Al Gore, Arianna Huffington, and Josh Bersin’s predictions for the future of work. Aligning best practices from industry leaders to usher in a better way of work.
June 26, 9:30 AM IST | 12 PM SGT | 2 PM AEST
Al Gore, Arianna Huffington, and Josh Bersin’s predictions for the future of work. Aligning best practices from industry leaders to usher in a better way of work.
June 26, 9:30 AM IST | 12 PM SGT | 2 PM AEST
Al Gore, Arianna Huffington, and Josh Bersin’s predictions for the future of work. Aligning best practices from industry leaders to usher in a better way of work.
June 26, 9:30 AM IST | 12 PM SGT | 2 PM AEST
Al Gore, Arianna Huffington, and Josh Bersin’s predictions for the future of work. Aligning best practices from industry leaders to usher in a better way of work.
June 26, 9:30 AM IST | 12 PM SGT | 2 PM AEST
By Nicole Schreiber-Shearer, Future of Work Specialist at Gloat
March 12, 2023
HR transformation is no longer a buzzword—it’s a business necessity. After stepping into the spotlight during COVID-19’s onset, HR leaders are now at the helm of reimagining work and workforces from the ground up with priorities that include overcoming an unprecedented labor shortage, devising skills-based talent management strategies, and rewriting the employee value proposition.
None of these agenda items are simple tasks, and addressing any of them will include bringing in stakeholders from outside the people management space. But rather than serving as a support function, HR must seize its new role as a strategic partner pivotal to larger business priorities.
Just as the HR function evolves, leaders need to leverage tools that go beyond simple administrative functions. Traditional people management approaches are beginning to show their age as one survey shows that 70% of HR leaders felt data on employee experience, a key driver of retention, was inadequate for their needs.
HR transformation describes the evolution of the HR function. It is the process of seamlessly adapting and integrating service delivery, talent, and technology into HR strategy to create greater business value—by driving both operational excellence and strategic impact. For HR leaders, it’s about evolving their own role and the HR function to better align people, strategy, processes, and technology with business goals to deliver more impact for all stakeholders.
HR has always been critical to enterprise operations as a function because the department is responsible for workforce planning and performance management, aligning talent strategies with the greater business vision. However, as we move into a more agile world of work, HR transformation is becoming the cornerstone of many business transformations. Now that talent is the greatest driver of competitive advantage—77% of business leaders believe that retaining talent is very or moderately important for the future of their organization—the right approach to HR transformation will make or break business outcomes.
As HR’s role evolves, departmental titles are getting updated to reflect these new responsibilities. Now that the employee-employer dynamic has shifted in workers’ favor, cultivating a compelling employee experience is a priority at many organizations. As a result, titles with “People” front-and-center are on the rise—People Operations Manager or Chief People Officer being two of the most notable additions to the C-suite.
Similarly, the word “transformation” is quickly becoming a mainstay in many HR job titles. Roles like HR Transformation Manager and Vice President of HR Transformation are gaining popularity, underscoring the heavy emphasis organizations are placing on their transformation processes. What these changes in title underline is that companies are taking transformation seriously, putting resources behind their efforts to modernize their work structures and prepare for the future of work; a recent McKinsey survey shows that out of all companies surveyed with a CTO, 86% of them came into the company in the past three years.
Every business is facing the same crossroads. Leaders need to decide whether they will hold onto old frameworks that are quickly becoming obsolete or embrace new tools and operating models as they reimagine ways of working.
It’s becoming clear that enterprises must rapidly evolve their strategies to thrive in the new world of work. Consequently, HR transformation is a necessity for businesses that are looking to outpace the competition. It offers several game-changing benefits:
HR can no longer be seen as workforce administrators. HR leaders are now key players in shaping the future of the business by building a new blueprint for successful talent management. Stakeholders across the organization must recognize the value of HR and work in tandem with HR leaders to achieve strategic priorities
A core component of successful HR transformation is shifting to skills-based talent management. When organizations’ talent strategies are rooted in skills, leaders can efficiently access the capabilities they need to get key projects across the finish line and empower employees to achieve their full potential.
Workers want more from their employers than ever before and it falls on HR to ensure that these expectations are met. Employees want to see their organizations stepping up and making a difference, taking a stance on societal issues, and providing their people with choice and agency. These asks can only be achieved through an HR transformation strategy that empowers leaders to retire obsolete rules and embrace new ways of thinking.
At this point, most leaders recognize the importance of HR transformation. Yet, there’s a lot of uncertainty about what it takes to create an impactful strategy.
#1. Get leaders on board
HR transformation isn’t just for people in the department; it’s going to impact every business function, so it’s important to get leaders from across the organization on board. Include members of the C-suite in the process from the start and encourage them to share their ideas and offer feedback. By listening and incorporating other leaders’ insights into your strategy, you’ll secure buy-in and ensure your approach aligns with their priorities.
#2. Don’t overlook the people powering the transformation
Getting buy-in from leadership is undoubtedly important. But if you want your HR transformation to be successful, you’ll also need to gain support from your employees. To help everyone get comfortable with the new role that HR is going to play at your company, take an employee-centric approach to planning.
Give your employees the chance to ask questions, offer feedback, and share their concerns. And prioritize transparent communications throughout your HR transformation, so that people feel like they’re being included in the process and they know what’s happening next.
#3. Set goals that align business priorities with individual aspirations
If you don’t go into your HR transformation with specific goals in mind, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Start by checking in with leaders from different departments to understand what their objectives are and the biggest challenges that are making these goals difficult to achieve. Then, create two sets of transformation goals, one for your department and one for the business at large. Include measurable success metrics that are developed based on your goals and a step-by-step guide for the transformation process.
#4. Choose the right technology
Technology isn’t the only part of HR transformation, but it’s an important component that deserves a lot of thought. The right operating system will bring your vision for HR transformation to life, and it can even help you stave off the Great Resignation. Look for solutions that will automate and streamline processes, reduce time to hire and make onboarding more efficient, and move the needle on diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Rather than focusing solely on upgrading HR technology that you already use, it’s beneficial to consider new categories like the talent marketplace. These platforms harness ethically constructed AI to dynamically match employees to projects, gigs, mentoring, and full-time roles.
Transformation is coming for every organization—the only question is whether or not companies will be prepared to use this opportunity as a launch pad, or wait long enough to see it become a stumbling block. To begin your company’s transformation journey, see how leading companies are boosting productivity while reducing costs.
Exploring the tools leaders can harness to fully capitalize on their workforce’s capabilities By Nicole Schreiber-Shearer, Future of Work Specialist at Gloat Across every region and industry, talent shortages are reaching crisis levels. Studies indicate that by 2030, there will
Explore how the latest AI innovations could shape HR transformation By Nicole Schreiber-Shearer, Future of Work Specialist at Gloat 2023 will go down in history as a banner year for AI innovation, thanks in large part to advances in generative
Learn how to put a stop to skills shortages, once and for all By Nicole Schreiber-Shearer, Future of Work Specialist at Gloat Skill gaps don’t go unnoticed for long. Hiring managers feel the impact when they struggle to find someone
