How should human resources leaders be preparing today for tomorrow’s more digital workplace? First, by looking at yesterday, at the astonishing pace of transformation and development and the global HR challenges created by two years of pandemic disruption.

A challenging time for HR

Businesses have had to navigate accelerating technological capabilities and disruption to legacy business models, powerful social shifts and a pandemic. The Financial Times ran panicky headlines about “coping with the chaos that is hybrid working”.

The HR function had to step up, to become a moral compass as companies rode wave after wave of workplace change, the acceleration of digital, and significant social upheaval. Deloitte’s 2021 human capital trends report found that 75 percent of HR professionals expected a significant expansion of HR’s accountability.

And then there was a monumental shift in power at work. Employees began walking en masse. Burnout joined our common lexicon. The BBC ran panicky headlines about the great resignation and “how employers drove workers to quit”.

The future of work is hybrid

Carmela Crawford is an executive leadership coach and Senior Director at ADP’s Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness. At a recent GDS virtual event, she told us that ‘what mattered two years ago, everybody coming in the office, sitting down on time, collaborating in person. That is very different now. What matters now is being able to collaborate in a more hybrid, virtual manner.’

This is not just theoretical. 71 percent of UK professionals would consider leaving an organization if they didn’t provide their preferred flexible working options says research from global recruitment firm Morgan McKinley.

‘The future of work is hybrid,’ says productivity expert, Martin Geiger. ‘No longer is working solely relegated to the company office; the modern workspace now involves employees splitting a portion of their time working from within the corporate office, and a portion working from the home office.’

Getting the digital workplace right

All of which means the new “office” is very different. People expect a digital workplace. So… How do HR leaders make the most of new technologies to deliver a great employee experience?

Martin Geiger: ‘Throughout my career working with some of the world’s biggest companies, one thing I’ve come to notice is that the most productive people all seem to have one commonality: satisfaction. To successfully transition to this exciting hybrid working future, employers

must implement practical strategies that allow their employees to be satisfied with the setup within the corporate office, as well as within their home working environment.

‘Employees who are well equipped and thus satisfied with their working conditions in both locations will lead to outcomes of higher productivity.’

Investing in HR technology? Ask yourself this…

But before you invest in new technologies, some strategic conversations are needed. And – today – you might want to start with data.

With so many critical decisions around workplace transformation, re-skilling and digital transformation being reliant on quality intelligence, harnessing data is a top priority. According to a “future of HR” survey by KPMG, 56 percent of organizations identified enhancing analytics capabilities as among the top three reasons for any investment in HR technology.

If you’re making a case for investment in people data analytics tools, the key questions are: how do we ensure people data solves real business challenges? What skillsets are required from HR leaders when creating a data-driven approach? How does one proactively address issues around ethics, security, and good governance?

It’s a conversation we look forward to having at our next HR Digital Summit.

GDS Summits are tailored 3-day virtual event conferences that bring together business leaders and solution providers to accelerate sales cycles, industry conversations and outcomes. Regarding the HR Digital Summit, 88% of delegates said the overall experience of the digital summit they attended was either above average or excellent and 100% of delegates said the digital summit provided them with actionable outcomes to support their current initiatives.

For more, click here to hear from attendees on how GDS has helped them to achieve their business outcomes.

Continue the debate at GDS’ HR Summits where we bring together senior human resources executives who are actively seeking to share, learn, engage, and find the best solutions.

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