The Human Resources area, being a crucial part of all company’s processes, also brings some workplace trends to the table. After all, as a wise man once said, take care of your employees, and they will take care of your business. Let’s find out how best to apply this rule in the upcoming year. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to discover the trends that will shape the work in 2024.
AI evolution in employee management
Given the emergence of AI solutions in every business and an ongoing debate regarding its safety and legality, the AI era will still be in full swing in 2024. It will very much affect HR trends for 2024.
To start with, let us touch on compliance and ethics, which are vital for the majority of enterprises. How will data be used with generative AI? Who should be allowed to use the AI? How to comply with regulations? All the above and more will have to be addressed.
And these will not be treated lightly. After all, data security and privacy are areas that are still very neglected, and all cybersecurity specialists have already been raising the alarm long before the emergence of generative AI technologies. How will employee data be used in training AI models? How will it be regulated? There are many questions and still so little answers.
Another more optimistic topic is automation, with which generative AI can significantly help. It can bring a lot of simplification to plenty of manual tasks across HR team processes. It will aid in sustained business growth through the increase in efficiency and quality of work, not to mention a reduction in onboarding time. AI creates an advantage in the form of a more skilled peer. From one perspective, it can provide an element of rivalry, where employees look up to the new, high standard, and want to outsmart the still-new technology. Another approach sees AI as a help to workers with a lower performance who can treat it as a helping hand not only with the workload but also with making important decisions. It will also be a teaching curve, which can lead to an overall boost in performance even when the AI is not in use.
Research says that more than half of HR leaders have already explored the possibilities of potential AI use or implemented AI solutions within their enterprises. Balancing between human work and generative AI will become one of the issues of greater attention. After all, one of the biggest advantages apart from a boost in performance is cost savings thanks to automation brought by AI.
Human-centric employee management trends
As the pandemic is now long gone and 2023 can be called a transition year, trends that will shape the work in 2024 include in-person employee connection. More and more organizations encourage their workers to return to the office. They prioritize a fundamental belief that to thrive and be professional and productive, people must come together and return to regular in-person contact.
Return to office has already proven successful in many enterprises which took that step in 2023. They report improved revenue, productivity, and retention. However, for many employees, remote work has become an easier, more convenient, time-saving, and resource-saving solution. Many also made permanent arrangements such as special home offices, or moved to a different part of the city or country. Even those not keen on the remote work policy finally simply got used to it.
Returning to the office brings a lot of inconvenience. Therefore, return-to-office policy needs a unique human-centric approach. It means that employers need to make a special effort to motivate their workers to come back. That is what HR workplace trends for 2024 will be all about. The focus will be placed on clear communication, empathy, safety, creativity, and, most of all, collaboration. All to make the office feel like the place employees want to return to.
Redefining of DE&I
Diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion have long been considered ineffective or divisive. Many employees still feel as if they do not belong with their peers. Furthermore, in the face of many racial-based violence incidents all over the globe in past years, reinvention of DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) is bound to be one of the trends that will shape the work in 2024. And employees are expecting employers to put their money where their mouth is.
So far, there have been many cases of even the most powerful companies not adhering to the advocacy of certain cases. For example, some claimed to support women, but in reality, it did not reflect on the payroll, showing great inequality in salaries.
It is believed that employee management trends for 2024 will include taking a clearer stand on the DEIB issues. Furthermore, the empty words will not be sufficient anymore as more and more employees search for accountability in the name of the saying ‘actions speak louder than words’. Broadly described diplomacy in the form of evasion of the topic or taking a stand on issues regarding DEIB will no longer be a safe position for enterprises.
Employee management trends for 2024 predict that such avoidance will lead to difficulties not only in attracting but also in retaining talents.
Adaptation instead of fight – climate change attitude shift as one of HR trends for 2024
Another ‘hot’ (however unsuitable this wording may be) subject of recent years is climate change. What will make 2024 different in this matter? Climate change is not only a warning now, but the visible effects have recently started to show, making 2023 quite an eventful year when it comes to record temperatures in many parts of the world. Much as high temperatures for some might seem like a blessing in the time of cost of living (and heating) crisis, widely occurring climatic catastrophes are not so much.
