5 Hot HR Strategy Trends

2016

Copyright 2016 HR C-Suite. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past and start

planning the future.

We are busy sourcing, acquiring, performance managing,

leadership developing, and workplace disruption wrangling.
Forward-thinking HR and business leaders know to keep
one eye (if not both) on the future.
Technological, economic and competitive developments can
run us over if we are not planning for it. If we can identify
opportunities early and harness them strategically,
organizations can ultimately leap forward competitively.
While reading these hot trends imagine for a moment that
you can do anything with it. You have the ability reimagine, re-engineer, or create anything you want. What
would your business, department or role look like if you
could harness any new technology development or
workforce trend? What could you accomplish?
Our purpose of sharing this special report is to not only
report on five hot HR strategy trends but to inspire you to
reimagine, harness change and achieve more.
The sky is the limit.
Open this gift, jump in and go for it!

Imagine with
all your mind.

Believe with
all your heart.

Achieve with
all your might.

It takes real
planning to
organize this kind
of chaos. Mel
Odom

Top HR Strategy
Trends
Our first stop in our journey of exploring trends is with the
Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2015 study. This study was
provided to us by our friends from Oracle.
After surveying and interviewing more than 3,300 business and
HR leaders from 106 countries, the findings of this study are
very interesting.

1)

Culture and Engagement

Workplace culture and engagement persists as a common focus

year after year. According to Deloitte Human Capital Trends
2015 study, culture and engagement was rated the most
important issue overall.
Maintaining employee engagement continues to be a challenge
especially after the onset of the great recession in 2008 and
2009. The need to understand and leverage workplace culture
and engagement remains to be a top strategic focus.
Here is why.
Aon Hewitts 2014 Engagement Report found:

You wont get

anything unless you
have the vision to
imagine it. John
Lennon

Organizations in the top quartile for engagement (where more

than 7 in 10 employees are engaged) saw a 4% increase in
sales growth compared to an average company. By contrast,
bottom quartile engagement companies were down 1%.
Operating margin was also affected; top quartile companies
saw 2% increase, versus a 3% decrease for bottom quartile
companies.
As for total shareholder return, top quartile companies saw a
4% increase, while bottom quartiles were down 8% compared
to average companies.

All our dreams

can come true if
we have the
courage to
pursue them.
Walt Disney

Opportunities
dont happen. You
create them.
Chris Grosser

These statistics leave us with one question.

If executives recognize employee engagement as one of the
top business results drivers why does it continue to be a
challenge?
Research indicates there are numerous barriers to effective
employee engagement. A lack of formal engagement
programs with goals and accountability, global multicultural
communication barriers, multigenerational communication
barriers, and leadership with only top-down or dysfunctional
mindsets are chief barriers.
The hero of the day will be leadership who can address
those challenges and ultimately leverage employee
engagement to achieve objectives.

2) Reinventing HR
A common theme that is increasing in popularity is need to
reinvent (or re-skill) HR. Businesses have found critical
importance in having a HR function rise above just having a
compliance role and muddling by. CEO's seeking to achieve
a competitive advantage in a new economy require HR to
deliver value at a rapid pace.
However, according to the Deloitte Human Capital Trends
2015 study, While CEOs and top business leaders rate
talent as a key priority, only 5 percent of survey respondents
rate their organizations HR performance as excellent.

This year, HRs self-assessment showed virtually no

improvement over last years.
HR capabilities on high demand include being agile, business
integrated, data-driven and effectively skilled in attracting,
retaining and development talent.
To get started three areas to look at are the functions structure
design (consultant model with smart service delivery a priority),
infrastructure (optimized systems and processes) and developed
talent (invest in HR skills development).
There is a golden opportunity for Human Resources leaders that
can assess and reinvent the function to rise to the plate of
business demand.

3) The Gig Economy

The invisible workforce is fueled by a rising gig or on
demand economy. The gig economy is an outcome of gig the
great recession leaving us with fewer corporate jobs and many
long term unemployed. While traditional jobs are fewer, many
have become entrepreneurs in their own right creating
opportunity until something else comes along.

All progress
takes place
outside the
comfort zone.
Michael John
Bobak

This trend is showing strong growth. According to a new study

by MBO Partners and Emergent Research there are 30.2 million
independent workers in the U.S. economy. That number is
expected to rise to $40 million by 2019.
Studies indicate that those that are independent workers are
enjoying their autonomy and flexibility. The MBO Partners
research reports 63% rate their satisfaction as very high (8-10 on
a 10-point scale), another 19% say they are satisfied (7 on a 10point scale) and 1 in 5 actually assign a top score of 10.
It makes perfect sense to use the services of an independent
contractor. Companies rely on the contingent worker to deal with
temporary influxes of business volume, address specific projects
that have a start and stop point and so on. It can enable
companies to be agile in an otherwise uncertain economic reality.
However, HR professionals or business leaders should pay real
close attention to regulatory requirements regarding the
independent contractor.

The Department of Labor has increased its scrutiny on the

independent contractor relationship exponentially.

4) Cognitive Technologies
Another key trend to keep on eye on if not learn how to embrace
is the use of cognitive technologies (or artificial intelligence).
According to the Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2015 study,
The increasing power of computers and software to perform
cognitive tasks is challenging organizations to rethink the design
of work and the capabilities their employees need to succeed.
Examples of how the technology is impacting the world of work
include:

Though no one
can go back and
make a brandnew start, anyone
can start from
now and make a
brand-new
ending. Carl
Bard

Amazon is increasingly using robots which is redesigned the

warehouse worker job.
Dominos introduced the ability for customers to place orders
by voice through its mobile app.
Associated Press (AP) has implemented natural languagegeneration software that automatically writes corporate
earnings stories.
Google has been working on the development of driver less cars.
The commercialization of the product has happened yet, but can
you imagine what that means for taxicab companies?
To get started in leveraging this technology trend learn all you
can in how cognitive technologies can impact your business,
jobs and productivity. Consider piloting solutions and evaluate
what works and what doesnt.

5) Work Flexibility
The need to find innovative ways to engage employees many
feel that the demand for work flexibility will be on the rise.
Remote jobs are predicted to increase. The stationary cubicle is
becoming a dinosaur.
The idea of a flexible work life balance has been around for a
while. But advancements technology has enabled concepts such
as telework with accountability, compressed workweeks, and
flex time much easier to manage.