HR Must Change

Employees in the HR department are now seen as strategic partners instead of clerical workers who do nothing more than fill out paperwork and maintain employee files. HR professionals are also tasked with helping their organizations meet quarterly and annual goals. If you want to have a positive impact on your organization, your HR department must be prepared to make big changes in the next few years.

Businesses are always evolving, especially the ones in high-tech industries. If you don't have any HR employees with change-management experience, consider hiring someone to help your employees cope with planned and unexpected changes. Employees often have a hard time adjusting to change, even if the change ultimately produces positive results. A change-management expert develops goals and strategies to help employees adjust to change in a positive, productive manner. As the HR industry evolves, HR directors need to develop effective change-management skills.

The HR department now relies on HR analytics more than ever. Robust software programs and mobile apps are available to help your HR department gather data that can improve the hiring process, increase employee satisfaction and reduce turnover. Some companies use talent analytics to find the most qualified employees to fill open positions. Talent analytics programs use data gathered from a variety of sources to determine if a potential employee has a good chance of succeeding in a particular position or organization.

Mobile apps are becoming more popular with HR department employees tasked with monitoring employee activity and conducting performance reviews. The data gathered by these apps helps HR employees determine if employees are maintaining a high level of productivity. Data-gathering apps also collect information about employee work habits. This data is very valuable for managers and HR representatives tasked with overhauling company policies or work processes. If your HR department doesn't currently use HR analytics, you need to make major changes before you start collecting data and using it to make decisions.

There is some controversy about whether the HR department is responsible for leading change initiatives. Some HR experts believe managers should be leading these initiatives, while others believe the HR department should play a central role. Tom Haak of the HR Trend Institute believes it's not necessary to focus on who is leading the changes. Instead, he thinks the HR department should focus on making their companies great places to work.

The HR industry is always changing, so you must be prepared to change the way you handle employee concerns and help your company meet strategic goals. Get better results by using HR analytics to guide decisions, hiring change-management professionals and focusing on making your organization a great place to work. This is the best way to build a successful HR department.

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