How to Reskill for the Workplace of the Future?
Although digital transformation has been underway for decades, some companies have not yet completed the process, while others are just beginning. For example, by improving the websites they created in the 1990s to make them responsive, let alone to include something like e-commerce.
For many companies, digital transformation is frightening, and rightly so.
It’s about reversing the way we thought about business. It also means introducing technology into business processes where it has never been considered relevant.
At the simplest level, when it comes to marketing, an online presence means that companies are potentially open to public criticism and the possibility of hacking, not to mention the responsibility for sound management of the data they will inevitably collect.
At the same time, digital transformation has also opened up countless new opportunities and stimulated innovation, for example through autonomous cars or 3D printing machines.
How does this affect employees?
While digital transformation has had an impact on companies, it has also had an impact on employees. Let’s start with the obvious: Learning to use e-mail or social media, to the complicated: learning to use digital platforms. In addition, employees must acquire new skills to adapt to new roles that have evolved over time.
How does this affect HR?
And while many companies are concerned about the business impact of the digital transition, so is the digital transformation of HR and its impact on employee experience.
Of course, HR departments are reluctant to use technology for an employee’s career path. In addition to the impact on the employee’s experience, efforts must be made to ensure correct application and results. How do you justify buying an HR technology if you don’t have a return on investment?
In the past, HR sometimes made the mistake of buying technical tools to support HR processes for the wrong reasons. From an HR perspective, technology has often been used as a “dressing” or to improve manual processes rather than as a “value above all” for employees.
This contributed to a rather negative experience: People were asked to use tools without understanding why or how it would help them in their daily lives. Should it improve the process? Well, it wasn’t really. So you can see where the separation is.
When done right, HR and HR technology play a role in supporting this digital transformation. First, HR technology should be considered part of the employee’s digital experience, making it a holistic approach. Second, HR can put technology at the service of people to help them remain relevant and become their partners in this transformation.
Where HR can help people acquire new skills
First of all, there are some important facts and figures to consider. According to a study by Accenture, nearly half of business leaders believe that traditional job descriptions are obsolete. While 54% of employers surveyed recognize that collaboration between people and machines is essential to achieving their goals, few companies have found a way to unlock the value that lies at the interface of people and machines.
In addition, a study conducted by Gartner shows that 70% [of respondents] say they do not master the skills required for their job. 80% said they do not have the skills they need for both their current role and their future career.
Instead of despairing and considering a career change, this is a fantastic opportunity for HR to become a strong partner who supports people’s professional development.
Here are some areas where HR can benefit:
- The performance management process
The approach is changing and today the goal of performance management is “growth and development” it helps people to better fulfill their roles and develop their careers. Rather than getting bogged down in the traditional annual review process, HR can help people align with business objectives and create more recognition opportunities.
This can be done, for example, by increasing the frequency of reviews or by introducing 360-degree feedback in addition to the review of managers and employees. Support the performance management process with a strong feedback culture, and people have many more opportunities to know how to do so.
- Professional and career development
As a direct result of the change in the performance management process, HR can help employees better identify their key competencies, weaknesses and the direction they want to take. An annual process often left employees in ignorance and uncertainty about their professional development opportunities.
However, increasing opportunities for employees to learn more about progress and talk about their professional development will allow HR to identify those who are willing to retrain, acquire a new skill or even have a parallel project or passion that matches the skills the company needs.
From their perspective, employees have more opportunities to understand where the company is going and what is expected of them in the future so that they can set their own goals. To this end, managers should be encouraged to work regularly 1:1 with their direct reports and receive training appropriate to their role.
- Learning and development
Once employees know what new skills they need to develop, learning and development are at the heart of the human resources department’s ability to help them qualify. The HR department should create sufficient training opportunities, whether through employee training programs, online courses, internal training or collaboration with external institutions that can provide new skills to employees.
However, it is not enough to create opportunities; companies must ensure that all employees know what training is available to them and how to request it. Time and budget must be readily available so that people feel supported rather than under pressure.
What about the technology in all this?
In short, there are already many technical HR solutions that support HR work in these three areas.
- The performance management process and career development
There are several platforms that allow you to run the entire process in one place. Whether 360° reviews, peer feedback, objectives, audits, participant surveys or even self-assessments, everything is possible. These platforms are designed to help employees take control of their careers and better understand what is happening within the organization.
- Learning and development
There are also a large number of e-learning platforms, from third-party platforms such as LinkedIn Learning to platforms that you can integrate into your technology stack and develop your own courses. The reality is that with an increasing number of remote workers and globalized teams, e-learning is a simple and effective way to ensure that your employees continue to develop their skills. It is also cheaper and more efficient: Employees do not always have the time or opportunity to travel and train personally (which should not be ignored).
There are even platforms that allow you to do both learning and performance management in one place.
In other words, the current technical tools of HR enable staff to support the transition of the workforce through globalization 4.0 and to be better equipped for the workplace of the future.
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However, HR technology should not be seen as a means of simplifying HR work; it is something that needs to bring HR and employees closer together in this time of change as they work as a unit. This means that any technology you use will be treated by the goal:
- Value — What does it bring to my people?
- Usability — it will be so easy to use that employees will be able to use it regularly;
- Training — will there be training materials and support in implementing the solution?
When choosing your HR technology, remember to choose both a partner and the software.
Conclusion
While globalization 4.0 may seem a frightening prospect to many people, it is a great opportunity for HR to break out of their silos and become more strategic; to help companies and employees in this era of transformation. HR should strive to make the most of their technical resources to understand the key challenges facing their organization and use the data they collect to make informed decisions about processes.
This data helps HR explain the challenges it faces with C-Suite. It will also help HR to invest in training or retraining programs. At the same time, it will create an environment in which people can thrive and feel supported in their professional ambitions rather than being afraid of losing their jobs. The HR department has a real chance to shape the workplace of the future!