5 HR & Tech Trends for 2018

by | Jan 22, 2018 | Blog

These are the five biggest trends coming to HR in the next year, and they all involve technology.
Working virtually — at home, at a coffee shop or anywhere else there’s Wi-Fi — is a growing trend in North America. In the past two decades, the volume of employees who have worked at least partially by telecommuting has quadrupled and now stands at 37%. A significant driver of this stems from VPN technology making it easy to access work systems from nearly any computer. This makes it possible to recruit from almost anywhere in the world, and it’s no surprise that many startups are built with remote teams. From a corporate perspective, it opens up the pool of candidates, and by offering remote work capabilities, it’s a way to retain current employees and boost job satisfaction through a better work-life balance. With video conferencing and collaboration tools evolving every year, this trend will only continue on the upswing.

3. Blind Hiring: 

The tech industry, and Silicon Valley in particular, was rocked in 2017 by accusations and counter-claims of bias in the workforce. The easiest way to minimize any controversy? Make hiring a blind process. In standard screening and interviewing, unconscious bias easily becomes part of the equation by including any data that may give away key parts of a candidate’s background: gender, age, race, even alma mater. By making hiring a blind process — that is, stripping away any info on a resume that may reveal demographic data — the first wave of screening can be done based purely on abilities and achievements. There’s even recruiting software built to automate screening and anonymize candidates. This allows for a more diverse workforce built on merit, not any buddy-buddy vibes picked up during the early interview process.

 5. Future-Proofing Employees: 

While political talking points often emphasize the return of jobs in manufacturing and manual labor, the cold hard truth is that those positions are going away because of evolving technology. In many cases, artificial intelligence is replacing repeatable tasks while predictive analytics is replacing certain levels of management and decision making. It goes beyond manufacturing — travel agents, flight attendants and more are all vulnerable.
Where does this leave the human workforce? In 2018, it’s up to companies to look at their human resources and determine the best way to pivot them into future positions. This means identifying the staff who are willing to embrace different aspects of jobs: management, problem-solving, troubleshooting and other areas that require a human element. By planning ahead, this will save the company money as it transitions to cheaper computer-driven labor while maximizing the human potential already on the payroll.

 

It’s clear that these technology-driven trends are already impacting the HR industry… Ready or Not! 

Many of these Technologies are already available and will simply grow in industry presence; the smart thing is to invest time and resources NOW, to get ahead of the game.

Whether it’s identifying internal positions vulnerable to AI replacement or exploring social media-enabled methods of finding passive candidates, all technology driven changes feature some level of a learning curve.

Thus, it’s a worthwhile goal to start preparing for the future today.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Millennials Are No Longer the Newbies

Born into Technology, Gen Z’ers . . . are now just starting to enter the workforce as interns and even entry level employees. 

This will present new challenges for HR leaders looking to figure out how (and even whether) this new generation brings something fundamentally different to the workplace, and what it may take to prepare millennials to lead them.

Learn more about HR Technologies, SaaS, and other Scientifically Validated methods to Engage your Culture, Develop your Leadership and Evolve your Innovation.

Please request a complimentary consultation and test drive them for yourself.

Call us for a FREE Consultation TODAY!

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