It is important to note that while incentivized learning can show outstanding results in the workplace, it may not be suitable for other settings such as schools or universities where incentivizing could damage other aspects of education such as socialization or creativity.
Integrated Learning Ecosystems
By 2022, the need for an organizational-wide integrated learning ecosystem will have increased. Integrated learning ecosystems are created when different systems are designed to work in tandem with one another. One example is utilizing a Learning Management System (LMS) system in conjunction with an HR management software and a business intelligence application. These systems must be capable of working together and providing the best experience for the end-user. Learning and Development are becoming increasingly important in HR. This integration of tools ensures organizations have a 360-degree view of their employees’ skillsets and how they can improve on them.
Social Learning
More organizations are beginning to adopt the idea of social learning, or collaborative learning, as a way to keep employees engaged and up-to-date. Social learning is seen as more effective than traditional forms of training because it allows people to learn from each other interactively. This is also more cost-effective for companies because they can help their employees learn on their own time and their terms. As organizations look for new ways to train their staff and stay competitive, social learning is taking precedence over other forms of learning. In addition to promoting lifelong learning, it cultivated interdepartmental collaboration and allowed employees to share ideas and learn about each other's workflows.
Gamifying the Learning Process
Gamification of learning uses AI to incorporate game-like elements to engage learners more entertainingly. It can be done through webinars, ebooks, videos, etc. The growth of gamification in the workplace has been fueled by mobile gaming, collaborative social games, and so much more. These games have created a culture of gamification that employees embrace as an essential part of learning and upskilling. Today the field of AI gamification has grown tremendously and has become vital for an organization’s learning and development strategy. It has proven to be a fun and effective way to enhance people’s engagement with learning content.
Letting L&D Outgrow HR
Learning and Development are becoming increasingly important in HR. The integration of tools, gamification of learning, and enhancing learning methods in line with new tech are in focus because organizations want to stay ahead of the curve and empower their employees with better training and career progressions. However, the latest trends also indicate that development training may just be outgrowing HR. C-suite leaders are encouraging the growth of dedicated L&D departments. A two-way exchange between senior leaders and L&D teams is shaping decision-making as well. This is a significant development as HR will play a supervisory role and dedicate resources to more strategic HR management.
To Reiterate
The future of learning and development centers on an entirely new approach. Traditional e-learning courses are becoming less popular as employees are getting more demanding. Instead, they want something that can be delivered on their own time, in a personalized way with little or no interaction with the outside world. The traditional world of learning and development is evolving to offer employees more flexibility, personalization, and support. HR teams must keep up with these significant trends in learning and development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has L&D become so important in 2022?
Employees are not just assets for companies anymore - they are the company itself. Therefore, the future of organizations depends on how effectively they can nurture their workforce.
What are some of the L&D tools that organizations use?
Learning and development tools come in different shapes and forms. For example, there are psychological tests, personality tests, skills assessments, learning management systems (LMS), virtual reality (VR) simulators, gamification tools like achievement points for completing specific tasks like reading books or taking online courses.
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REMOTE WORKFORCE
Article | November 22, 2021
For many, the traditional bureaucratic HR department has become an obstacle to innovation. As a result, companies turn to agile HR teams to make their organizations more responsive and productive.
HR is increasingly seen as a driver of innovation. As a result, HR teams are becoming significantly crucial in how they use their skills in connecting with the workforce to understand the needs of their employees and how they can create organizational change to meet these needs.
“Global industry has been steadily moving in the direction of people-centricity for the duration of industry’s existence, but it’s only become a common philosophy in the last half-century or so. Now more than at any other time, a company is more likely to be thought of as an ecosystem than as a machine.”
- Julia Markish, Director of Advisory Services at Lattice
The agile methodology is focused on business outcomes rather than processes. When HR teams hire people, they are expected to balance a number of factors like filling skills gaps, ensuring low turnover and soft skills. Agile HR helps by integrating collaboration with decision-making, iterative development, and emphasis on collaboration. Thus, the Agile HR approach can be summed up as “HR for humans, not robots.”
What is Agile HR?
Agile is a process for deploying products and services. It was initially conceived as a software development methodology, but now it is applied to many other fields such as HR management. With Agile, companies can manage change more quickly. This process helps transform organizations into flexible entities that can meet the demands of the modern business world and reduce risk factors associated with new product development.
The HR department is one of the essential parts of any organization, given its role in hiring people, developing them, retaining them, and removing them when necessary too. The last couple of decades have seen significant changes in the way people work, which has led to increased pressure on HR.
