Blog: The Life of HR in Organizations Today

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The Life of HR in Organizations Today

HR, like any other job, is like a two-sided coin. You will have happy days, and then there will be days that give you a headache
The Life of HR in Organizations Today

‘You should not stop being people’s advocate! The day you end being one is the day the HR dies’. 

Any HR who starts their career will sure have heard these words one way or the other. While it’s believed that any job has its own merits and fashions, there are certain jobs that have the capability to make impacts of higher gravities. HR is one, nevertheless, it is still considered a thankless job in some organizations.

HR, like any other job, is like a two-sided coin. You will have happy days, and then there will be days that give you a headache. Interestingly, the primitives on which the functions of an HR are based invariably embrace the ‘headaches’. What’s fun if things go as in the books; HRs come into play when things are not in line or if there’s no line at all. Thus, the headaches become opportunities. We cannot really see these as binaries—either yes or no—but grey. Let’s have a closer look:

Leaders with People Mindset

HR team’s vision will only be successful when your company has a management who believes in people. Forget your company’s revenue, business strategy and everything else; it’s the faith of the management in people business and their mindset of treating people as the largest investment that drives the success of any HR team.

Starting from the CEO, every C-level and VPs should have clear understanding and buy-in to the policies that the HR team parks on. This is the biggest factor of all which decide if an HR’s life is hell or heaven. An HBR article stated that during 2008 recession, only a third of HR departments were consulted when layoffs happened, pointing to lesser influence HRs had in strategic business/people decisions. However, this is fast changing now.

It’s imperative for the modern day HR to work closely with the line managers as well, to make sure that the ‘people mindset’ envisaged at the top level trickled down appropriately at the length and breadth of the organization. The organization’s profitability comes only through the growth; and growth comes only through employees and culture—not the C-officers alone! HR is certainly a partner in strategy execution, and hence they should have business acumen and understanding as well as the people mindset. 33% of execs believe that there’s ineffective HR leadership that drives their organization to the unsolicited directions as per a report. This can be tricky and painful for some of us, but definitely is the need of the hour; It has always been important but it has become clearer in recent years.

Data and Opportunities for Analytics

With the advanced technology, data has come to play a major role for the HR as well. This has helped establish data-driven strategies. Since most HR operations have gone digital, HR gets instant access to the data and can run analysis on it to reach faster and effective conclusions. Analytics has resulted in greater impact of HR activities starting from talent acquisition through engagement to exit.

Changing Workforce

Gen X is fast coming to the top of the ladders, and most ‘workforce’ now comprises of Gen Y and Z. The millennials tend to pose and trigger a change in the way most HR teams function. The factors that excited Gen X may no longer be valid/needed for the Gen Y/Z. This needs a larger discussion in all organizations, where HR takes the lead role.

Starting from how you recruit talent to keeping them engaged should change due to this workforce change. Your ‘food coupons’ or ‘telephone reimbursement’ may not be as attractive benefit as it used to be. Your vacation plans, office timings, attire requirements and health initiatives may need a thorough change keeping in mind the interest of the new workforce. This is one place where HR gets into agonies or ecstasies. This also points to changing your HR practices and policies to accommodate the new-styled workforce who love things to happen faster and easier.

Pay Gaps and Diversity

Gone are those days HR recruited the ‘protagonists’ alone. Ideologies and societal factors keep changing, and Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) has become another opportunity for HR. While this is seen as an ecstasy from a philosophical standpoint, various reports suggest that the pay gaps and men-women employee ratios are still bad in numbers. The report from WeForum suggests that in  82 out of 142 countries, pay gaps based on gender is still increasing. This is alarming, and agonizing for the HRs, for they have been trying to establish a reverse scenario through D&I and localization initiatives.

KPMG reports that HRs around the world struggle to keep in line with the global workforce, which turns out to be an agony for the HR fraternity, yet. With globalization, teams become more and more integrated and agile, which HRs must run fast to cope with. Further, increasing number of remote and arguably virtual employees demand that the HRs tighten their belts.

Attraction, Training and Retention

Organizations today don’t want job-seekers, but talents. For example, in IT, with the massive ‘attack’ of automation over the services sector has diminished the glitter of the old glossy, silky texture of the industry to a great extent. Companies today want to find talents (“attraction”) rather than applicants finding them for jobs (“acquisition”). The onus is on the HR team.

The new organizations have a diverse workforce that constantly looks for enhancing their skill set. The old school training curriculum is undergoing a thorough revamp, which is, yet again, equally agonizing and ecstatic for HRs. Starting from the training modes—virtual to gamification to anytime anywhere learning platforms—to the training content, organizations are thoroughly revamping their L&D strategies with the Gen Z in mind. 

Another area of concern for the HR is retention. It’s way beyond creating a good brand; stories float about youngsters rejecting offers from big brands to choose what they want to do in small companies. Retention plans of the new age is another agony for HRs, planning of which needs a thorough analysis of their workforce as well as the industry trends. People don’t just stay back for money.

HR Tech: the future

As it goes without saying, HR Tech is already here. Yesteryears’ Personnel Manager changed to HR, and then got transformed to People Enablers over a period of time. Now in the digital era the role of the HR is that of the business leaders, who enable people functions with the help of cutting edge tech. While the advent of tech is being seen as ‘oh-my-god-am-I-gonna-lose-it’ scenario, why don’t we look at the brighter side of it? It gives us room for learning technology and pouring it to what we have been doing, thereby making a yet greater, happier, better workplace! Ain’t it ecstatic?!

 

Disclaimer: The views expressed are author's own.
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Topics: Life @ Work, #HRIndustry

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