What are the Challenges Facing the HR Professional in the Future?

For the Human Resources professional challenges include evaluating health plans given the changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and premium reimbursement.  Establishing productivity metrics and measurements to ensure that employees are meeting job expectations and finally, attracting talent in an environment where finding the most qualified candidates with the right skill set is becoming more difficult.  How each business deals with its specific human resources issues depends on how effective the HR team is.  No matter what approach a business takes, addressing these issues is an ongoing process.

Benefits

Virtually all companies offer some benefits to employees, either to appear competitive or to comply with local, state or federal regulations.  Human Resources will need to verify how their company is impacted by the changes to the laws surrounding the ACA and how they need to respond legally.  Measurement is also critical and as some low-income employees may be better-off by going through the state or federal exchanges to obtain credits and subsidies.  HR departments collaborating with their brokers or benefit specialists will need to create benefit policies and packages that are compliant with the law as well as offer programs that meet the needs of a diverse workforce.

Productivity

A primary goal of the HR department is to consult with the leaders of the organization and department managers to organize the workflow so that managers and their subordinates can be as productive as possible. Using typical metrics such as cost per FTE, revenue per FTE and examining overtime as a percentage of labor cost allows HR professionals to think critically.  Examining the number of people per shift, team assignments and the decision to bring on additional staff is a very important role for HR to play.  This role can be very challenging as it encourages the HR department to think strategically and plan for the future.

Talent Management

Talent management will be even more challenging as the old methods of  attending job fairs, listing positions on career management websites, college recruiting is not the only way to generate interest.  New methods of attracting the right candidates include having a presence on social media sites, matching managers with similar outside interests with potential candidates to create a bond between the company and new hires.  Furthermore, candidates want to see a balance between employment and life experiences.  Companies will need to respond to these new ways of attracting talent and retaining key members of the team.

An important goal for Human Resources is to ensure that the organization is compliant with all matters relating to labor law, improving productivity and actively supporting the strategic plan through effective talent management.  HR can accomplish this by supporting management to ensure that they are meeting the needs of their subordinates and leading their teams.  Managers need to be coaches, hold people accountable and communicate the goals of the organization.