Benefits of Developing an Agile HR Process
Agile HR is a way of running the HR department based on continuous improvement or continual learning. As an Agile HR practitioner, you are always looking for ways to improve the workflow.
Some of the business benefits of the agile approach are:
The ability to improve your processes in real-time according to changes in the business environment.
It lets you allocate resources more effectively.
It ensures that your workforce is utilized in a way that maximizes their potential and allows them to be more engaged with their work.
It helps reduce HR costs by reducing unwanted overtime and other expenses.
In addition, your organization can have some direct advantages of adopting agile HR practices. It provides a higher level of transparency in the company and helps divide work between employees efficiently. Some additional benefits on the work process include:
Improved communication
Team members working collaboratively towards a common goal
Increase in employee engagement rates as employees feel more invested in their jobs and company
Workflow becomes less tedious as employees focus on one thing at a time without distractions
How to Create an Agile HR Team at Your Organization?
The best way to create an agile HR team is to evaluate the critical stakeholders for the HR team. This includes individual contributors, managers, executives, and functional leaders. By evaluating these stakeholders, you can understand their needs and requirements for the HR team. From there, you can then design an organizational structure that accommodates both HR’s needs and those of other stakeholders involved in the process.
A great example of how this process works is through a company called Kahoot! They created an agile HR department by including all of their stakeholders in the decision-making process. In addition, Kahoot!’s HR leadership team has made sure to include all levels of management so they can contribute to discussions around hiring decisions, performance reviews, and compensation raises, among other things.
Best Practices for Recruiting the Right People into Agile HR Teams
A key factor of success for any agile team is the ability to recruit the right people. What does this entail? Team members should be agile enough to adapt quickly to changing requirements, flexible enough to work in a team environment, and committed enough to take responsibility for their work.
If you are looking for ways to improve your process, here are some lean practices you can follow:
Create an environment that fosters curiosity.
Encourage innovation through iterative experimentation.
Provide resources that allow teams to explore ideas on their own time.
Promote cross-functional collaboration between team members and departments.
It is also essential for HR managers to hire people who share the same values and their company. This will help them build strong relationships with team members and create trust among each other.
Organizations must have a clear understanding of their goals. They need to have a well-defined process in place for handling change and shift quickly when necessary. They should also recognize that they are not perfect and embrace a culture of learning.
Where Do You Go From Here?
Agile HR allows you to adapt to new demands and changes in the workforce. And what better time than now to go agile for your organization? More than an HR practice, it is an organizational transformation process that builds the competencies and capabilities of the whole organization to adapt to change.
Agile HR practices are usually about putting the right people in the right place at the right time. Organizations need to plan for both present and future needs while keeping in mind that it may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict with certainty where their workforce will be down the road.
Agile HR may well become a priority for many organizations. With the right approach, you can plan and stay one step ahead of new challenges that all growing businesses face.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does agile mean for HR?
Human resources management has evolved from a people department into a strategic partner for the organization. This means that HR needs to be able to work flexibly with different priorities and constantly shifting demands while also understanding how business strategy impacts their activities. In addition, agile HR needs to be able to adapt quickly enough for organizations’ changing needs.
What are the disadvantages of using agile?
With agile, HR teams can focus on continuous improvement and adaptability in a workplace. However, the main disadvantage of agile is that it may result in losing senior management’s control over projects.
How can HR use agile to their advantage?
Agile is a management framework that can be used to increase employee collaboration and communication. It has a set of principles designed to help teams deliver products in a more laid-back manner.
The main benefits of using an agile methodology for HR include:
Increased communication between employees and the ability to share ideas, feedback, and work
More efficient communication with other departments via digital channels such as Slack or JIRA.
Greater alignment with business goals as agile creates a more collaborative culture
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HR ANALYTICS
Article | November 22, 2021
Artificial intelligence technologies have been doing many things for us lately - from driving our cars to serving us food. But one area where it has not made a splash is the HR industry.
As HR professionals, you know that people are our most valuable asset. So, artificial intelligence has a lot to offer in the HR space. Learning how to transition into incorporating AI in HR systems and the benefits you stand to gain from it can provide you with a cutting edge.
Organizations are increasingly looking for ways to integrate AI with their current systems to boost efficiency and accuracy. The process is straightforward: data is collected from various sources and fed into an algorithm that churns out predictions or insights in response. These insights can range from recruitment or hiring decisions to performance reviews.
“Let’s welcome AI replacing the mundane tasks who wants to sit and figure out where to advertise a job opening? Or which resume is a true statistical match? AI is our friend, if we use it in such a way. But never forget that it’s people who hire people, so we’ll always need a human element in the end.”
