From cutting back on company business cards to relying on management’s vision, find out which HR processes are fading fast
Two decades ago, many HR departments weren’t managing a significant percentage of remote employees; today, however, it’s much more common.
Seventy percent of businesses across the world, in fact, now employ external workers, according to a 2018 Clarizen survey.
Overseeing talent located outside of the office isn’t the only HR practice that’s changed in recent years.
Technology, employee needs and other factors have impacted various aspects of HR professionals’ jobs; and as a result, some HR processes may soon become a thing of the past — including:
Using current employees as the company’s main candidate referral source
While HR professionals still appreciate employee referrals — 82 percent of organizations say they provide the best candidate ROI, according to a CareerBuilder report — HR departments are today tapping into more widespread networks.
Employers may, for example, reach out to associates of current employees through social media and even rehire former employees they’ve kept in touch with through communication networks the company set up. Eighty-five percent of HR professionals say they’ve received applications from former workers, according to a Kronos Incorporated and WorkplaceTrends.com survey; 40 percent of companies hired about half of those applicants.
Leadership-driven decision-making
Years ago, HR departments — and the enterprise as a whole — may have relied on executives’ assessment and intuition when plotting the company’s future recruiting and talent management plans.
Technological advancements, though, have provided more targeted, informed ways to make decisions. Organizations that understand why data-driven decision-making is important are now using predictive analytics to help determine the best direction to take. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of respondents in PwC’s 2017 HR technology survey said using predictive analytics was a priority for 2018.
Giving out company business cards
Twenty-five percent of U.S. and U.K. small business owners said in a 2012 Moo survey that they gave out less company business cards than they did five years ago that year. More than a quarter — 27 percent — of small business owners in the U.S. and 32 percent in the U.K. collect cards digitally or scan paper cards to have an electronic version on file.
Some companies that do still print business cards for employees in recent years have placed an increased emphasis on moving away from the traditional HR practices involving mass-producing rectangular cards with standard text. Some create business cards for employees that are made with an unusual material, such as thick paper or wood, or feature a vertical or other unique format. Forty-two percent of employees in the U.K. are given some leeway to design or personalize their own company business card; 23 percent of workers in the U.S. are able to.
Sponsoring health and wellness initiatives that center on physical aspects
Instead of primarily focusing on fitness, a number of employers are backing programs that encompass mind and body concerns to help support employees’ overall well-being.
Seventeen percent of employers, for instance, offer meditation/mindfulness classes on-site, according to International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans data. Thirty-nine percent said they’re looking to increase the emphasis on mental health and stress-related health and wellness initiatives in the workplace in the next two years. With workplace anxiety currently at an alarming level — 71 percent of employees experience higher than moderate stress, according to a 2017 survey — that could be a wise move.
For more information about improving HR processes, read our blog posts on using predictive analytics to transform talent management, 4 ways to make human resource management greener, building your HR brand and how to outsource traditional HR practices.