Global HR 2020 Trends
2020 has just kicked off and this New Year brings a lot of new HR trends along. These global HR 2020 trends are going to be geekspeak in HR offices for the next few years, so why not be versed in these terms beforehand. The early bird gets the worm!
Following are some of the hottest Global HR 2020 Trends.
Gig Economy
This is a type of free-market system where employers make short term contracts with workers, typically only as long as a particular task is going to take. These workers are independent and make commitments to complete a job in a given time; they are paid once they have submitted the project. 2020 will see a large chunk of the workforce shift from full time, 9 to 5 workers, to free agents. This type of work is more likely done online and is mostly digital. But all freelance tasks are not computerised.
The American software company Intuit estimates in their report that by 2020, 40% of American workers will be independent contractors. The main reason behind this transition in the workforce is that people feel more comfortable and at liberty when they are not bound by a 9-5 job. They work only when they feel like working, which is a very good initiative for general emotional well-being.
Diverse Workforce
Increasing globalisation means that more and more companies will have more employees stemming from different parts of the world. As the medium of work is shifting away from hard copies to soft copies, the increasing digitalisation of jobs and the rise of the Gig Economy is leading to people working with international firms from the comfort of their homes. Soon there may be employees of an organisation that are all working from different countries. The concept of remote work will be more emphasized as there will be full time or part-time employees from more and more distant places and there can be a difference of even 9 or 10 time zones between employees.
Permanent Flexibility
Flexibility in business means just as it sounds. It refers to flexibility in work, when it is done, where it is done and even what work is done, how it is done and by whom. Employees are getting more concerned about flexibility in their jobs and they want more say in what work should be done, how and when. About 51% of all employees want their employer to offer more flexible work options. This is trending because increased flexibility makes the employees feel more comfortable and in control of their work. They have a greater sense of purpose and higher morale. Furthermore, permanent flexibility is getting more popular as employees don’t have to ask their manager for permission to change the work course time and time again, but have complete autonomy and responsibility.
English Staying the Dominant Language
Being the most spoken language on the planet, the trend towards English stays firm. English is the most common medium of communication in all international business deals, even in countries where English is not the native tongue, most official affairs are dealt with in English.
HR Bots
Chatbots are already being widely used by companies. HR chatbots are very effective and time saving for HR departments. Being very easy to handle, every HR team can benefit from utilising this technology. By 2020 we will see a greater reliance on chat-bots, especially as a way to aid employees with the recruitment process; they can answer many questions regarding vacancies, salary, benefits, and other common HR questions. By spending just a few hours in buying a Chat-bot programme and then feeding the frequently asked questions and their answers, a huge amount of time can be saved.
Gamification
The application of typical elements of game playing to other areas of activity such as screening candidates and turning tests into a fun way to measure personality and skill, is called gamification. It is a good way to motivate participation, engagement, and loyalty. This can be anything, from your website to social media presence, day-to-day operations, customer engagement and more. It uses competition, points, milestones, rules of play and self-expression regarding the matters of business, to inculcate a sense of participation and progress in the employees.
Kind HR
Humans are hungry for kindness. It is human nature that people are attracted to where they are treated well. Displaying kindness is a virtue of the human resources department. Some simple measures like a day off for employees on their birthday, a nice welcome package upon joining or office family days, go a long way. When employees are treated kindly, they are happy and happy employees mean greater productivity. Happy employees experience 12% greater productivity.
Learning While Working
In this fast-paced world, technological advances are being made one after the other, and with every new technology that can be applied to the workplace, there comes change. This change might mean some employee’s become redundant. A greater number of working people are learning about new technologies and educating themselves to work with the upcoming styles of work. This trend is motivated by several reasons. The most important one is to reduce the chances of getting redundant, second is to move up the hierarchy of the workforce. Many big companies are offering learning and training courses for their employees simultaneously while they work. Companies have the motive of retaining their old employees and making them more productive.
Whatsapp and Slack Popularity
Employees naturally gravitate towards the means of communication that seems easy to them. There was a time when e-mails were a great way of business communication. But, now even emails are getting an old and time-consuming way of communication. Employees are now using messaging apps like Whatsapp to send messages and receive important details right away. These apps offer end to end encryption so they are considered a very secure way discussing business affairs.