Human resources has come a long way, from paper pushing to constructing policy, procedure that are not only organisation specific but person specific.

This then begs the question, what are our HR expectations for 2019? I asked a people to participate in a survey regarding the same and the results where quite interesting.  In order of most to least likely, here’s what the HR sphere holds for us in 2019.

1. No more one size fits all HR experiences, personalized HR experiences will be created for employees – People are  living in the age of choice, flexibility, and control. From on-demand streaming on Netflix to 10 different brands of jam in the super market. Their personal preferences, interests, and needs are being taken into consideration at every single moment. Thus, it is no surprise that these expectations will be brought into the workplace and HR professionals will need to adapt. Keeping employees tuned-in, engaged and satisfied will no longer be an organisation wide endevour but rather a person-by-person discussion.
2. The Zambian Labor Law Landscape will Change –  2018 saw a change in the minimum wage, paternal leave, lunch & transport allowances among other things. The expectation is 2019 will bring more changes, the only question is what?
3. Culture will eat strategy for lunch – Even in countries such as Zambia where unemployment rates are high and job advertisements requiring 1 individual solicit thousands of applicants, talent is still difficult to source. Companies are learning that culture is everything. As it gets harder than ever to attract and hire top talent companies are realizing that culture is everything in not only attracting but retaining top talent. Furthermore, the strong headwinds of technology and globalization are forcing organisations to change their strategies constantly due to the fast changing pace of the world and businesses being able to duplicate everything else. The only true differentiator to persevere is culture.
4. Human capital management platform technologies will help support strategic initiatives –  Technology has changed the way we work, and if the manual addition of data is still an integral part of your HR function, 2019 might the year to automate some of your tasks with online software. If your HR department is paper pushing, whose setting your culture or ensuring that your employees receive personalized HR experience?  How digital your workplace can become will depend on the type of work an organization does, its size and of course, its culture.
5. Remote Work Models will be adopted –  Organisations of all sizes are looking for ways to better meet their employees need for work life integration so as to better engage and retain them. Remote working models will allow employees to plan their work around their lives as opposed to the reverse.
6. Talent will be found through networking – With the war on talent urging on, recruiters are looking for better ways to interact with individuals on the job market. Their a lot of passive candidates who may be working at the moment, but are still interested in knowing about new job opportunities, networking thus increases chances of finding a great candidate. This also works for individuals on the job market as some organisations shy away from posting opportunities on the open market, thus networking exposes them to previously unknown opportunities.
7. Employee development will be provided as a service for personal as opposed to organisational development – HR is getting pulled into the arena of developing skills beyond the job. New hires (Generation Y & Z) are not coming equipped with the ability to run a meeting, manage their finances, have interpersonal discussions, deal with conflict or quickly adapt to changing environments. Thus, organisational learning and development will need to take on more ‘adulting’ themes.
8. Using Social Media for recruitment– Your next big hire might be on your timeline.  Following numerous social media channels, forums, and blogs will expose recruiters to a whole new talent pool. This of course is a double edged sword of as individuals on the job market may then start to construct their social media profiles with this in mind thus eliminating the authenticity and novelty of this method of recruitment.
9. More innovative Candidates Pre-Screening – Traditional recruitment methods have proven to be some what ineffectual. For example, a 2016 study found that there was an insignificant correlation between interviews and future job success. In 2019, we can expect that more interactive methods such as video profiles, specific job assignments, and case studies will be utilized.
10. Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) will continue to be leveraged by organizations of all sizes – Organisations of all sizes are looking for better and more effective ways to find that perfect recruit, RPO is the fastest growing HR service line and will continue to grow in 2019. Organisations have found that RPOs tend to have expertise for candidate attraction, cost savings, scalability, and access to tools and technology, that significantly improve the quality of a hire.

Maybe all these predictions won’t come to pass, but what can’t be denied is the evolution of the field of HR. How are you going to be a part of it?