People Strategy Trends 2022

 People strategy is a top priority for organizations with the many challenges facing leadership. We are experiencing unprecedented levels of employee resignations, work structures are morphing-office, hybrid, remote, skill requirements are changing, employee and candidate expectations are changing, and leaders are being required to address environmental and social justice issues. Human capital management professionals are in the middle of this transformation and they need to leverage this opportunity. 

People strategy is a top priority for organizations with many challenges facing leadership.

People strategy has taken on an increasingly crucial role in organizational performance. For a deeper dive into the these trends and issues as well as roadmap for success, models, assessments, and case studies, we recommend Kristina Kohl, Managing Principal, HRComputes new book Driving Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion published by CRC Press and due for release on January 28, 2022. The book presents a framework to build an inclusive organization and model to engage and support senior and middle management in capacity building and systemic change. By layering in digital tools and AI to support data-based decision making, the book shows managers a pathway forward to building just and equitable organizations.

Human capital management professionals are in the middle of this transformation and they need to leverage this opportunity.

As a result, HCM digital transformations are on many leadership agendas for 2022. We have all been hearing about the talent shortage in the labor market and the swinging of the pendulum toward employees in terms of setting requirements and salaries. The total number of voluntary turnovers, or resignations, is at an all time high. Employees are requiring greater purpose and better values alignment with employers. They are seeking work/life balance and integration. As digital workplaces become the norm, degree and skills gaps develop as the skills need to perform new jobs require different capabilities, training, and competencies. Enter the "new collar" or "grey collar" workforce that represents a hybrid between blue and white collar jobs focusing on technology. While these jobs may not require a 4 year college degree, they typically require training beyond high school. Programs such as P-TECH  offer new models to bride the degree and skills gap divide. Redesigning workplaces to be equitable with cultures designed to promote belonging requires deep work in terms of redesigning organizational attitudes, beliefs, and systems including core components of recruitment, development, promotion, assignments, and compensation. 

HCM Trends:

  1. Candidate and Employee Experience
  2. Digital Transformation 
  3. Purpose and Value
  4. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
  5. Morphing Work Structures

Morris and I are just back from UKG Connections in Las Vegas where we saw solutions to many of these trends highlighted on the UKG product roadmap. New solutions and partnerships are being developed to address many of these challenges and opportunities. Candidate experience is being enhanced through a new chatbot to guide applicants through the application process to simplify the process and reduce application drop out rate. They also have a partnership with Phenom to offer an AI driven candidate experience platform as well as an employee experience platform that promotes internal mobility and skills alignment. To further enhance employee experience, they have launched UKG Wallet to pay employees ahead of payroll without an impact on an organization's payroll. Providing access to wages in real time allows employees to avoid costly means of accessing funds for emergencies such as pay day lenders.

At UKG Connection in Las Vegas, we saw solutions to many or these trends highlighted on the UKG product roadmap.

UKG Ready and Dimensions workforce management solutions have been enhanced to provide greater scheduling flexibility for employees offering community based shift swapping to support improved work/life balance. An AI Auditor scans data and offers payroll risk insights on departments and locations  improving compliance in an increasingly complex world. In addition, UKG People Analytics is offering greater reporting capabilities around workforce management.

UKG has committed to helping clients become "Great Places to Work" through their recent GPTW acquisition. The plan is to combine the GPTW benchmarking and survey with the data insights, analytics, and best practices developed by UKG to support client achievement. Their roadmap continues to focus on building equity and inclusion and includes a corporate commitment to donate 18 cents for every person paid by UKG this year toward the fight for gender pay equity. The expected contribution is $3 million. In addition, they offer tools such as the Pay Equity Dashboard within UKGPro People analytics to provide insights on potential pay inequalities within an organization.

At HRComputes, we are here to guide your through navigating this terrain.

HCM leadership is at the center of this significant shift toward people strategy. At HRComputes, we are here to guide you through navigating this terrain including helping you to select, implement, and optimize digital transformation tools. With all of our clients, we reinforce that while tool selection is important, managing the the transformation process including ensuring leadership support, resource allocation, training, and change management are crucial to success.