Transforming The HR Function
In the past, human resources was sort of a forgotten department. It took care of disagreements between employees, facilitated trainings, administered discipline, and oversaw hiring. Many of these more traditional HR roles are now being taken up by software applications that can automate some of the less complex processes. At the same time, enterprises are realizing the HR strategies that were once adequate no longer hold water. Due to these converging trends, transforming the HR function is paramount to future organizational success.
Why Is HR Transformation Important Today?
HR transformation comes down to a simple concept: The needs of organizations, as well as technology, are changing faster than ever. This means HR is becoming less about administration, as these tasks are being disrupted by automation, and much more about providing insights into strategic initiatives.
While change is often challenging and difficult to swallow at first, this should ultimately be a welcome update to enterprises and employees alike. Firms can realize greater cost efficiencies, while reducing the likelihood of human error through automating administrative duties. At the same time, HR professionals can start using their skills for actually improving the lives of workers and the overall corporate culture.
Even though many will see the clear need for HR transformation, the path forward isn’t necessarily going to be clear. This is why organizations of all kinds need to consider how they can focus their capital and time toward more effective HR transformation.
How Can Enterprises Facilitate HR Transformation?
Once business leaders have identified the need for HR transformation, it’s time to figure out how to facilitate these changes. One concept that’s incredibly simple when you think about it but has been revolutionary in comparison to best practices of the past, is the idea of putting employee experiences at the center of HR transformation.
Mercer’s Global Talent Trends Study found that a mere “4% of HR teams believe they deliver an exemplary employee experience.” If the bells aren’t going off in your brain right now, they should be—as this discrepancy between HR effectiveness and the need for HR transformation carry a clear inverse relationship. When enterprises start putting the employee experience at the center of HR’s focus and job functions, many aspects of HR transformation will take care of themselves.
This, however, is going to be an ongoing process no matter how you cut it. Many enterprises will find working with an outside consulting agency will expedite and improve the outcomes of HR transformation. Getting this right or wrong can have a big impact on long-term operations. These are a few things for businesses to consider as they undergo an HR transformation:
- Employees demand purpose – No one can reasonably expect every moment of their working day to be profoundly meaningful and fun. What is reasonable, however, is to want your job to make you feel a sense of meaning, purpose, and responsibility. Even beyond this, corporate culture as a whole should adopt purpose-based initiatives.
- Leverage data for smarter decision-making – When HR professionals spend less time filing paperwork, they can spend more time uncovering insights to help improve the employee experience. Ensuring HR has access to the right data to move operations in the right direction is an essential part of the transformation equation.
- Model needs for technology adoption – Not all systems and applications are created equal. Though many provide compelling use cases, not all will improve the employee experience or lead to ROI. Modeling what tools will help achieve corporate goals is a necessary part of HR transformation. This is an area where working with a consulting partner can pay dividends over the long run, as making the right technology choices will have substantial implications on efficiencies across the board.
HR transformation is a hot topic for a reason. While this carries a great deal of importance for enterprises today, it’s not something that should be rushed into or approached without care. Consider how transforming the HR function will impact your organization, and how to create the best outcomes.