- Arran Stewart, Co-Founder, and CVO of Job.com
HR's Role in the Era of AI
With the help of AI in HR processes, hiring managers can make better judgments to make the best possible hires. They can also predict downtime for employees before it happens and become more proactive in managing their team. HRs don't need to waste time doing mundane tasks like data entry or payroll processing anymore. Instead, they can focus on higher-level tasks like managing the organization's team structure. HR managers need to keep up with technological advances to deploy AI-based systems that will meet the needs of their company's unique culture.
Steps for Integrating Artificial Intelligence into HR
Gather Business Requirements
An AI company's success depends on the degree of its adoption by HR departments. Therefore, companies need to identify business requirements and the accompanying needs in human resources management to integrate AI into HR.
Determine what is a priority for your company in terms of implementing artificial intelligence in HR
Define your priorities and assumptions about how AI can help achieve them
Define your expectations about the investment that will be required for this project, both human and financial resources
Evaluate whether it is worth investing in AI or not based on these metrics.
Map HR Processes to the Technology
Determine which tasks can benefit most from the integration of HR. To start with, here are just some day-to-day operations that can be automated:
Transferring paper documents to online records
Maintaining online records and database of employee information
Training employees on new technology
Updating records with new information
Design the User Interface
AI design is a discipline that concerns the application of artificial intelligence to designing user interfaces. It's a hot topic in the tech world as many companies are looking for better ways to create user interfaces without going through the painstaking task of designing everything from scratch.It is important to note that the interface should not be too disruptive and unappealing for the user, leading to unintended consequences.
Plan for Scalability
Before the rise of artificial intelligence technologies, HR and other front-line functions were traditionally seen as routine and routine tasks. However, as AI and machine learning continue to advance, these tasks become more complex. With this in mind, HR departments need to have a plan for scalability. This includes training employees with the necessary skillsets to address increased algorithmic complexity. AI will also increase the demand for IT infrastructure skillsets to provide the required compute power needed by HR personnel and AI systems.
Establish an Integration Plan
You will need an integration plan to ensure your organization transitions smoothly into the use of new tech. HR can benefit from using AI in many ways. To start with, automation of tools like applicant tracking systems (ATS) can prove helpful for HR to streamline their workflows as well as train staff on AI. For example, the ATS can automate reviewing resumes, contact candidates for interviews, schedule interviews, interview candidates (to some degree), and even make job offers to qualified applicants.
In Conclusion: The Importance of Creating an AI-Powered Hiring Process
The recruitment process is a valuable but time-consuming and tedious task. The current process requires a lot of manual tasks such as sourcing, screening, and scheduling interviews. And in today’s world, where people are more attracted to organizations with an interactive culture, the recruitment process needs to be more innovative and technologically advanced.
Using an AI-powered hiring process can help you create a very scalable and personalized recruiting strategy and reduce your workload by automatically dealing with routine tasks.
The automation of hiring is an essential tool for any business looking to build a competitive advantage. It will not only make your HR processes more efficient but save you time and money. Hiring automation software can be implemented in any phase of the recruiting process, from sourcing to screening to interview & offer.
Moreover, with hiring automation software, one can substantially reduce the time required for HR management tasks. As a result, the software has made it possible for companies to manage their entire recruitment process without investing large amounts of resources or manually managing recruiting processes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can chatbots be used as an HR tool?
Chatbots are a great way to reduce the amount of administrative work in a company. They can be used to handle customer service, lead generation, and recruitment. Chatbots can manage HR tasks such as information requests from candidates or distributing updates from managers to employees.
How can HR professionals stay competitive in the era of AI?
AI has the potential to disrupt HR practices. With AI in HR, recruiters can focus on candidate assessment rather than manual sorting. HR professionals are expected to stay competitive by upgrading their knowledge about the latest tools and workflows introduced in the industry.
What is the future of AI in HR, and what skills will be needed?
With the arrival of artificial intelligence in HR, careers in this field are changing rapidly. HR managers are now expected to know about everything from data science to psychology. This means that HR managers need to be skilled in many more fields than they might have been in the past. Cross-functional skillsets, technical knowledge, and understanding of machine learning and algorithms are going to be a huge plus.
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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Article | November 12, 2021
Now that all the buzz about work-from-home is settling, it’s time to take a stock of things to come. Organizations must now look back and assess the significant shift to remote work and discover the things that work and the things that need to be fixed.
