2020 has been a year like no other. The global pandemic has affected the entire economy and caused many to lose their jobs. However, not all hope has been lost. In times of a catastrophe, humans are forced to come up with innovative ideas to get through this time, which is why we are experiencing a shift in the workplace dynamics. It is evident that organisations are open to going digital and this change may actually sustain in the long run.

Here are some HR trends to look out for in 2021 to gear up for the new year:

1. Workforce analytics tools will enable optimization of workforce costs:

Organisations will follow an inconsistent, unpredictable and erratic recovery path as Covid-19 continues to torment the global economy well into 2021. Employee costs will also be another problem with many industry still trying to adjust to the aftermath of the pandemic.

We believe that organisations will need to ensure their organisation structures are re-aligned to the new business realities in the post-Covid-19 world. A few ways to do are incorporating more digital tools to reinforce the business and take advantage of the growing gig economy to ‘flexibilize’ the workforce costs to the extent possible.

2. Digital tools will help balance employee productivity and wellness:

The work-from-home (WFH) movement has created insecurity among employees owing to the limited visibility and immense pressure to perform their best. Employers are worried about measuring workforce productivity.

New emerging technologies are now allowing employers to ‘real-time’ track business outcomes and KPIs, and advanced analytics are available to track the progress of employee trainings, overall enabling them to relook at their employee productivity metrics and define the new norms of performance.

Saying this, companies also need to harness these technology to customise the physical, mental and financial wellbeing support that employees look forward to.

3. Next-gen digital and virtual collaboration, communication and engagement tools will redefine human interaction:

Most organisations have managed the immediate shift to MS Teams, Zoom, Slack, and other collaboration platforms. They have experienced that it is possible to actually work from home without compromising too much on productivity and efficiency.

The next challenge will be to build a digital culture and keep innovating on the collaboration experience, leverage cloud-based collaboration and engagement platforms (like Workplace by Facebook) and implement technologies which can mirror human-to-human physical interactions, which was the cornerstone of our work experience.

Work re-imagined in the post-Covid world poses an unprecedented challenge but also a fantastic opportunity for HR leaders. HR leaders can take this time to showcase their capability and develop new ideas and strategies to help organisations get through this crucial time as smoothly as possible.

Clearly, organisations are moving into the digital sphere and will be likely to continue this in the long run, knowing that it is a sustainable shift. The next challenge for HR leaders is coming up with key strategies in this new digital era to improve on the efficiency and productivity of employees.

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