Now is the time to adopt fresh approaches to workforce planning and changing dynamics.

A recent Gartner report cites three key areas of focus for HR professionals. This includes the employee experience, which is a top priority for 47% of HR leaders – with 44% believing their companies do not possess compelling career paths. This can however be combated by setting and communicating clear roles and responsibilities and identifying internal positions to achieve these goals. The monitoring of the success of any such processes can be effortlessly achieved through automation and cloud technologies that presents managers and teams with simple tools to log progress and assess long-term targets. 

Recruiting is another top priority for HR leaders with 36% saying their sourcing strategies are insufficient for finding the skills that best fit company needs.

Fifty percent of organisations still expect the competition for talent to increase significantly in the next year, regardless of broader macroeconomic conditions.

This means HR teams must reprioritise recruiting strategies to align with the expectations of a new breed of self-focused employees and plan for multiple potential scenarios in a shifting market. Access to rich employee data and behavioural patterns data makes being agile and adaptive a lot easier. This is where technology once again comes into play with intelligence-based sourcing capabilities and Artificial Intelligence-based tools to manage the needs and requests of staff. 

Creating a future-proof strategy is yet another area where HR professionals are seeking out meaningful solutions. Meetings with potential clients for BCX Digital Platforms are often kickstarted with the question of how to future-proof any strategy or tools implemented. This is no surprise as, right now, 43% of HR teams say they do not have a clear future-of-work strategy. This request is often initiated by the question of how to adapt to the increasing rise of a possible remote or hybrid workforce. Nearly three-quarters of around 5 000 employees McKinsey queried globally would like to work from home for two or more days per week, and more than half want at least three days of remote work. The idea is currently being trialled in South Africa. While not applicable to all industries or even desired by some companies, remote working is part of the future of work. This is another reason why HR must adapt to being a more intuitive and flexible communication tool. BCX has seen a greater enthusiasm for cloud technology and even the integration of tools such as WhatsApp. Employee self-service tools gives them always-on access to documents such as payslips, IRP5 tax certificates, leave balances and approvals, rosters, as well as company policies and notices. It also allows employees to apply for leave, claim overtime and expenses, and update their personal information and benefits choices. There is also innovation in using data-free or low-data mobile channels such as WhatsApp in transformative new ways.

By creating an online, social, mobile, and consumer-style experience for employees there is greater scope for collaboration and compliance. In the workplace of the future, it will be essential to develop an employer brand which provides a seamless experience for current employees and potential employees. The ultimate aim will be to create a diverse and inspired workforce – employees equipped with tools that work for them. Giving employees the tools they need to manage many HR functions themselves, is in itself empowering. Importantly, it also alleviates the burden of the time-consuming tasks of HR leaders, who can instead focus more greatly on enhancing the company’s strategic objectives. Intuitive, personalised, and intelligence-based technologies are set to make all the difference. For companies this reinvention of the old will create powerful new avenues for growth.