Emerging HR trends captivate those aspiring to transform the workplace. Cornelia Gamlem and Barbara Mitchell, authors of The Big Book of HR, recently spoke to HR Exchange Network about the latest happenings in Human Resources and how they are redefining the concept of work.
Determining the Future: Remote and Hybrid Work
“Make sure that you are finding ways to connect often. I was talking to a colleague the other day who was at a worldwide company. They have doubled their HR department. The HR professionals at the company call all their remote employees at least once a week to ask, “How are you?” The follow-up question is, “No, how are you really?” That is key to letting people know that you value them, whether you see them or not, whether they are sitting across from you or whether they’re working out of their house.
Also, what I think is critical for organizations is to think about flexibility. The research is saying that people want flexibility. But they really want to control when they work as much as where they work. Organizations can be a little more flexible about shifting away from the nine-to-five, or whatever it is that they used to do. Just say, ‘Get your work done, whatever works for you to get your work done.'”-Mitchell
Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
“Bring in a more diverse workforce. But then what do you do with them? Where I think organizations stop is they don’t think through those next steps. What about employee development? What about opportunities for advancement? That’s part of diversity. And I think that’s where so many organizations fall short.
Once you bring in people, make sure that if you’re putting task forces or working groups together to include those who have traditionally been excluded, primarily women and minorities. Make sure they’re part of the processes that are developed, make sure they’re part of the activities. Most importantly, make sure they’re part of any decision making, so they get equal access to both opportunities and resources.
All that is good internally. But the other thing that organizations need to be thinking about if they really want to have a diversity initiative, is what can they do externally in their community. For example, they could offer supplier diversity programs that support minority-owned businesses, and other community outreach efforts.
This could include some of the the corporate social responsibility efforts where organizations are providing funding and supporting economic development and empowerment and educational opportunities in many impoverished and marginalized communities. Organizations really need to look at this holistically, so you don’t don’t just make some of these gestures that look good for PR purposes. If you’re serious about inclusion and belonging, make sure that what you’re doing both internally and externally is making people feel a part of what you have to offer them.”-Gamlem
Focusing on Retention
“Let employees know how valued they are. I think that is the number one key to retention. If I feel like I’m really making a difference, and I’m being recognized in my organization, odds are I’m not going to be looking to leave. Also, we should promote from within and do all the things that let our employees know that they are more than employees.
Cornelia and I have been talking a lot lately about this idea that people really want to be thought of as more than an employee; they want you to see them as a human being. [Think about] people having children and wanting to get to activities, that’s the whole person. Then, it becomes that my company recognizes that I have a family outside my work family, and they want me to be able to have that.
It gives people a feeling of belonging but also the flexibility that we’ve already talked about. The fact is that we want to make sure that we are treating everybody with care and focusing on their wellbeing. I don’t think we can say that word enough. We want to focus on taking care of our employees, the whole person, not just the person who comes to do the work for us. I know that sounds like a lot of platitudes. But I think it really can make a difference when we let people know that we value them and how we value them.”-Mitchell
HR Tech and Learning
“There is a new movement of micro learning. People don’t want to sit in the classroom for days on end. HR has the ability to deliver learning in small bite-sized pieces that are very targeted and focused and [delivered asynchronously.] Employees sit there for five minutes and watch a little clip of something or they’re directed to another website, where they can get more information or an infographic is displayed.
That has really shifted the way that we start thinking about learning. Even when you’re having some of those training programs around soft skills communication, where do you want to bring people together so they can practice? You can still augment a lot of that with with micro learning. So, we’re really seeing an explosion of some things that you can do with technology beyond meeting on a virtual platform like we’re doing right now. It is really exciting for the future.”-Gamlem
A Resurgence of Unions
“We’re in a tight labor market. Employees are feeling empowered, and they’re becoming much more aware of their rights, benefits, and working conditions. One of the most fascinating things is what happened with Amazon workers in Staten Island, not just that they unionized. But they formed their own union. And the same thing happened with the Trader Joe’s in Massachusetts. I think we should pay attention because some people, who are inexperienced in union organizing and negotiating now must negotiate a union contract.
READ: Pros and Cons of Unions
A lot of them are getting some pro bono support from from both attorneys and law students, but it’s going to be a long, hard road for them. It’s such an interesting concept that they said, ‘No, we don’t want the big labor unions involved because they themselves are big business today.’ We’re seeing a shift in how people are organizing and how the campaigns are moving along.
In addition, there are platforms like Zoom and others that allow employees to conduct crowdsource campaigns for awareness purposes. They use it to pressure organizations to treat their employees and workers better in terms of pay, safety, and benefits. [With virtual meetings] no one from the company can necessarily track where you are meeting and what are you doing.”-Gamlem