Have you considered Future Trends for your HR Strategy

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A Business Strategy, which everyone knows and understands as being essentially the long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal or goals and is about strengthening the performance of the enterprise.  I think you would agree that most businesses would have them (at the very least in the heads, however, that’s another discussion) but do you have a Workforce Strategy  and have you given thought to how Future Trends might impact on your people and therefore your business?

So, do you have a HR Strategy?  The people in any business are the ones that will implement and ensure the achievement of business goals so where is your Workforce Strategy?  The Workforce Strategy is about aligning your people to the business goals.  When thinking about a Workforce Strategy, you must also consider the future trends.  So, are you prepared for them?

Future trends will affect how people are managed, the types of jobs, how they are employed, how they are engaged and their motivations and perceptions.   Future trends identified by Hay Group are;

  • Individualism
  • Digitalisation
  • Demographic changes
  • Technology convergence
  • Globalisation and
  • Environmental Crisis

Hay Group’s Leadership 2030 research shows that these developments are changing how we work, what we want  in the workplace and what we want from employers.  It’s easy to see the impact of these developments on employees in any business and therefore the Business Strategy of any Business. These future trends will mean for example;

  • Increased demands for flexibility whether this be ‘forced’ by existing employees or simply from the market trends
  • Engage staff differently and individually
  • Transparency of organisations actions due to social media
  • Ageing population and growing skills shortage
  • Increased competition for employees

So you can see how these future trends will impact on future and existing people in your business and therefore requiring a Workforce Strategy.

I have also understood and thought that employees are individuals with different needs and desires so why treat them the same, however, maybe now it will be forced upon businesses that may not have shared my opinion.  This will ensure each employee is engaged, which, together with a strong culture, I believe is key as in dealing with the effects from these future trends and various other issues.  However, as pointed out in ‘Embracing our ageing workforce’ there is detail to each trend which needs to be considered in detail.

It is also important to ensure you start making necessary changes now and include actions in your Workforce Strategy.  Ensuring you have engaged employees (a strong organisational culture plays a large role in this) will ensure you can change quickly which will be important when considering competition.

At HR Business Direction we are able to assist with the development and implementation of your Workforce Strategic Plan.  Contact us here.

Leisa Messer BBus(HRM); GradDipIR; CAHRI; IRSQ
Human Resources Strategist
leisa.messer@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au

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