Anupam Jauhari
Human Resource plays a strategic role in the growth map of any organisation. As more and more companies strive towards formulating policies that are employee as well as growth friendly they also attempt to achieve the right mix of fun and work at work which is essential for attracting, retaining quality employees, and achieving business goals.

Activities, policies and initiatives carried out by the HR team of any company supplement the company’s effort to balance employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and profitability, along-with succession management, knowledge retention, and skill development to attract the right talent. Nowadays many companies are also fostering entrepreneurial culture in thier organisation as a show of trust to thier employees. In 2017 HR strategies need to be more futuristic, engaging and employee oriented to manage and retain talent in a global environment.

Some of the top workplace trends that will be reflective of the changing dynamics in this industry are:

Employee engagement
It is common knowledge that an employee directly interacts with his manager, which also lays the foundation for his perception about the work culture. Companies realize that “employee experience” is an important factor to provide effective talent retention and control attrition. Thus 2017 will see companies investing in training and developing managers into becoming effective leaders in the organization.

Technology will play an important role in streamlining HR applications, skills and third party connects under one common platform to ensure that employees get the maximum benefit of the facilities provided by the company.

Appraisals
Through 2017 HR will move away from traditional annual appraisal methods and adopt real times and quicker feedback formats. As companies realise the importance of social media platforms becoming centres of conversations and idea exchange they are adopting or creating tools that would enable goal setting, 360 degree continuous feedback cycles in real time.

Working without borders
Flexible workforce will increase in demand and there will also be an increase in freelance workers hired by the company for select work profiles. Thus, companies cut on costs and get the best of talent when the need arises. Thus remote management of employees’ and remote offices will increase globally.

Data and technology
Digital is in and data analytics will play a major role in analysing employee performance and assessing employee behaviour and responses. With artificial intelligence and augmented reality becoming hot trends in 2017 very soon we will see its implementation in form of effective HR tools that will structure around recruiting and HR processes. Virtual reality hardware and people analytics will increase engagement; get the job seekers attention and influence newcomers as well as potential employees during hiring or training process.

Focus on wellness
Companies are focusing on continuous wellness engagement in order to create a relaxed healthier work environment, reduce stress and increase productivity.

The role of HR is constantly evolving due to the new global challenges faced that are beyond the day-to-day operational HR issues as a robust HR team acts as a balance between the company and employee and reiterating the work culture among employees. Increasingly, HR is in the middle of things with a lot of workplace dynamics, technological advancements, and business and policy changes influencing the way it will shape up in the years to come.

The writer is Mr. Anupam Jauhari, Vice President HR.
This article originally appeared on The Tribune and The Pinoeer.