AS technology continues to evolve, the face of Human Resources (HR) is changing. In the coming years, HR departments will need to stay ahead of the game by predicting and taking advantage of emerging trends.

Employers will also be looking for new and innovative ways to manage their human capital and recruit top talent.

Let’s look at some of the exciting HR trends that will be dominating the scene this year and beyond.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used in recruitment: Studies have shown that algorithms are 50 per cent more likely than human recruiters to hire employees who stay longer with the company.

As technology continues to advance, AI will likely complement human recruiters, allowing organisations to scale recruitment quickly by expanding their hiring team beyond a single office.

Further, as AI and digitalisation gain traction, recruiters and hiring managers now have access to many HR tools that make the applicants’ journey simpler, quicker and more enjoyable.

The AI can also help to reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process and ensure that all candidates are treated fairly based on their skills.

Automating HR Tasks: HR managers are often tasked with completing administrative tasks such as onboarding new employees, conducting performance reviews and managing benefits. In the future, new technologies will help to automate these tasks.

For example, organisations are beginning to pilot AI software that help guide managers through the performance review process and produce a final document. Other software will allow employees to complete online forms to onboard themselves and manage their benefits, which will free up HR managers to focus on more strategic tasks, such as overseeing an organisation’s culture and people strategy.

Hybrid Workplace: The hybrid workplace is another trend that is likely to continue post-Covid-19 pandemic.

A McKinsey study found that between 20 and 25 per cent of workforces in industrialised nations could work remotely three to five days per week without a loss of productivity.

In the next five years, more organisations will likely embrace the hybrid workplace as a standard practice as they realise the benefits of giving their employees the freedom to work from wherever they choose.

With this, companies will need to find new ways to monitor their employees to make sure they are meeting company standards and achieving high productivity.

Metaverse-Based Training: Virtual reality (VR) has already been used in many industries to train employees and prepare them for real-life situations, for example in the healthcare industry where VR is used to train doctors to perform surgery.

This year, we will see companies taking the leap to the next digital evolution in training: metaverse-based training.

The metaverse goes beyond VR in the sense that it uses various technologies to create a wide range of experiences. This will provide learners with a real-time environment for training under pressure, without endangering lives.

Strengthening the Human Bond: As organisations look for ways to improve the recruiting and onboarding process in a world where the hybrid workplace dominates, they will likely begin to focus on strengthening the human bond between employers and employees.

This will be achieved by investing in employees and providing them with the tools they need to do their best work. This may include providing employees with training and development opportunities, flexible working hours and even access to social events or fitness programmes.

Organisations will also likely begin to value internal referrals to hire top talent. This will help them to employ people who fit their corporate culture and are extremely motivated to succeed.

Automated Structured Interviews: For busy recruiters, software that support automated structured interviews are a godsend. Automated structured interviews allow recruiters and hiring managers to conduct interviews anytime and anywhere to best fit the hybrid work environments of today.

The interview process allows candidates to answer a set of predetermined questions on video and submit their recorded answers at their convenience.

One-way interviews can speed up the hiring process and give candidates the flexibility to submit their answers when it works for them. Hiring managers, in turn, can review several interviews at once and save time that would otherwise be spent sitting through live sessions during the preliminary rounds of interviews.

Conclusion

This year, HR professionals and practitioners will get many exciting opportunities to redefine the significance of its function in the new world of work.

With the trend towards greater inclusivity, diversity and equitability in a changing workplace, it is more crucial than ever for HR practitioners to harness the power of digitalisation to further their organisations’ goals.

The writer is the founder and group chief executive officer of Talbotiq Technologies Sdn Bhd. He is also an angel investor with more than 20 years of experience in information technology infrastructure and digital automation. The opinions in this article are his own.