Human society is complex, and managing people has always been difficult. Human resource management has become even more complicated due to the digital age. Human resources have become a difficult job due to trends such as an expanding millennial workforce, changing expectations, global economic disruptions, and expanding hybrid work culture.
The first step in overcoming these difficulties is to identify the issues. You make problems easier to solve by clearly defining them. This means saving time, money, effort, and resources, which will help improve business outcomes.
In this article, we will look at 5 common challenges HR professionals face in the digital age.
1. Talent Acquisition
Talent acquisition is currently one of the most difficult human resource challenges. We have a millennial workforce with priorities that differ greatly from traditional perspectives. They seek jobs that offer flexibility, feedback, recognition, and meaningful work.
Companies have begun a competitive war for talent in order to attract skilled employees. And, in this digital, fast-paced world, they must go beyond competitive salaries and benefits to provide employees with meaningful experiences.
2. Talent Retention
Employees now have more employment options than ever before thanks to globalization and hybrid work cultures. On the other hand, people are experiencing collective burnout and leaving jobs at unprecedented rates as a result of the pandemic’s stresses.
As a result, HR must take care to retain current employees — or risk losing them to a highly competitive talent market.
Finding out why employees leave is the first step in improving retention. Exit interviews, employee surveys, and feedback sessions can all provide information about what employees like and dislike about working for the company.
Several factors could be to blame for high attrition rates. Employees may find better opportunities or higher pay elsewhere. There could be issues such as burnout, limited career advancement, strained work relationships, a lack of appreciation, and so on. HR can develop plans to address employee turnover once they understand why people leave.
3. Adapting to A Hybrid Work Model
Prior to COVID-19, very few businesses had a hybrid work program. Because of concerns about productivity, communication, and collaboration, many companies did not encourage remote working. Almost all of them are now rushing to develop remote work strategies.
Human resource managers are now focusing on strategies to increase employee engagement in hybrid work environments. It has become an absolute necessity to provide them with the necessary tools for collaboration and communication.
4. Change Management
One of the most difficult challenges that HR professionals face today is adjusting to the new reality of VUCA (P) times. The acronym VUCA(P) stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, with P representing the pandemic. It refers to the chaotic business environment that makes it difficult for organizations to function.
People are returning to work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees, on the other hand, expect flexible and remote work arrangements. Furthermore, people discuss their work lives on LinkedIn and Facebook. Because of the explosion of social media, the employee experience has become critical for brand image. HR must devise long-term strategies that account for change and agility.
5. Build A Culture of Learning
With the world of work changing faster than ever, skilling and reskilling must become the norm in the new economy.
HR must now devise solutions to ensure continuous training and development. It must consider rapidly changing technical skills as well as long-term transferable skills. AI can be extremely useful in predicting skill gaps and assisting employees in their professional development.
Leveraging Technology to Deal with HR Challenges
In the above discussion, we have seen some of the most crucial HR challenges of today. And fortunately, technology has become capable enough to deal with most of the challenges outlined above.
We now have a variety of digital tools for recruiting, training, wellness, and employee engagement. Manual tasks such as data updating, reminders, and document security can now be automated. All HR data can be captured using digital tools and stored in a centralized and secure (cloud-based) location. Employee self-service tools such as communication, productivity, and scheduling apps can boost productivity.
HR faces several challenges in the digital age. However, HR can lead the digital transformation with a growth mindset in order to meet the challenges that it brings.
Reference/Source:
- https://www.insperity.com/blog/hr-technology-challenges/
- https://www.betterworks.com/magazine/8-of-the-biggest-challenges-for-hr/
- https://insight.culture-shift.co.uk/en/privatesector/challenges-hr-will-face-in-the-next-years