Evolution of HR
Over the past decade, the role of human resources has changed significantly. HR was once seen as administrative support with responsibilities like filling talent gaps, managing employee issues, or processing new hire paperwork. But now, this department is a leader in shaping employee experiences and driving workplace culture. These two factors are crucial as it maintains employee engagement and loyalty, which impacts productivity and the overall success of a company.
This new role was further cemented with COVID when other business leaders turned to HR to help navigate companies in new realities.
Mental Health Advocacy
While there have been a lot of departmental changes, HR has also noticed employees are actively looking for companies that have a strong company culture that engages with employees and cares about their wellbeing. With their more prominent positioning, HR has advocated for more inclusive and supportive work policies that value employee contributions and success. These leaders have also pushed for a culture where employees are not exhausting themselves and burning out.
DEI Policies
With 56% of workers stating DEI is a positive aspect, HR professionals committed themselves to creating and maintaining these initiatives. As a result, leaders have found that DEI policies add to company culture because it celebrates every employee’s unique perspective and experiences.
When implemented efficiently, DEI efforts help organizations attract top talent, retain employees, and gain better business outcomes.
Rise of AI
As AI becomes increasingly popular, HR is helping companies integrate this new tech in the workplace to inspire new ideas and foster innovation. Since they have the pulse on employees and overall company structure, HR has valuable insight to inform other leaders how they think AI will be effective for employees and how it can be applied.
AI is also effective for HR departments because it can manage aspects of the employee lifecycle and streamline administrative tasks. Even more so, this powerful tool can be leveraged to enhance recruiting, candidate screening, onboarding, workforce planning, and more.
To attract and maintain talent, companies need to keep a pulse on the employee experience and trends as this directly impacts productivity and company success. Who is better suited for this position than HR? They are at the vantage point because they foster employee relations and have the ear of all the business leaders to advocate for better policies.
