The trends in human resources for 2021 have been affected by the crisis in the COVID-19. The pandemic has wholly transformed the needs of organizations, creating an economic crisis as necessary as the one in 2008.
However, due to the specific characteristics of the pandemic, human resources have had to evolve much faster than in the previous crisis.
The evaluation formulas have had to change. The obligation to telework has led to significant organizational changes, and many professionals have been forced to reinvent themselves to adapt to the new normal.
Remote work, the promotion of a healthy company, the increase of transversal teams are some of the changes that will finish settling in the trends in human resources by 2021.
Healthy company
A healthy company has ceased to benefit an employee but has become a fundamental element in the human resources and talent attraction strategy.
Considering that most of the outbreaks of COVID-19 are taking place in offices, factories, and rural workplaces, knowing that the company takes the health of its workers seriously is more important than ever.
Not only concerning the coronavirus, primarily if the vaccine works in early 2021, but also in the rest of the health fields. The tragic situation of 2020 has made health a priority.
Professionals and transversal teams
The time has come to know how to reinvent yourself and adapt to the new normal. For this reason, the recruitment process of company personnel has also changed completely.
Hyper Specialized profiles are no longer sought (although also in some specific fields) but rather people who know how to adapt to new changing conditions.
Likewise, it is interesting that they can work in transversal teams, in which it is built familiarly. Groups that may be in different places or countries but must learn to work together.
The most in-demand professionals will be those with soft skills over hard skills since adaptation to the environment will be a constant in 2021.
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Quality circles
The quality circles will also be increased. This human resources tool favors the identification of employees with the company while making them participate in decision-making.
In a year of thinking outside the box, getting creative, and finding solutions to cope with the financial situation, quality circles become a cheap way to get better results.
Both in terms of improving the employee experience and seeking improvements. As at any other time, quality circles should be fostered by human resources and management.
Bet on Employer Branding
Employer branding is more important than ever, especially for profiles specialized in ICT.
To date, the European Commission estimates that there are 750,000 unfilled positions in this sector in the EU. Therefore, getting a profile of this type can be complicated if our company does not employ its employer branding.
Through employee satisfaction surveys, it is possible to check what elements can be improved to better job branding.
Conversion to digital
The training remains crucial, but the trends in human resources for 2021. This year, however, we will see how the courses provided by companies are related to digital reconversion.
Although digital reconversion is not an entirely new process for a large majority of companies, the situation with COVID-19 will make those that have not yet made the leap (and survived) realize the need to also switch to the digital world.
For this reason, new employees with experience in reconversion processes will be hired, and they will seek to train themselves in this new reality. 2021 is indeed an excellent year to professionally reinvent yourself.
There will be many opportunities in all sectors, so the knowledge of digital in companies will be essential. Added to this is the need for employees to use tools in the cloud to telecommute.
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Big Data for People Analytics
Big Data and Artificial Intelligence continue their relentless advance in 2021. About trends in human resources for 2021, it is promoting People Analytics.
With different tools that perform this type of analysis, all the data is taken into account to reach conclusions that are impossible to find out otherwise.
From hiring biases to good performance analysis to opportunities to improve productivity or avoid gender or wage gaps.
These analytics work both internally and externally, helping to find talent wherever it is.
Increase in teleworking
This is perhaps the most evident trend in human resources for 2021 since the situation has forced that already during 2020, its increase was exponential.
The advantages of teleworking are evident, and it allows a better family conciliation, avoids the times of commuting to work, using public transport, and exposing oneself to risky situations. In addition, it is becoming easier to have online meetings.
Teleworking has been shown to reduce absenteeism levels in the company, increase productivity and improve employee autonomy. It also reduces pollution and avoids labor disputes in the company.
Although at the moment it also represents considerable savings for companies, it remains to be seen the details of the new teleworking law that is being prepared, which will probably reduce the benefits in this area by making the company take charge of certain items that until now passed to the worker as paying part of the internet connection.
The disadvantages also exist. It can lead to communication problems within a team or between departments, makes it difficult to disconnect when sharing work and leisure space, and makes identification with the company more difficult.
Even so, the COVID-19 situation has shown that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, which will be a constant in 2021.
Personalized itineraries per employee
Within the human resources departments, the use of the employee experience map will also be strengthened. With this tool, you can follow the worker’s performance and their situation in the company in depth.
The idea is that each employee has a tailor-made itinerary with which they can develop their work. This way, they will avoid feeling stagnant.
It is about thinking about what the employee can get out of the company rather than what the company can get out of it. A happy employee with potential for development within a company will feel more identified with it, be more productive, and, ultimately, mean better human capital.
Having this type of itinerary also affects job branding, making it easier to find candidates for vacant positions and reducing staff turnover.
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More outstanding commitment to flexible remuneration
Flex is becoming a more critical part of wages. When annual salary increases have become more complicated due to the crisis, many companies are betting on flexible compensation as a compensatory measure.
The flexible remuneration includes products or services offered to the worker, deducting from his salary but saving personal income tax. It is a voluntary offer that each worker accepts according to their case.
The aspects included in this type of remuneration are daycare expenses, public transport, training related to the current job, the restaurant ticket, and medical insurance.
Benefits for employees of all kinds
Lastly, you have to mention employee benefits. Flexible remuneration or telecommuting are two of the elements that fall into this category, but not alone.
Also, those related to the emotional salary and the promotion of a good work environment or flexibility as well as certain advantages that make a difference. In this sense, the management of employee vacations is essential.
Aspects such as having parking or a free bus to the office, paying the gym fee or giving free on the birthday are also part of this point.
Among the new trends for human resources is the commitment to employee benefits because they represent a very effective way to retain talent and attract the best professionals.
With little scope for financial improvement, many of these benefits are inexpensive and only involve greater empathy within the company.