With a new decade here, it is time to start thinking about how your workforce can become more effective and efficient in the years to come. 2020 is bringing new changes to the human resources industry so your HR department must be prepared to respond and adapt.
To prepare for 2020, here are 5 resolutions your HR department can set in order to attract and retain your workforce.
1. Align employee goals with team and organization goals.
When goals align within your organization, employees feel more motivated and engaged. It is crucial to show how employee contributions build towards team and organization success. When employees see the link between their contributions and the bigger picture, they are driven by the idea of everyone working together towards the same goal.
One way for goal alignment is to encourage leadership to share its goals and direction of the company. By better communicating their goals and expectations, executives can make sure everyone is on the same page. Another way to show employees how their work is helping the organization is to set milestones, whether they be monthly or quarterly.
2. Adopt a more flexible workplace model.
Similar to last year’s Top 5 Resolutions for HR in the New Year, adopting a flexible workplace model is still just as important for 2020. Remote work is no longer considered a luxury and has become more of an expectation. Companies that offer remote work experience actually saw a 25% lower turnover rate as well as a boost in overall productivity. Furthermore, in the face of increasing globalization, offering remote work has become the perfect way to access a wider pool of talent across the world.
In order to support remote work, it is important that your organization provide the technology and resources employees need to be successful when working remote. Providing a virtual office space, like Slack, and video chat software, such as Zoom or Skype, can help with productivity for those working remotely.
3. Leverage people analytics for decision-making.
In 2020, it will be increasingly important for HR to leverage data analytics to make decisions. With data, HR can make better people-related decisions related to recruiting and retaining, as well as test the effectiveness of HR policies and different interventions. A Deloitte study has shown that 71% of executives believed people analytics to be “very important” or “important” to their business.
With an increasing number of people analytics tools appearing in the market, businesses will have access to a wide range of metrics to help them understand, at a far deeper level, what drives results. HR should leverage these tools and analyze data regarding recruitment, performance, and employee mobility to optimize their operations.
4. Focus on providing employees with continuing education.
Providing employees with the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge in their field can help increase engagement, retention, productivity, and efficiency. According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in helping them learn.
HR must prioritize training objectives based on topics relevant to the department or team first. Relevant and useful topics will naturally engage and motivate employees whereas irrelevant topics will disengage them. Once a foundation of continuing education is set, HR should launch programs teaching employees new useful skills that they can leverage to take both themselves and the organization further.
5. Reevaluate the recruiting strategy
As more people shift towards a more project-based career, HR must reevaluate and redefine their recruiting strategy to make sure it is attracting all types of workers. The contingent workforce—which includes both remote workers and on-site, non-employee workers—now accounts for 41.5% of the U.S. workforce.
Some ways to refresh the recruiting strategy can involve offering referral bonuses, showcasing employee video testimonials, writing job descriptions that clearly outline expectations, and branching out beyond the usual recruiting platforms. Once interest is piqued, HR must have a concrete plan on how they plan to engage with these workers. Some ways to attract and retain talent is to offer a comprehensive employee benefits package as well as flexibility for remote work—as discussed above.
To learn how your HR department can attract, reward, and retain employees in 2020, reach out to CorpStrat for more information on how we design and manage employee benefits at competitive rates.