Top trends in HR management in 2021

Excerpted from an HRD article by Daljeet Kaur Lal

People as resources are invaluable assets of an organization. For a business to be successful, every company is obligated to enhance their workforce by aligning their human resource (HR) strategies with the latest trends. With the advancement in technology, HR departments have been transforming gradually over the years. The global COVID 19 pandemic has compelled HR professionals to swiftly respond to critical business priorities and fluctuations in the workforce.

With millennials and Gen Z as the largest cohort in the business workforce, employers worldwide are in demand of tech-powered ways to recruit and engage employees. The trends of artificial intelligence, diversity, gig economy and productivity skills will drive the HR management in 2021 to formulate corporate strategies and improve employee engagement.

Here are the top trends of HR management in 2021:

Diversity and Inclusion
Company culture plays a pivotal role to provide a positive experience to employees. With employees belonging to diverse races, ages, genders, sexual orientations and cultures, industries ought to make their employees feel that they belong to a community.

HR professionals need to plant a seed of inclusion and affiliation where the employees feel confident to express their ideas with equity. Research shows that a cohesive work culture boosted employee performance to 56% and decreased turnover risk to 50%. Motivate them to be involved in the company vision holistically.

Work from Home (WFH)
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the paradigms of business domains worldwide. This global overnight shift to remote work puts a high value on flexible work arrangements. Four out of five HR managers believe the move to working remotely has caused less employee absenteeism, with employees available online when needed.

In 2021, many corporations are offering remote-work as a full-time opportunity. With this, HR departments need to adapt to new workplace settings to keep the employees engaged and on track.

Critical Thinking, Soft Skills, Digital Skills
Gone are the days when education and job skills were the only criteria for the recruitment of employees. The 21st century calls for HR personnel to look for a combination of power skills in the workforce. Search for applicants with skills like data analytics and digital literacy.

Assess skills like strategic thinking and conflict management. Soft skills like emotional intelligence and creativity are considered a priority by businesses these days for the humanistic work environment. Choose candidates with learnability and aptitude to operate in a tech-human blended work mode.

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