Preparing HR For The Digital Workplace

The world of work continues to evolve, altering our assumptions about the jobs and tasks we do, the tools we use to perform them, and the ways in which we collaborate with our colleagues.

- Debbie Tim

Consider a few statistics that suggest how quickly technology is upending the job market and the workplace:

• 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 don’t exist today;

• Currently available technologies could replace 45% of human work today; and

• Nearly half of decision-makers don’t know what their industries will look like in three years’ time.

This uncertain future is placing human resources (HR) departments under enormous strain, demanding that they become more agile at:

• Forecasting skills businesses will need;

• Sourcing the human resources needed to perform the work;

• Enhancing employee engagement to retain the best talent;

• Upskilling people to keep up with the rate of technology change; and

• Helping colleagues map out their careers in an unstable world.

This raises the question of how HR can partner with the IT team to help people make the most of technology resources, as well as how HR can make better use of technology to achieve its own goals.

LIFELONG, BITE-SIZED LEARNERS

We are already seeing major disruptions in how people learn, thanks to technology. For example, most large businesses are using online and mobile learning to complement classroom-based training. In addition to formal training programmes, we are seeing a growing emphasis on on-demand interventions that give employees access to training and information at the moment it is needed.