Top 3 HR Trends: Technology, Talent and Learning Agility

The onset of numerous trends in Human Resources that will affect the way work culture and employee performance will be handled within organizations globally. We have seen numerous trends rewriting traditional norms such as gig economy, a remote workforce, higher levels of diversity while hiring and most importantly, technology.

The use of technology to improve productivity and make work more efficient is gaining momentum at an accelerated rate, which is forcing businesses to re-evaluate their hiring processes. In order to successfully implement these changes, organizations must have a clear vision and goal for what they want to achieve. This can be accomplished through effective planning, training, communication and feedback.

Technology has become one of the most important aspects of human resource management today. It provides organizations with the ability to streamline processes such as recruitment, onboarding, employee relations and performance management by using mobile devices for applications such as recruitment software or online assessment software for human resources management purposes. In today’s blog, we bring you 3 trends that have the potential to challenge traditional recruitment rules and have a positive impact on the bottom line.

Trend 1: Changing technologies call for new talent assessment methodologies

Currently, recruiters will face the challenge of securing multi-skilled professionals, both full-time and part-time to fill in positions, with a priority being placed on the use of emerging technologies and data analytics to find the right fit for the position. Technology has caused a permanent shift in the way talent acquisition teams approach hiring, from measuring the quality of the hire, to fine tuning the overall employment processes.

In 2017 alone, 69% of companies have taken steps towards using data as a mode to hire, as opposed to just 10-15% earlier.

With data-driven decisions being adopted to automate and effectively improve how talent profiles are identified, analyzed and processed, recruiters can expect to have a clearer picture of what skill sets and behavioral profiles are required and how to access and hire the best talent to fit that mould. To make this a reality, on-demand hiring platforms, game based assessments and mobile based recruitment platforms are providing management and HR teams data-backed insights to make actionable changes to their workforce.

Trend 2: Ready-to-hire talent pools

With the increasing number of passive candidate’s year on year, recruiters and talent management professionals now face the constant need to make smarter decisions on hunting, engaging and hiring the right talent. According to a recent report by Aberdeen Group, best in class businesses are 2.4 times more likely to use talent communities to reach out to prospective candidates.

Imbalances between the demand and supply for people still exists, the gap continues to widen. Students are ignorant about one such widening gap and the availability of solutions that can be used parallel to the educational curriculum. A steady stream of constructive feedback, micro assessments with personalized training intervention and guidance from corporate in the early stage for candidates are some essentials to bridge the gap.

A big trend that will be seen as of now is the importance given to resources that provide management with the exact talent fit they have been looking for. Moving on from limiting themselves only to web based platforms for finding talent, HR will now begin to depend heavily on social networks, user experience based platforms, talent communities that focus on specialized skill sets and mobile-ready technology that allow them to communicate with candidates anywhere and anytime. These easily accessible and reliable talent pools will not only provide an employable population of candidates, but also a good mix of experienced and fresher talent to organizations.

Trend 3: Adopting a continuous learning culture

In recent years, training and development has become an integral tool in promoting a highly skilled workforce in organizations. A sub-set of this is ‘Continual Learning’, which refers to the continual improvement of skills and productivity through training. As of now, the HR industry can expect this culture to not only stay, but grow immensely in terms of value for the company. Adopting these practices impacts the employees ongoing professional life positively by giving them the tools that help them take ownership of their overall development and job role.

To conclude, one thing that can be said for sure for the coming year is that technology, data-driven analytics and the employee experience are all factors that will come into play for companies that want to stay one step ahead of the game.

MeritTrac is India’s premier pure play testing & assessment services company providing innovative assessment services to leading educational institutions, government organizations and corporate entities.

To know more on how psychometric behavioral assessments can positively impact your workforce, get in touch with us at info@merittrac.com.