During the industrial revolution, human resource managers were called employment managers. Their general role was to keep their workforce under control—by settling arguments, negotiating pay and hiring new personnel when others left. Lately, there has been a significant shift in the role of human resources. With the changing role of HR, HR managers have moved beyond just keeping their workforce under control. Today, they are facilitators of employee success, and they utilize technology and big data to get there.
The Changing Role of HR to Employee Advocates
Employee engagement has always been a hot topic and determining ways to improve engagement will continue to function as a role of HR. Especially since less than one-third of US workers felt engaged in their jobs in 20141.
But engagement can’t be the only focus. Employees who are engaged but not empowered are at risk of burnout, low-productivity and, eventually, leaving2. Just because an employee enjoys his or her job, does not mean they will be successful.
HR must focus on creating programs that help employees develop their sense of competency and impact. Ensuring employee empowerment, in hand with engagement, is one of the biggest ways that HR can directly impact the success of a company.
Technology Experts
In order to be successful in building an effective culture that promotes employee engagement and empowerment, HR professionals must put their focus back on the human aspect of human resources. However, this isn’t always easy with the paperwork and manual tasks required to recruit, onboard, manage and pay their employees.
That being said, there are technology options available that help automate these manual processes, and it’s important that HR professionals familiarize themselves with these human capital management solutions. The more proficient HR professionals are with these solutions, the more time they save for talent management.
Data Strategists
As HR technology continues to advance—more data will become available to HR. Like all aspects of a company, HR is results-driven. In the coming years, it is likely HR professionals will learn to incorporate big data into their processes—using solid evidence to help drive HR programs and procedures.
With the changing role of HR there will come more efficiency and expertise, as HR professionals learn to be much more than they’ve been in the past.
EPAY’s seamless human capital management software and professional services can help you stay on top of the changing roles of HR. Our flexible and affordable solution helps you drive workforce efficiencies, reduce wage and administrative costs and improve labor compliance.
Resources
- http://www.gallup.com/poll/181289/majority-employees-not-engaged-despite-gains-2014.aspx
- http://www.aon.com/attachments/human-capital-consulting/2015-Trends-in-Global-Employee-Engagement-Report.pdf
- http://www.hrtalentmanagement.com/2014/05/27/the-changing-role-of-human-resources/