Undoubtedly, remote work has made many things more manageable. It has allowed organizations to maximize their resources and introduce new ways of doing things that don’t keep employees stay put to their desks. But this flexibility and convenience come with a cost. Cultivating an influential company culture was always a challenge, but this challenge has increased manifold with a remote workforce.
What is Company Culture, and Why Does it Matter?
Company culture is an essential factor in the success of any company. It is the environment that people work in. The way people behave, communicate, and interact with each other will determine an organization's culture that can be good or bad. It determines the work environment of your organization. The culture can either motivate or demotivate employees. Companies need to communicate company values to know what they are working towards. This is to create a common goal for achieving value. Strong company culture will lead to efficient collaboration and happier employees.
Workplace Collaboration in the Work from Home Era
Previously, remote work was the domain of industries like tech and customer service, where the gig economy flourished unbounded. The past couple of years became the only viable alternative to work in a health crisis. Many other industries have now warmed up to the advantages it offers. Remote work is an excellent route for organizations that can manage it well - it's cheaper, allows people to avoid the stress of commuting and no need for extra office space.
On the other hand, the growing number of remote teams (currently 45% of U.S. companies) has introduced new challenges to the traditional office culture practices.
For organizations that are only now integrating remote work, the challenge is to revitalize company culture. With boardroom meetings being replaced by Zoom calls and face-to-face interactions being sidelined by online chats social media channels like Slack or Discord are becoming very popular.
It is imperative for companies that want their employees to be a part of the team to provide specific tools. Increasingly, there is a need to keep up and stay ahead of the curve. But more than adopting fancy tech and the newest communication channel, keeping things simple and focusing on the big picture may do more good.
“What the past year has shown me is that the basics matter more than ever. Yes, Covid-19 has driven us to use new technologies, but it hasn’t changed the core nature of good business development.”
- Jody Sutter, Founder, The Sutter Company
Remote Work Best Practices that Can Help Preserve Company Culture
Remote work is becoming a widespread practice. It may seem counter-intuitive but remote work offers many benefits for organizations that can manage it well.
The growing number of remote teams (currently 45% of U.S. companies) has introduced new challenges to the traditional office culture practices. For example, remote workers need to find ways to interact with their colleagues - they can use online chat, phone calls, video conferencing, or social media channels like Slack or Discord.
There are many ways that organizations can explore to make their remote work culture more engaging. However, best practices are proven and can help you immediately shift into delivering a more dynamic culture that is agnostic of location.
Tips to Build a Thriving Company Culture in Remote Teams
Remote team members are essential to the company and should be treated with respect as office employees. This will increase their morale and make sure that remote workers don't feel alienated or ignored.
Encourage remote employees to participate in office breakfasts, company lunches, and other events. It will make them feel more connected to the rest of the company.
Invest time developing a good communication culture with your remote team members using Zoom or Slack tools. For example, share organizational updates, brainstorm new ideas and discuss challenging projects via chat.
Show appreciation for your remote workers! Send virtual gifts, cards, and text messages with congrats for a job well done - it doesn’t have to be big.
Find out what they need. This is crucial to managing an effective remote team. One way to find out what your remote workers need is by making sure you have a space for them to give feedback on their experience.
Invest in training and developing them. Over 60% of employees say they consider staying longer at organizations that invest in their learning and development. This concept holds up for remote teams who want to boost their skill sets now more than ever.
Effective communication can make things simple, and it is the key. It is the common thread that will bind your employee engagement efforts with your remote workforce.
Conclusion:
Establishing a Remote Work Policy That Fits Your Company's Values. Organizations realize that remote workers are not only productive but also more engaged with their jobs. With this in mind, it has become more critical to establish a remote work policy that fits your company's needs and values. To maintain company culture remotely, a business should clearly understand what they need from their employees and what they can offer to these employees in return for this flexibility. Remote working should not be viewed as an inconvenience or burden on the company; instead it should be another way for businesses to show value and appreciation for their workforce members' contributions. This is the only way to upgrade your company culture truly and not just ‘make it work.’
Frequently Asked Questions
How does remote work affect company culture?
The collaborative culture which is nurtured in an office environment - the exchange of ideas, the socialization between colleagues, and the opportunity to work closely with others are all lost when working remotely.
How can companies maintain company culture when working remotely?
A company will need to create a list of guidelines for remote workers because it is inevitable that there will be time differences and issues with communication. The company's core values should also be shared with remote workers to ensure that the culture stays intact.
What are the drawbacks of remote work culture?
The main drawback is that people might feel disconnected from the workplace. In addition, they might feel like they are not a part of the team, which can lead to misunderstandings.
Additionally, there are no in-person office interactions, which means no socializing or opportunities.
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