It’s that time of year when we start to look at what the New Year holds, I’ll admit it I have my shiny new diary and I’m already starting to see how the first few months of 2018 are panning out work-wise. So what else do I think HR will be focused on in 2018… well, here’s my initial thoughts on some of the key areas:
The deadline for organisations with more the 250 workers to report on their Gender Pay Gap is fast approaching. With only 295 (as at 4/12) of the 9000 due reporting so far, we can expect to see a rush to report in the early part of 2018. The interesting thing will be to see if the impact of the reporting the Government hope for will become a reality.
Will the plans to close the gap work and what will organisations do once they identify that there is an issue? It’s going to be key for HR teams to work alongside their fellow directors to challenge and change practices. This reporting is the very first step.
Related article: Gender pay gap reporting: what can small businesses learn?
The recent rise and much publicised reporting of harassment and the confidence this has given other women and men to raise their concerns will likely lead to an increase in these types of issues being reported in the workplace. As HR professionals, we need to be ready to support both those raising reports and to be fair and even handed with those who have complaints made against them.
HR teams need to make sure they know how they will handle complaints and what they can do to ensure that their places of work treat all employees with dignity and those employees feel safe. It’s not always easy but it’s important to call out unacceptable behaviour where you see it.
The changes in lifestyle and the financial impact of pension changes mean that now, more then ever, there are multiple generations in the workplace. HR needs to work with their business to ensure that working practices and culture reflects this. As people live longer, have families later in life, and pension ages change, we need to ensure that our organisations are equipped to deal with the different needs and motivations.
Related article: How to provide training for a multi generational workforce
We are also seeing more and more people working in the ‘gig economy’. The term itself has been expanded and now can mean someone like me who works on a number of contract or interim roles to a full term permanent employee who also has a side gig.
The traditional employed majority full-time work force is changing. Now it’s not unusual to see a mix of workers in any team: employed, contracted, self employed, full time, part-time consulting. Organisations and HR need to be able to work with these multi-faceted groups of workers and help leaders to get the best from them all.
Recent employment statistics in the UK are showing the lowest unemployment rates in history. What does this mean for recruitment? In a market where employees have more choice and leverage, employers need to stand out and find new ways of attracting people to their organisations. Also, what about the untapped markets? While unemployment is reducing, this isn’t the case in a number of minority groups. The savvy employer is going to find a way to tap into this rich source of talent and find ways of beating the inevitable skills gaps.
Related article: How to tackle recruitment bias
It’s been said for a few years now that email is dead – and whilst I’m not sure I would go that far the rise in popularity and use of collaboration tools and social media is changing the way we work. Organisations are now working collaboratively using tools such as Dapulse, Slack, Workplace @ Facebook as well as increased use of WhatsApp, Twitter and other social media.
The rise in interactive tech at home (with Amazon Echo and Google Home) and wearable tech is moving to the workplace. As Google works with their suite of apps and Amazon continue to link with Office 365, it can’t be long before we see an increase in meetings held via these interactive devices.
In 2018, we’ll see innovators finding ways to use this tech to move their businesses forward. HR needs to keep pace with this and ensure it is not left behind. Gone are the days of banning Facebook (smart phones anyone?) Instead, organisations are using the freely available tools to their best advantage.
Related article: Social media and employee engagement - the perfect partnership
The quest for the perfect HRIS will continue with players in the market listening to and adapting their models to meet the needs of micro-businesses and SMEs. With price models and ease of implementation being key, organisations will see the benefit of a tool like myhrtoolkit to help employees and managers share information, maintain records and produce reports. When everyone has a smart phone for all their personal matters, they want the same at work.
Related article: Technology in HR management - how does it save money?
While the focus for HR in 2018 will be all of the above, it will also be all of what we have always been doing. We’ll still be talking about engagement, change management, culture and development. We’ll still be working alongside business leaders and owners to help them to get the best from their people whilst complying with legislation, making sure folk get treated fairly and rewarded for a job done well.
The basics will still need to be done and whilst we can see the robots coming to automate more and more of our administrative functions, we’ll still need to be that human face and voice working to make places better to work in.
Amanda is a senior HR Consultant specialising in supporting change, creative organisational development and transformation. She is the lead consultant on the Grow the People brand, where she designs and facilitates workshops on leadership. She’s a Fellow of the CIPD with over 20 years' HR experience and is an active member of the CIPD in London and wider HR community as a committee member for the Central London CIPD Branch, a Steps Ahead Mentor and and Enterprise Adviser. She’s also extremely active on social media, you can find her on twitter @pontecarloblue