Not so long ago HR managers were the paper-pushers of the company who kept the business rolling with manual recruitment, regular in-office meetings with employees, and performance management with reams of filing and paperwork to keep track of progress.
HR has greatly evolved since and today we see rapid growth in AI and HR tech. According to Gartner 76% of HR leaders believe if they don’t start utilising AI solutions in the next 12 to 24 months, they will fall behind the companies that have moved on from the paper-based HR function to strategic people management.
HR priorities for 2024 include the strategic growth and development of their people, enhanced employee experiences, and promotion of diversity and inclusion while maintaining consistent growth, operational efficiencies, and cost savings.
Here are some of the emerging trends predicted for the coming year:
- Growing your workforce – AI-powered platforms will have the ability to analyse employee skills, interests, and career goals and recommend personalised learning and development opportunities, fostering career growth and improving the employee workplace experience. AI models will more accurately predict turnover risks, identify engagement drivers, and recommend interventions to improve retention rates and enhance employee experiences.
- Enhancing communication – AI-driven communication platforms will facilitate inclusive communication by providing real-time language translation, accessibility features, and sentiment analysis to ensure employees feel valued and included. Adding chat app tools that employees already use for this purpose will simplify the management of the large remote workforce.
- Saving time with automation – AI-based automation already streamlines many repetitive HR tasks such as payslip processing, benefits administration, and employee onboarding, reducing admin-heavy tasks and improving operational efficiency.
- Employee care and wellbeing – AI-powered Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) with chatbots and virtual assistants will offer 24/7 support for mental health and wellbeing, providing personalised resources, coping strategies, and referrals to professional services, ultimately improving productivity and workplace satisfaction.
- Streamlining business processes – Task management of a large deskless workforce will be greatly enhanced by AI algorithms and the ability to optimise work schedules and consider employee preferences, and business objectives while reducing overtime costs and enhancing employee satisfaction.
- Enhancing recruitment capabilities – Automated AI-powered recruitment will optimise recruitment, automate candidate sourcing and screening, and provide data-driven insights to save recruiting budgets and reduce admin-heavy tasks. AI algorithms will improve diverse candidate sourcing, and enable the ability to tap into larger pools of people to enhance diversity in the hiring processes through anonymous CV screening and diverse candidate outreach strategies including WhatsApp for deskless workforce recruitment.