While enterprises must quickly start to adapt to the visible effect of climate change and changes to legislation related to sustainability, HR’s role is becoming more and more important. The time of mitigating climate change is long gone. Now, it is the time to adapt to it. HR will not only ensure the workforce is informed but, most importantly, prepared for environmental disruptions and more extreme climatic conditions.
They will actively participate in such activities as launching programs supporting preserving water, and soil fertility, and developing new, resilient types of plants. In conclusion, HR trends for 2024 will include not only spreading awareness but also taking real actions to help employees and businesses deal with the damage already done.
End to a one-size-fits-all approach to work
Another aspect that became obvious during the pandemic is the fact that different people want different things from work. Some reacted with great sadness to the fact, they would not be able to socialize and cooperate face-to-face. Their performance was not as good as when they were in constant contact with coworkers. Others who enjoy a more individual approach to work welcomed the new reality with open arms. Both groups thrive in different environments, which companies can use to their benefit. The conclusion might bring one of the most positive trends that will shape the work in 2024 – work terms individualization.
Some like a four-day week as they like to travel over the weekend. Others prefer working from home because commuting takes too much time or resources. Some wish to start earlier or later as they have other arrangements in place. Whatever makes the employees happier may turn out to be the biggest boost of performance and positive attitude towards work.
Of course, not all requests can be met by an employer, but meeting in the middle is certainly better than setting standard rules all employees must follow. Especially, when there are employees who are willing to just do their nine-to-fives and those who are happy to work more efficiently in exchange for certain small improvements. Nowadays, all leaders know that employee management is not about making everyone equal but embracing everyone’s uniqueness and reaping the harvest of such an approach in the form of a productivity boost.
Hiring contractors as one of employee management trends that will shape the work in 2024
Outsourcing work has become a real hit throughout the past years. More than half of companies have already tried it or do it regularly. More than one-third use hiring platforms to find the right persons for the jobs, and nearly 50% plan to do so. Check these business statistics.
Why is hiring freelancers such a good solution when it comes to HR trends for 2024? Firstly, hiring subcontractors does not generate any additional expenses for the employer. It’s a great way to optimize company costs. No health insurance contributions are a significant save in the budget. Secondly, not all employees are specialists in a given field. They might be outstanding managers or assistants, but sometimes, hiring an expert, such as a copywriter, translator, or an IT specialist to complete a given task makes a huge difference to the project the company works on. Lastly, nowadays, there is nothing easier than hiring a contractor.
The main problem with such activities used to be finding the right person for the job. Businesses used to ask around or were bound to use the services of one individual, even if they were not as good as expected. All that was simply because there were no opportunities to find good contractors.
Now, such freelance platforms as Useme make the whole process not only easier but also cheaper. An employer can browse an extensive network of freelancers for experts and specialists in a given field. They can read the portfolios and choose whom they want to put their trust in. Furthermore, employers can also post job offers describing specific tasks and wait for the appropriate candidate to emerge.
On top of that, they can count on straightforward documentation and payment terms. Employers receive an invoice for the completed work accompanied by appropriate documents regarding the transfer of copyrights. Effortless, quick, and cost-effective – that is what hiring freelancers is, thanks to such hiring platforms as Useme.
Take away
Among many employee management trends that will shape the work in 2024, six main areas will probably dominate the following year. These are AI evolution, human-centric approach, redefining of DE&I, adaptation to climate change, individualization of working conditions, and hiring contractors. Organizations must continuously stay on top of ever-changing circumstances and the latest developments in HR and business. After all, the times when only employers chose their employees are long gone. Nowadays, there is vast competition on the market for both parties, so keeping up with HR trends for 2024 is imperative to meet in the middle and hire (and, most importantly, retain!) the best employee possible.
