Human resources (HR) departments are given more responsibility each year, often with limited resources and budgets that don't always align with the desired organizational goals. As a result, HR teams must constantly innovate and stay on top of HR strategies to remain competitive in today’s labor market.
The last two years have accelerated changes in how we work, and organizations of all sizes must adjust their workforce and workplace strategies to engage employees. It can be daunting to know what needs to be implemented, when, or what problems need solving and how. To help your organization navigate the changing HR landscape, we've outlined the five key HR strategies to implement.
5 Effective HR Strategies Your Organization Must Implement
1. A Hybrid Workplace Sustainability Model
At this point, the hybrid workplace is here to stay for many employers, and an HR strategy that will continue to evolve over the years. According to a Gartner survey, 90% of HR leaders expect that at least some employees will work remotely after the pandemic.
As such, many employers are shifting their perspective of hybrid work from a novelty to the new standard in their HR strategies. This means adapting and tailoring policies and procedures to support hybrid work and equally accommodating all employees.
For example, employee communications could be available on a digital destination that everyone can access, or video meetings could become the new standard regardless of location.
New HR strategies focused on companies’ agility and adaptability to remote and hybrid workplaces. Now, organizations are shifting their focus toward creating a sustainable work model that meets the HR needs of both their business and employees.
It is also important to note that companies with functional areas that are simply not able to participate in a remote/hybrid work environment should strategize other appropriate ways to promote workplace flexibility (e.g., scheduling, time off, etc.).
2. Increased Focus on Attraction, Talent Acquisition, and Employee Retention
Employee attraction and retention have become major obstacles for most employers and will likely continue. In fact, 67% of employers today consider attraction and retention somewhat of a challenge, according to Zywave’s 2021 Human Resources Benchmarking Overview.
And that isn’t going to simply disappear. Your HR strategies need to take the fact of attracting and retaining talent into consideration.
Employers face several unique employment challenges in the current employment market that could impact current HR strategies, including the following:
- Workers fear contracting a severe case of COVID-19 on the job.
- Workers have built up comfortable savings to hold out for a desirable job.
- Workers reprioritized their job desires, such as scheduling flexibility, telework options, access to employee benefits, greater compensation, and job fulfillment.
- Workers face continued caregiving duties, which require them to remain at home.
Industry research predicts that as the pandemic progresses, many employees will voluntarily leave their jobs for better compensation, benefits, and workplace environment factors such as work-life balance and remote or hybrid arrangements.
The Zywave survey revealed that employers plan to meet these employee needs and hold on to talent as the pandemic evolves. Employers are exploring the following HR strategies:
- 62%—Evaluating compensation
- 45%—Offering greater workplace flexibility
- 40%—Offering more upskilling and development opportunities
- 38%—Expanding benefits offerings
Additionally, cross-training in other areas, exposure to special projects, etc., can allow employees to expand their skill sets/expertise. Often, these types of development opportunities can be just as meaningful and important to retention and employee engagement as a “vertical” promotion.
Many employers have leveraged these HR initiatives to meet employees' current needs. If organizations haven’t already started exploring strategies to do so, they will likely have to play catch-up quickly.
3. Increased Investment in Human Resource Technology
Many employers are leveraging HR technology to automate their processes and create efficiencies. Technology doesn’t remove the human aspect from HR but rather enhances it and should be an integral part of all HR strategies.
When HR departments use technology to create efficiencies, they can shift their focus from administrative tasks to the actual employees. Here are some of the latest trending HR technologies:
- Cloud-based workplace management
- Employee benefits administration
- Employee self-service portals
- HR automation
- Learning and development
- Onboarding and offboarding
- Virtual recruitment
Employers could benefit from using HR technology to make the recruiting and hiring processes more efficient, especially in today's competitive market for top talent. With automation software and artificial intelligence, recruiters can source, screen, and schedule candidates.
Additionally, chatbots are a popular tool to help employers better qualify candidates before any human interaction, and that trend will likely continue this year. If HR technology is not part of your overall HR strategies, it should be considered.
4. A Human Resource Strategy to Prioritize Growing Demand for New Skill Sets
Just as workplaces change, workers’ skills do too. According to Gartner data, the number of skills required for a single job increases by 10% per year, and new skills replace old ones.
Organizations are embracing a dynamic approach to reskilling talent to shift vital employee skills and help develop skills as they become relevant. As an example of how the market has shifted, 1 in 3 skills in an average 2017 job posting in IT, finance or sales are already outdated.
The necessary skill sets will vary by organization and industry, but some HR professionals are pursuing and supporting the following general proficiencies for potential and current employees:
- Communication—Employee communication skills are critical for emails and virtual meetings, especially in a remote or hybrid workplace. The goal remains to be effective and efficient; top talent can communicate clearly and concisely with all stakeholders.
- Digital capabilities—In terms of communication, an employee should be open to digital communication platforms at work and know when to use specific platforms.
- Emotional intelligence (EI)—Employees with higher EI typically navigate the workplace more effectively and are more resilient. Components of EI include empathy, motivation, self-awareness, self-regulation, and social skills.
These skills were important before the pandemic for HR strategies, but may not have been prioritized by many HR managers. Organizations can seek out and hire candidates who demonstrate these skills.
Still, they can also push current employees to convey or demonstrate these skill sets to leverage more work opportunities within the company. Organizations can also provide training or upskilling to develop some of the intangibles in their workforce, like emotional intelligence, as their broader strategic HR plan.
Successful employers can shift their focus from roles to skills that make the organization competitive and innovative as the new year begins.
5. Continued Focus on Employee Well-being and Health
Regardless of worksite location(s), employee health and safety will remain a top concern and priority for both employers and employees. To ensure employees feel safe in the workplace, employers can accommodate requests for remote work and offer on-site alternatives.
Since the pandemic began, employers may have been more reactive, but can and should shift to being proactive about employee well-being and support.
From a holistic perspective, employee mental well-being will also remain a priority for organizations. It’s been nearly two years since the pandemic began, and many employees still struggle to find a healthy work-life balance.
Caregiving, nurturing mental health, and adjusting to remote work will likely remain top issues for employers to address. Employers that embed well-being across all essential HR practices will likely best defend and support health and wellness for employees.
Summary
Employers can get ahead of the game by focusing on these HR strategies, which will make a big impact on the workplace, improve employee satisfaction, and resonate with the current workforce. Many HR functions were quickly reimagined in 2021, but there are ways to elevate those HR strategies to be sustainable in 2025 and beyond.
If your organization is ready to implement these impactful HR strategies but needs expert support to do so efficiently, Melita Group is here to help. Our human resources outsourcing services are designed to meet the needs of growing businesses that want to stay ahead in today’s evolving workplace. Whether you want to improve retention, simplify compliance, or offer more competitive employee benefit solutions, we provide scalable support backed by over 30 years of industry experience.
As a trusted outsourced HR provider, we empower your team with the tools, HR technology, and guidance to focus less on HR admin and more on what truly drives your business forward. Connect with us today and discover how we can become a strategic partner in your HR success.
