Kiko Campos is the HR Senior Director for Carrefour Brasil.
getty
The human resources department is being profoundly transformed, and the post-pandemic period has brought about several challenging problems that HR should solve outside its essential functions. Emerging areas of focus, such as mental health, employee well-being and the integration of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), are redefining what to expect as a leader in the field.
1. Employee Mental Health And Well-Being
Mental health has become a critical issue. The projected impact of the pandemic on professionals' well-being—encompassing mental, physical and financial health—has overwhelmed the HR function with an increased obligation to offer programs that support mental wellness. This also involves establishing a culture where employees are free to talk about their mental health issues and making relevant resources and support systems available.
A Harvard Business Review article gives an admonitory signal that the path forward isn't through emerging technologies or hybrid work models. What we need is a recommitment to core human needs: cultivating safe workplaces and communities, building healthy organizational cultures and taking a multidimensional approach to leadership.
As an HR leader, you should consider introducing wellness programs that take a well-rounded view of employee health. Such programs may involve activities such as flexible work time, financial planning aid and access to physical fitness training and nutritional guidance. This kind of support embraces employees for their unique qualities, which helps them grow into their roles and feel a sense of pride and belonging. Nurturing a culture where employees experience appreciation and care translates into their increased commitment and involvement, thus helping to ensure your organization's success.
2. Artificial Intelligence
With the emergence of artificial intelligence, we've had to manage the process of employees working side by side with AI-powered technology so these tools serve as support for humans, not replacements. This includes awareness of the opportunities provided by AI, as well as training employees to cooperate with these machines efficiently.
AI integration in the field of HR is transforming the teaming environment. AI-powered tools can reduce the complexity of HR processes, allowing them to be carried out faster, improving data analysis and optimizing decision-making. Moreover, they can help automate repetitive tasks for efficiency and accuracy. Nevertheless, the threats of implementation include a possible loss of jobs as well as employees struggling to train or re-train so they can work alongside these tools.
The best strategies for integration address the integrative nature of humans with their abilities and AI prowess to build up an ecosystem that involves the tools as complementary aspects of work. For instance, using AI in the hiring process helps find high-quality candidates and, ultimately, decreases turnover rates. Thus, it's possible to find AI's role in HR practices when smartly adopted.
3. Adaptive Leadership
One of our top priorities should be developing resilient and adaptive leader-managers. In this dynamic environment, it's been hard for firms to get people with the right abilities and competencies. As HR leaders, we should concentrate on hiring individuals with relevant hard skills and critical soft attributes, such as dynamism, conflict resolution skills and communication skills. The next phase of rapid knowledge and change will be the ability to learn rapidly.
Currently trending leadership models give prominence to adaptability. For example, they focus on embodying changes in the digitization process and remote/hybrid work, which have considerable importance in the workplace and the rise of diversity and inclusion. This requires leaders who are capable of dealing with diverse and distant workers, using cutting-edge technology and fostering an inclusive culture.
Finally, leaders in today's complex world must be continuous self-learners who always welcome new information and can adapt to change. Such change makes it evident that leaders with adaptive management and communication skills can help organizations overcome complexity and uncertainty.
4. Social Imperatives
Finally, another critical priority is diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and HR professionals must initiate the process of the workplace becoming more inclusive. DEI efforts in the modern workplace are crucial because companies that operate with a diverse workforce often see an increase in overall performance.
Integrating DEI with a sustainability framework provides an opportunity to ascertain that managing human capital is an integral aspect of risks and opportunities. Implementing initiatives that are well thought out, competitive and consistent with your organization's overall purpose is essential. Here are several successful strategies you could try.
1. Nuanced Understanding Of Root Causes: Any effort to implement DEI initiatives requires recognizing the existing barriers that diverse employees face and then working to minimize them. For example, Walmart's education and upskilling program is part of the company's DEI commitment to advance Black and Hispanic/Latino employees, who are often overlooked.
2. Meaningful Definition Of Success: Schneider Electric's global pay equity policy shows the value of having stated goals and ways of measuring progress. By setting consistent and measurable targets, it's much easier to meet DEI goals successfully.
3. Solutions Designed For Context: Interventions should help address the structural problems within society—such as physiological, social and legal constraints—that impact your unique workforce. Any DEI solutions you build must be tailored for your specific organizational and cultural contexts.
As we go through 2024, our overall mission as HR leaders is becoming strategic and multiform. In such a dynamic business environment, we must be agile and stay ahead of challenges to ensure success for our department and our organizations as a whole.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
