“HR is leading the way in helping organizations adapt and change for the future... There is more work to do, as HR looks to gain more support and influence on the board, as well as capitalize on the ever expanding opportunities and challenges, of digital. But one thing is for sure; there has never been a more exciting time to be in HR.”-- Albert Ellis, CEO, Harvey Nash
There are no two opinions about the fact that the world we are living in is changing at a rapid pace. As a result, the way we live, work and exist is also transforming. While a big part of this transformation is spear-headed by digital breakthroughs, economic and political uncertainties add to the complexity. In such a context, any data-driven knowledge that can help one make sense of the direction of change underway serves an important purpose. And if the said data is pointed towards understanding the changes and uncertainties looming in a niche domain, the value of the same is even more profound.
Last month, Harvey Nash, the global professional recruitment, and IT outsourcing company published the findings of the 2018 Human Resources Survey. The eighth edition of the annual survey compiled responses and opinions of 820 HR directors and HR professionals in 38 countries and spanning 127 job titles.
Following are some of the highlights of the survey:
- Recruitment is the most critical issue that the board wants HR to address, as 29% of the respondents were of the opinion that recruitment is a top three issue.
- Developing leadership capability and employee engagement are next on the priority list.
- Since last year, there has been an 11% increase in the number of organizations implementing performance management programs.
- 70% of the HR respondents chose ‘building an employer brand’ as ‘very important’ when it came to recruitment; thus making it the single-most important activity during the hiring process.
- 26% of the HR professionals already have their workforce planning impacted by AI and automation.
- Witnessing a 9% increase as compared to 2016, 56% of the HR departments were of the view that it is more important for HR to do more for the business, as opposed to empowering the business to do more for HR.
- In a record five-year high, 39% of the organizations are hiring their staff directly.
- Recruitment agencies, on the other hand, are trying to focus on adding value and dealing with complex job markets.
- In a worrying sign, 62% of the HR is satisfied with how it is viewed by the business – a number that has not moved majorly in the last three years.
- Similarly, 52% of all the respondents were of the view that HR is very important to the board; a figure that hasn’t improved since last year and indicates that nearly half the respondents felt that HR could do more.
- The use of non-employee labor has seen a dramatic increase, as the proportion of organizations with 20% or more of their workforce as non-employee labor is 31%.
- This number is predicted to surpass 40% in the next five years.
Any data-driven knowledge that can help one make sense of the direction of change underway serves an important purpose. And if the said data is pointed towards understanding the changes and uncertainties looming in a niche domain, the value of the same is even more profound.
While the findings reaffirm several other global trends in the domain of recruitment, performance management, employer branding and staffing, one thing surely stands out. HR professionals and how they are being viewed, are at a risk of being complacent. The fact that nearly a third of the HR respondents are satisfied with how they are viewed by the business should not be ignored. No doubt that HR has come a long way; and has proven its value like never before, but it is still a long road away from cementing its position as a business partner.
Albert Ellis, CEO, Harvey Nash, sums up the essence of the survey rather aptly, “... HR is leading the way in helping organizations adapt and change for the future... There is more work to do, as HR looks to gain more support and influence on the board, as well as capitalize on the ever-expanding opportunities and challenges, of digital. But one thing is for sure; there has never been a more exciting time to be in HR.”
You can access the full survey here.