Over the years the role of a HR director has evolved and changed which has meant that the role of a HR leader has never been so fascinating and complex. New trends, issues and stories such as #MeToo and Brexit are all having an impact on the way that HR leaders conduct their role.
As a result of the ever changing environment that HR leaders find themselves in, it is often thought that many worry about their job both inside and outside of the office. Below are five issues that are likely to worry a HR leader.
Currently for listed organisations, the governance of people related requirements have never been stricter. A recent example of this is the changes to the corporate governance code which requires PLCs to make available information on employee engagement and how they are listening to what their employees want. For those companies that are not listed, reporting requirements are also on the increase, for example the gender pay gap reporting. This is therefore increasing creating new responsibilities for HR leaders and directors, however they are not necessarily negative as many HR leaders believe the increase of reporting gives businesses the chance to demonstrate the added value that HR can give.
In terms of inclusion, there seems to be a sense of frustration amongst HR leaders as there doesn’t seem to be any change in terms of diversity and inclusion. As well as gender, the spectrum of inclusion is focusing on race, disability, age and socio-economic status. The main challenge in this area is transparency. This is an issue for HR leaders as many believe that they will not have the data readily available to be able to conduct appropriate analysis and that in order to gather data employees need to fully trust and understand why and what the data will be used for.
Within the world of business there is currently a digital revolution occurring which is meaning that businesses are having to change and adapt in order to keep up with trends, therefore many businesses have been asking their HR departments to help with the transformation, but how can HR leaders actually help in terms of digital change and are HR jobs at risk due to technological advancements? The answer is yes. Due to the ever changing environment of technology people within HR are becoming more at risk to losing their jobs as automation increases. It is therefore crucial that HR leaders demonstrate ways that HR departments can add value beyond what automation could do.
Ever since Brexit has been announced there have been worries for businesses and certain sectors due to the labour implications and worries over the migration policy. HR directors within hospitality are working effortlessly in order to keep hold of all their EU staff, with some companies sending recruitment teams out across Europe to persuade people that the UK is still a good place to work.
Another vital part of the UK is the NHS and due to Brexit the NHS is having additional worries and pressures added as supply in a tough job market is a pressing issue.
The world in which people work is changing quickly and therefore HR needs to change along with it. Therefore the form and function of businesses HR departments is on the mind of many involved with HR. Due to technological advancements some companies are moving to completely using automation for lower valued jobs and therefore it is the responsibility of HR leaders to start adding value to businesses further up the chain.
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