News Article

NEW NORMAL - 4 Top HR Trends And Predictions For 2022

Posted 10th January 2022 • Written by Heidi Lynne Kurter on www.forbes.com •

These past two years have been a tumultuous time for HR departments around the world. Companies and HR teams have faced unique challenges including the Great Resignation, shifting to remote and hybrid working models, new compliance and regulatory issues, using their platform to advocate and support social issues, increased burnout and mental health issues, and figuring out how to attract and retain talent.

Workers are demanding transparency from employers in regards to their stance on social justice issues, salary information, how they source their materials, how they invest their money as well as DEI initiatives. Darren Hockley, managing director at DeltaNet, said, “the voice for change is getting stronger. People now have more confidence to speak up because they believe more people are listening.” This is evident through cancel culture which has proven that people are more comfortable standing up for what’s right even if it means calling out their own employer. As 2022 fast approaches, companies will need to redefine what the workplace looks like if they want to attract and retain top talent.

Here are four top trends and predictions for 2022.


Artificial Intelligence

As companies undergo a digital transformation, they’re accelerating their Artificial Intelligence adoption plans to improve efficiency, security, and effectiveness. HR departments will benefit greatly from AI. In fact, it’s believed that AI will reinvent the HR function which will allow HR teams to make better decisions. In addition, AI will help automate and streamline administrative tasks allowing HR to focus on strategic initiatives and personalizing the people experience.

Moreover, AI will also allow HR teams to implement chatbots where employees can reach out to for questions involving payroll, benefits, and more. Morshed Alam, founder and editor at Savvy Programmer, asserted, “technology will change the way we interact with employees at every level of the organizational hierarchy.”

In terms of recruitment, AI will auto-screen resumes and categorize them based on each position. This can be done in a few ways such as determining which individual skills are most relevant to the position as well as moving candidates to roles that are a better fit. Additionally, machine learning will assist heavily in building the talent pipeline so recruiters can focus more on personal outreach.

AI will also aid in upskilling workers by identifying their strengths and weaknesses and making recommendations on how to upgrade their skill set. This will be done by curating a career and learning path to help workers develop and grow internally. Stacey Taylor, learning design director at DeltaNet, believes, “adaptive learning will truly take off in 2022, due to its ability to connect the learner with short, relevant, impactful intervention they need.” As the next generation of young professionals enters the workplace, companies will need to revise their training in a way that is relevant, engaging, and digestible to them. Taylor asserted, “the new generation of workers have spent their entire lives being fed content that is curated to them, their wants and needs. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they expect this from the training provided by their employer.”

Mental Health And COVID-19 Fatigue

Mental health is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a “must-have” benefit. Companies will need to take a proactive approach to support and advocate for employee mental health and COVID-19 fatigue. The stigma around mental health is changing and employees are becoming more comfortable talking about it. However, companies, and HR, need to continue to challenge the stigma and understand that it looks different for everyone.

Some ways companies can address mental health are by:

  • Conducting wellbeing check-ins
  • Upgrading employee benefits to include mental health
  • Offering wellness days, and meditation and yoga programs
  • Giving workers more flexibility (4-day work weeks, remote working options, etc.)
  • Training managers on how to respond to and address mental health concerns, and create a safe space for employees

According to the Future of the Industry Report 2021

  • 87% of employees want their employer to care about their mental health
  • 80% of workers would stay at a company that provides high-quality mental health resources
  • 76% state report that mental health benefits are more important than swag, snacks, and employer-funded perks
  • 47% of respondents revealed that their organization’s leadership team implemented mental health benefits to check a box rather than change the culture
  • 34% are considering changing companies for the sake of their mental health

The report revealed that many leadership teams intend on getting rid of the company’s mental health benefits when the pandemic is over. Even when the pandemic begins to ease, employees will continue to experience long-term mental health issues. A survey stated, “the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t create a mental health crisis, rather, the circumstances forced many to confront one that was already well underway.” Most workers were already, knowing or unknowingly, battling depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. COVID-19 exacerbated those feelings

Strategic And Innovative Recruitment Strategies

Since hiring has picked up again, companies are struggling to fill open positions. As such, the demand for recruiters has increased by 7x. As the war for talent intensifies, traditional recruitment methods have proven to be ineffective.

A common misconception around the growing labor shortage is that workers are unwilling to work. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that people are unwilling to settle for low wages and mistreatment. Companies need to broaden their horizons in how they’re finding talent and define the talent they want. Recruiters will need to think outside of the box when it comes to capturing top talent and standing out against the competition.

This will include:

  • Identifying non-traditional talent internally
  • Revamping the company’s career page to showcase the employee experience
  • Embracing text recruiting to communicate with candidates faster
  • Revisiting candidates who weren’t hired the first time but made it to the final rounds
  • Developing social media marketing campaigns to target candidates
  • Partnering with universities and trade schools for fresh talent
  • Creating inclusive job descriptions that speak to diverse talent and more equitable hiring practices
  • Implementing a boomerang program to rehire previous employees
  • Tightening up the recruitment process to avoid losing out on top talent due to a lengthy and disorganized process
  • Loosening restrictions on degree requirements and focusing more on transferrable skills, certifications, online courses, and expertise
  • Expanding the talent pool to take advantage of the national and global market
  • Crafting a more personalized outreach strategy that’s centered on what’s in it for the candidate and how the role aligns with their career path

Complex Compliance Challenges

These past two years, HR professionals have faced many curveballs when it came to compliance issues due to fast-changing rules and new regulations. The “work anywhere” approach presented tax and immigration compliance challenges due to hiring people nationwide and globally. Furthermore, employers with 100 or more employees will need to implement testing and vaccine mandates.

In 2022, HR will play a key role in how the company addresses cybersecurity. IT and HR will collaborate along with members of the Incident Response team to cultivate a culture of cybersecurity. This will be done by educating new and existing employees on cybersecurity best practices through interactive training, assessments, and stimulated testing. HR will also communicate the company’s cybersecurity policies and procedures, and educate employees on reporting practices.

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