The pandemic has unleashed a wave of transformation. New topics have gained relevance, and new challenges have surfaced. However, the challenges of HR are unique and differ based on multiple aspects like industry, nature and size of the business, and location of the workplace.
During the panel discussion at greytogether (greytHR's customer meet in Bengaluru), six seasoned HR leaders put their heads together to deliberate on the HR Trends to Look Forward to in 2023. They shared a wealth of knowledge while touching upon emerging challenges, trends, best practices, and technologies every HR professional must know.
Meet the panelists:
- Vikas Maheshwary, Head, Global HR Transformation, Biocon Biologics
- Chryslynn D'Costa, Co-Founder and Head (Research & Design), Serein
- Sudeep Kumar Sen, Vice President, Gi Group India
- Ketan Krishna, People Head, Rentomojo & People Advisor, YourNest Venture Capital
- Soyirindhi Hore, Lead ‒ APAC and EMEA Benefits, Yahoo
- Suchandra Dutta, Senior Manager (India HR Lead), Alif Semiconductor India Pvt Ltd
Moderated by Sayeed Anjum, Co-founder and CTO of greytHR, the thought-provoking discussion culminated in an exciting ‘audience Q&A' session. Missed it? We have you covered! Read on to get the key takeaways from the conversation.
Top-of-Mind HR Challenges in 2023
Employees have now gotten used to working from home. Therefore, the HR folks are trying hard to engage them remotely to keep them happy and make them stay with the company.
During the pandemic, many people and teams worked in silos. According to a Microsoft survey, employees have not yet gone back to the level of collaboration that was happening before the pandemic.
The territories for doing business have expanded. Companies have started to do business remotely with various communication tools. Data protection is a formidable challenge in this scenario.
The existence of different generations has created a gap between the new guard and the old guard. Meeting room battles and ego clashes have become common.
Budgets and peer influence are the primary criteria for technology selection. Only some people are able to pinpoint the actual requirement to choose HR tech wisely.
HR acknowledges that burnout and stress among managers and leaders have becommajor problems for many organizations.
People work in different environments. Safety is a significant concern for those based in production facilities like factories. HR is tasked with identifying the risk factors and creating initiatives to deal with them.
Today's interview candidates are eager to learn more about the company since they are concerned about job stability. Therefore, hiring has become a tall task. Also, employee retention is a major HR challenge since salary is not the only criterion for joining and staying in an organization.
When remote work happened suddenly, team members started working in silos. Although the managers did their bit to connect with people, HR faced a major hurdle in engaging and motivating employees remotely.
HR should be able to understand people from their perspective and show empathy when it matters. They must be made to feel confident and secure in the organization. In order to do this, every HR department has to rethink its policies and processes.
Nowadays, HR has the onus of connecting the goals of an individual with the bottom line of the business. They should also help employees see their contributions the same way the business sees them.
Every employee has to be happy and successful in an organization. Organizations should also be aware of the expectations of Gen Z. Only then can they succeed in retaining them. This can happen through engagement, training, and retraining.
The world is currently witnessing a lot of economic and political uncertainty. This affects the HR function and poses different challenges. Therefore, these team members need to be on their toes and strategize while performing their day-to-day activities.
In today's work environment, the capabilities of managers and leaders matter a lot. They also need to be trained to be empathetic, adaptable, and resilient at all times. HR has to navigate all the emotional barriers to help them.
Employee well-being has gone beyond physical health. It covers multiple aspects, like emotional, mental, and financial well-being. All these aspects must be considered while designing and rolling out employee assistance programs.
Solutions, Best Practices & Technologies
It's important to be cautious and prudent while choosing an HR tech solution. It's a bad idea to pick something just because it is interesting or cost-effective. The choice has been based on multiple parameters, like the actual requirement, and vendor credibility, among others.
When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, people think it's only about training. But there's a lot more to it. Conversations and training programs around DEIB and PoSH have to go beyond the head office. Today, technology has made it possible. The Internal Committee can connect with people at different locations.
Technology makes complex tasks easier. Grammarly, for example, allows recruiters to know how inclusive or gendered a JD or communication is. Such measures can help increase the chances of attracting more diverse talent.
Before investing in technology, it is crucial to have use cases and goals in mind. Productivity increases and employee experiences are usually the reasons for any tech implementation.
There are various wellness apps on the market. But not everybody will offer the kind of experience every employer seeks. Therefore, choosing vendors based on their experience and credibility is important. Also, the actual requirements of the organization are the most crucial criterion.
HR folks are akin to product managers! They too need to be versatile. They have to understand people, technology, and business to be productive and successful in their functions. Once these three dimensions are addressed, it becomes easier to choose the right technology.
Due diligence is critical for the selection of HR software The intelligence the tool offers, its interoperability, and the result it promises are crucial considerations when choosing a tool or platform.
Wrapping Up
Just before the curtains came down on the panel discussion, the attendees asked a multitude of questions on technology impact, data privacy, employee experience, and more. The panelists offered detailed answers thoughtfully and sincerely. The answers to the unanswered questions, collected via cue cards, were mailed to them. Team greytHR did all it takes to ensure that the attendees left the venue with a smile.
Want to know if you missed something? Watch the full recording of the panel discussion.
