How the four-day week, AI, and adult retraining are set to transform the workplace over the next decade
The world of business is constantly changing and HR is a prime example. At one time, we were known as the ‘personnel department’, which more recently became HR. Now we’ve entered a new decade, we’re gearing up to become the ‘talent function’.
Over the last 10 years, our roles have shifted considerably in line with changes in the workplace. It’s essential for us to have the flexibility to adapt and an everchanging mind-set to cope with ongoing transformation.
Focus on your internal brand
No longer are we number crunchers in a working environment where information is primarily shared on paper. We’ve adopted new digital technologies, generating a leaner HR function and we are bringing a great deal more value to our businesses. This is especially relevant and important for the franchise sector. Put simply, HR provides support for contracts, employee relations issues and terminations of contract. These functions all play an essential part in the franchise industry.
Our clients want to rest assured, knowing that their business is safe. However, everything’s changing. For example, employees are no longer on the lookout for just a job, they want a career. What’s more, they want to be inspired and empowered. Without doubt, we can all think of a situation where we’ve received poor customer service. But that’s usually not because someone hasn’t received the right training, or wasn’t given a clear job description to perform their role. The real reason you received poor customer service is usually because the person’s heart wasn’t in it. That’s what happens when someone considers their role as “just a job”.
These days, organizational wellbeing and empowering individual employees so they can provide constructive feedback is critical to the overall productivity and success of a business. Leading from the top is a concept that no longer resonates. In HR thought leadership, there’s often mention of a culture of compassion or emotional intelligence that allows employees to thrive and contribute. We no longer operate in strict hierarchies but look at our businesses as truly living organisms, allowing creativity and innovation to thrive.
“We no longer operate in strict hierarchies but look at our businesses as truly living organisms, allowing creativity and innovation to thrive”
So, if you’re still considering your HR function to be all about paperwork, it’s time to take your thinking to the next level. Industry leaders have been using advances in technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA) and chatbots for a while now. Even the automated voices we hear when we phone our banks are being taught and programmed to become more intelligent. McDonald’s is interviewing candidates using the same technology used by Amazon’s Alexa, while recruitment organizations are automating their first line processes with pre-recorded video interviews. The important thing is, we can’t stop progress.
Adapting to new technologies and the human touch
Franchises are on the verge of embracing advanced AI technologies to support their businesses in areas such as brand adherence, training and employee wellbeing. There’s certainly scope for franchisors to use this technology to enable natural efficiencies to take place, remain competitive and maintain strong ethics and brands.
But what about the people? As we replace first-line customer services with chatbots, for example, what do we do with our humans? And this is exactly where the HR function comes in. There are significant opportunities for HR teams to bring more humanity into our businesses. It’s all about accelerating productivity, efficiency and general wellbeing from within. So, we must step up to focus on the human side of human resources in the workplace. For instance, we need to understand that the idea of a five-day working week in the office is a thing of the past. The same applies to the concept of work-life balance. By giving employees the ability to work and live as they please, and including them more actively in the running of the organization, we can add value to our businesses.
At the same time, a business that cannot evolve will be swallowed up by the next competitor. HR not only focuses on general human wellbeing, but it can also contribute to the organizational development front, breaking down silos, holding those critical conversations that will transform your business.
The HR function also advocates ethical practices within an organization’s culture. The #MeToo and WikiLeaks phenomenon of this last decade highlight the fact that it’s essential for everyone to have a voice. This will require a major shift in mind-set for many organizations, and it’s not without its challenges. For instance, how do you manage the free-flow of information within your business?
Empowering individuals within the organization
How do you recognize and empower everyone? You may think that annual bonuses and merit reviews are the way to proceed. But this isn’t strictly true. In my 22 years of service in the international HR function, and as the owner of my own consultancy serving many clients, I’ve realized that delivering salary increases never has a 100 per cent positive impact. You’ll always have the disgruntled employee who was expecting more, which in turn creates noise and even more disappointment.
I don’t dismiss the idea of merit reviews, or market reviews, as they do add value. However, people want more. They want to believe that the work they do actively contributes to the organization and has purpose. People need to know that their work is worth something, regardless of where they stand in the organization. From supermarket sales assistants to vice presidents, no-one wants to be ignored. The good news is that training, retraining and other exercises designed to make people more skilled, also make people feel more valued by the company investing in them.
At the end of the day, HR’s mission is to make people feel more valued by any means necessary. As Richard Branson said: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to”.
THE AUTHOR
Julie Provino is an international HR leader, founder of VeryHR and the author of How to Get What You Want in 7 Weeks.
