Future of Work Trends & a Practical Guide on How to Embrace Them
When industry HR leaders and experts were invited to grace the stage at the C2HR CON, they were challenged to live up to the future-focused theme of the event. However, they were also asked to eschew pie-in-the-sky rhetoric and identify practical ways that HR professionals at all levels can embrace trends and help shape the future of work. They definitely delivered. Throughout the day, several themes resonated with attendees. We’re thrilled to share six with you.
Before COVID there was an increase of women in the workforce. Then many women left the workforce during the chaos of the pandemic. Today, women are returning to the workplace and looking for different things such as flexibility, wellbeing, and a commitment to DEI.
While COVID opened a door for women with hybrid and flexible work schedules, employers need to expand upon this trend by creating avenues for people to continue to learn and grow in a similar manner. Forward-thinking companies are working to overcome barriers to L&D for their people, regardless of location.
Many companies have found success attracting and retaining women by:
-
Embracing professional networks for women to join
-
Utilizing business resource groups (BRGs) to deliver high-touch educational sessions, panel talks, and leadership development programs
-
Mentorship programs
-
Lean-In circles where women and men come together to discuss topics, gender differences, etc.
The idea of women leaders paying it forward is critical to successfully engaging women employees. One way companies are encouraging relationship building among women is through networking and mentoring initiatives.
Generational Expectations in
the Workplace
Currently, our workforce is comprised of five distinct generations. Each age group has had vastly different experiences that have shaped their behaviors, skills sets and expectations. It’s imperative for HR professionals to find common ground and design programs and initiatives with flexibility to meet the varying needs of multiple generations. For example, a common want among employees is financial stability, but the motivation behind the want differs across the generations.
As younger workers began entering the workforce during the pandemic, many started internships and full-time positions in a remote setting. The transition to a traditional or hybrid office environment brought many learning opportunities to light. Beyond teaching the basics of business communications and office etiquette, employees need to realize that Gen Z also lacks an understanding of the benefits of being in the office. HR can help them gain an appreciation of the relationship building, knowledge sharing and collaboration that takes place in the office through structured onboarding that creates intentional cross-generational interactions and fosters an environment for organic dialogue.
When looking at leadership and development (L&D), some organizations have found that older generations want a trainer onsite, whereas younger generations tend to embrace virtual reality (VR) learning. It’s important for employers to understand generational comfort levels which will influence their willingness and ability to learn and then approach learning in a way that is flexible to meet varying needs and expectations.
There is currently a shift in the way we assess an individual’s talents, moving beyond an employee or prospect’s current skills and performance record to also consider their learning agility and potential for growth.
Contingent Labor
Trends
During the labor shortage of the pandemic, contractors and freelancers were a godsend, and many were hired in a relatively short time period. Today, employers are taking a look to determine how they can more fully leverage this population of talent, and ensure they are aligned with the culture and mission of the organization.
One speaker shared how their organization is piloting a program that allows contractors who work a certain number of hours to gain benefits, the opportunity to participate in L&D programs, and engage with the employee community and culture.
Widening the
Lens on Employee Wellbeing
The mental wellbeing and self-care of your workforce is pivotal to the performance and success of your company. Regardless of company size, you’re likely working with great partners helping you in the space of wellbeing: mental health, EAP, financial stability, and other point-solution vendors who provide unique services. One key recommendation during the C2HR CON was to tap into your third-party providers for insight on trends, leading-edge strategies and proven practices.
While HR professionals recognize that employee wellbeing isn’t the responsibility of HR alone, to expand our impact in this area we need to engage our business partners and company leaders. When they walk the walk, it makes a difference in how employees embrace the company’s wellbeing programs and initiatives. To create a culture of wellbeing, it takes multiple advocates delivering a common message.
The Realities
of Generative AI
AI is here to stay and its impact is touching all areas of HR. While come companies are eager to leverage the innovativeness and agility of AI, others are reluctant. Why? 44% cited that they don’t know enough about AI and 12% don’t trust it. The reality is that those companies who do not embrace AI will not be equipped to compete in the near future.
Still, myths about AI continue to fester:
Let’s tackle the last one first. In January 2023, there were more jobs posted on LinkedIn for recruiters than for engineers. Humans will continue to be imperative to a company’s success. Keynote speaker and futurist Ravin Jesuthasan noted that it’s up to humans to achieve the optimal combination for human talent and automation. He encouraged HR to re-envision the talent experience to create a more equitable, inclusive and accountable culture.
The reality is that AI can lift administrative burdens, automate processes and allow HR to do more with less. The strengths of Generative AI were detailed by numerous speakers:
However, it is important to recognize that AI currently has limitations including accuracy, bias, ethical concerns and limited creativity. There are concerns about entering confidential information into LLM AI models, and I must be mindful of these valid concerns. Throughout the C2HR CON, experts shared practical steps to approach AI:
-
Understand what AI can do and validate that it does it
-
Pilot programs using AI and monitor adverse impact
-
Maintain awareness of existing and emerging AI legislation
-
Store data carefully and in alignment with agreements and laws
-
Use your understanding of data, science, validation and employment law to educate others and gain buy-in
-
Ensure ongoing human monitoring
Eyes Wide Open on Pay Transparency
Over the past few years, there has been an evolution of pay transparency legislation beginning with the Equal Pay Act, then Salary Bans and most recently, Pay Disclosure Transparency Laws. The ultimate goal of all is the same—fair pay for all employees.
However, we face a few problems. Women are currently paid 83% of when men are paid for no discernable reason. The intersection of race, ethnicity, and gender has always had compounding effects, leading to lag in compensation behind peers. The theoretical concept of pay transparency is that workers needs to be able to know others’ salaries and discuss pay to counteract a perceived imbalance in negotiating power with their employers.
The current reality is that pay transparency is confusing. There are laws currently in effect in different states and municipalities, but no federal legislation. Because pay transparency laws are so new, we can’t learn from other employers’ (mistakes) yet.
Here are a few best practices that you can employ:
-
Review compensation prior to posting a position and again prior to making an offer
-
Equip your talent acquisition (TA) team with as much information about the pay for a position as possible
-
Understand and identify the kind of compensation structure that makes sense for different positions, then determine ranges
-
Be prepared to post compensation details on all job postings instead of reacting as laws are created
-
Identify objective differences that merit differences in pay among employees
-
Don’t be hamstrung by your own job titles (Analyst or Specialist may be too broad for a group with lots of different skills and roles within a single title)
-
Regularly review posted pay ranges and conduct a pay audit
-
Create a toolkit for the HR team with a state-by-state overview of the laws
The current state of pay transparency has its challenges; however, the benefits are notable:
-
People are talking
about pay more.
-
In the long-term,
employers are going to be more transparent about
pay.
-
It creates transparency
with employees.
-
Managers are having
more conversations with employees about pay.
 |
RELATED
RESOURCES
Visit the
HR
Knowledge Center for a curated
collection of timely resources, including
articles and on demand videos, on the topics
of generations at work, future of trends,
AI, pay transparency, DEI and more.
|
|
