The Future of HR: 3 Trends to Watch in 2017

To build a successful year, we know that HR leaders are always asking about the next frontier for our industry. We agree, and we’re excited to see how Human Performance integrates seamlessly into companies’ culture and empowers employees to be successful.

Early January, Forbes’s expert Jeanne Meister discussed her top 10 ways that the employee experience was going to be transformed by HR departments. Her insights were spot on, but there are three that truly stood out for us as key indicators of HR success in 2017.

Develop A Compelling Employee Experience

Millennials are no longer outliers in the workforce, as indicated by a recent Pew Research Center study showing that they’ve edged out Gen X as the largest section of today’s employees. Even though this is a recent shift, the biggest challenge for HR departments remains constant: How do you create an employee experience that bridges multiple generations and a diverse workforce?

A few of our clients have done this very well, and we’ll showcase their stories over the next few months. More companies are hiring for roles specifically designed to examine and improve the employee experience, and those roles have the opportunity to shape the future of brand and culture within a company. If 83% of HR leaders surveyed by The Future Workplace and Beyond.com for their study say that employee experience is an important part of their company’s achievements, then we’ll likely see some shifts in this area over the coming year.

Look at your HR Initiatives Through a Consumer Marketing Lens.

Your programs and recruitment efforts are only as good as your ability to market them to your #1 client: employees. What new ways can you use your current resources, intranet and employee communications to share the exciting new initiatives you’re bringing to life in your organization. To help, ADURO will launch a new webinar series to help increase participation in your Human Performance program later this month. Read our latest blog post for more information.

Employee Wellness Investment is Key

This point is obviously one that we love to see, but more because of the emphasis in expanding employee well-being programs beyond a health and financial program. Employers see success in their well-being programs when they see their employee as a whole person, especially in four key areas: health and fitness, money and prosperity, growth and development, and contribution and sustainability. We call this Human Performance, and we believe that in order for an employee and organizations to be successful, all four of those interconnected areas can be addressed in a company-wide program.

One more hint: data collection and tech innovations are incredibly important to help these programs further enhance an employee’s ability to reach their goals. In the Forbes article, Virgin Pulse CEO Chris Boyce referred to the “Internet of Things” and how artificial intelligence (AI) is being infused in well-being programs. Stay tuned for how this plays out for employees and employers alike.

These are only a few of many other important HR topics to watch in 2017, including recruitment and performance management. What new industry trends are you following closely in your company? Share with us!