If you’re still doing any of these things in 2022, it may be time to bring your HR Management up to date.
At the risk of stating the obvious, workplaces have changed almost beyond recognition over the past decade – and particularly since 2020.
Two decades ago, many HR departments weren’t managing a significant percentage of remote employees. Today, this is what we call “the workplace.”
Research by Upwork estimates that by 2025, 22% of the US workforce will be working remotely. The Owl Labs State of Remote Work 2021 study showed that 57% of workers who have returned to the office since the beginning of the pandemic would prefer working full-time from home, and 84% of new job seekers were looking for a different job that provided them with more flexibility on where they could work. On top of all that, the same study showed that 90% of workers say they are equally or more productive working from home compared to at the office.
Technology and remote working are just two things some HR departments are behind the times on. So, are you ready to learn whether your HR is stuck in the Dark Ages?
Your execs pass round business cards like it’s 1985
Business cards – so sleek, so professional, so important-looking, right? Actually, the latest research suggests that 63 percent of people throw business cards away. In fact, another recent survey found that 39 percent of prospective clients decided not to work with a business, due to their poorly designed business cards. Business cards still have relevance – even in our modern LinkedIn era – but unless they are designed and distributed mindfully, they can do more harm than good.
First of all – does the employee in question really need a business card? If you do think business cards are the right call, printing it on recycled paper will give your brand an instant feel-good boost. Another growing trend is QR codes, which can provide additional information that doesn’t fit on the card. A cheap-looking business card is definitely worse than no business card at all; and does it have to be off-white and rectangular? Different shapes, styles and colors will help them stand out.
Your data-driven decision-making stops with Excel
Data-driven HR boosts your department’s speed and efficiency, and has been proven to add value and boost performance across multiple avenues of a business. While most HR departments recognize the importance of data-driven decision-making, many do not know how to go about it. Research from Sage, in 2021, found that while 90% of C-suite leaders believe HR technology is vital, 62% of HR leaders admit to not having got to grips with using these analytics to make business decisions.
Your health and wellness initiatives focus on the body and ignore the mind 
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. Multiple studies have recognized the benefits of promoting mindfulness in the workplace – such as reducing anxiety, improving focus and increasing productivity. One study found only seventeen percent of employers offer meditation/mindfulness classes on-site, according to International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans data. This elite group of ‘mindful’ employers famously includes Google, Goldman Sachs, and General Mills.
Thirty-nine percent of employers said they’re looking to increase the emphasis on mental health and stress-related health and wellness initiatives in the workplace within the next two years. With workplace anxiety currently at an alarming level — 71 percent of employees experience higher than moderate stress, according to one survey — that could be a wise move.
Your current employees are the company’s main candidate referral source
While HR professionals still appreciate employee referrals, 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. Other referral sources increasing used include AI recruitment software and professional and industry organizations.
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. If you think now is the time to bring these same, data-driven concepts into your talent recruitment efforts, request a consultation with our team today.