If HR had been underappreciated prior to the pandemic, 2020 was the year HR proved how indispensable it is to organizational success, employee well-being, and helping companies weather political and cultural shifts. 2021 looks to be a year in which these trends only intensify.

Anyone currently working in human resources can likely attest to the major shifts in their responsibilities and perhaps even recognition over the last year and companies would be hard-pressed to downplay how much help human resources have been in assisting anxious and burnt out employees in accessing the support and information they needed to stay engaged and productive during the pandemic. With that said, below are some of the top HR trends to consider for 2021. 

Reward and Recognition Culture

The switch to remote work posed a unique problem to companies throughout the pandemic: how to keep people engaged while separated from coworkers, managers and, in general, estranged from the physical workplace that has been the norm for decades. HR managers and leaders quickly recognized that providing people with an opportunity to give and receive rewards and recognition from their coworkers was an important part of keeping employees engaged while working from home. 

Creating a culture of reward and recognition in the workplace is not imperative not only in an era of remote work but it is widely recognized as an essential part of the glue that holds the modern workplace together. It has proven to be a necessity when it comes to incentivizing performance and collaboration. Reward and recognition software allows people working together or in disparate parts of the organization to reward one another for a job well done, exceptional service, going above and beyond, and even for employment milestones and professional development. 

Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

HR has always played an important role in spearheading diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the organization. However, the cultural and political events that coincided with the 2020 pandemic created an increased need and desire on the part of both corporations and their employees to make D&I an even more fundamental part of social justice in the workplace. HR now has an outsized role to play in helping to develop and foster equity and inclusion programs throughout the organization, from recruitment and hiring to mentorship and professional development opportunities for employees from marginalized backgrounds. 

HR is uniquely poised to play this special role in the modern organization because of the educational backgrounds of HR professionals and because HR workers are the official spokespeople for employees. Companies are often either reluctant to or uneducated on how to go about embracing widespread D&I programs and new additions to things like recruitment, training and diversity celebration. These initiatives and programs will increasingly define how companies are viewed by the public and, therefore, are not to be taken lightly. 

The Role of HR in Human Capital Allocation

HR has also stepped up its role as an identifier and allocator of human capital throughout the organization. While HR has always been involved in both of these organizational necessities, these roles became increasingly important during the pandemic year and will likely grow in importance as workers continue to leave jobs in droves.

The shortage of labour across industries will require organizations to make quick and accurate human capital allocation decisions that fill skills gaps, cross-train and upskill existing employees in order to avoid falling behind in an increasingly competitive and unpredictable digital landscape. 

With respect to digitization, digital transformation will also require an increased role for HR as companies seek to bring on people with IT and other digital skills that may currently be lacking. HR 

Learning and Skill Development Initiatives

Pursuant to the above section, employers are also realizing that not only do they have skills gaps to be filled, but that employees increasingly value opportunities to develop their abilities as well. These offerings are becoming more critical in the quest to retain employees, as people see their future career prospects heavily dependent on future-proofing and making themselves invaluable. This is a win-win for both employers and employees, and HR has an important role to play in facilitating the programs and initiatives that will drive this development. 

Increased data analysis capabilities are key to supporting this new focus on learning and skill development within the organization, as HR departments integrate more and better analysis into their role. Being able to scan employee data from resumes and performance reviews is an effective way of determining which employees display an aptitude for particular skills and competencies and, therefore, where PD funds are best channelled. 

Employee Return 

HR professionals are already acutely aware of the role they are and have yet to play in welcoming back millions of workers to the office as vaccine programs roll out around the world. This is a role that they will continue to play during the coming year, and perhaps even for multiple years, as people remain remote, transition back to full-time office work and adjust to the post-pandemic workplace. 

For this reason, HR as a profession will need to consider both the management and the soft skills required to make this monumental and likely permanent switch seamless for employees and employers. This could entail increased soft skill training and workshops for HR as well as new digital skills to help people transition into a world of indefinite digital interaction, as well as things like benefits management. 

Conclusion

HR is set to continue its integral role in employee wellness, diversity and inclusion, and assessing and allocating human capital as 2021 continues on. These are trends that have been years in the making but which have really become mainstays of everyday HR responsibilities during the pandemic and all it has entailed. HR has traditionally been considered, especially by ownership and the executive team, an ancillary part of organizational management and success. 2020 should have completely done away with such false assumptions, and 2021 will almost surely put them to bed forever. HR departments, HR students and the business world more broadly should prepare themselves for a year of even further importance for human resources professionals. 

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Source: http://hrnews.co.uk/5-hr-trends-to-consider-in-2021-and-beyond/