Nothing seems to stay the same from year to year and that includes HR trends. Factors including the unemployment rate / economy, and technological, social and culture changes all impact human resources decisions. As the year comes to a close, it’s time to look ahead to the 2019 HR trends that will affect employers, HR professionals and employees.
Three biggest 2019 HR trends
Focus on employees’ overall well-being.
Employers have become increasingly aware that employees are more productive at work when they have a healthy work-life balance and they are properly managing their emotional, mental and physical health. The intrusion of technology into every aspect of our lives has contributed to employee burn-out as people feel like they are always “on the clock” while feeling increasingly isolated. To succeed in 2019, employers must take a different approach to help employees cope and thrive in today’s workplace with whole health wellness programs, new workspace concepts, and tech solutions that can monitor and change employee behaviors. Employers must also focus on reducing feelings of isolation by finding ways to make employees feel included in decisions that affect them and that they belong to a team / work family.
Getting workers ready for AI in the workplace
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is on the verge of exploding and when it does, we will see a loss of a large portion of traditional jobs and humans working alongside machines. Rather than just reading, writing and worrying about it, it is time for business leaders to get serious about preventing a global skills crisis by preparing people for the future of work. This can be accomplished by offering re-skilling and up-skilling training that will give workers needed skills into the future. Leaving re-skilling up to employees is a recipe for disaster – and yet employers must listen to employees’ concerns, discuss their motivations and goals and include them in their development path.
Technology will be used to create connected, collaborative workplaces
Technology has given businesses an opportunity to create well connected and collaborated workplaces. Smart work apps and health apps are the future. Business can use them to improve employee well-being and productivity. Apps can create smart meeting spaces, detect signs of stress by monitoring heart rates, record meetings that provide positive feedback or useful instructions, provide project time tracking, and encourage physical activity with workout challenges/sharing and more. Employers must be mindful of the ethics around storing interaction data and information that is shared between employees and businesses. Employees may not yet be comfortable working for a “boundary-less” organization. Companies must commit to respecting how people work and keeping private data private.
These trends have been touched on in the last couple of years but 2019 is the year to dig into them. Embracing these changes can lead to great organizational success.
Not excited about the ins and outs of human resources? That’s okay; we’ve got you covered through HR outsourcing! When you partner with Makai HR you can get on with the business you are trying to grow while we take care of your employee needs from payroll to taxes, health insurance/benefits and worker’s compensation. You also gain peace of mind that you are in compliance with all of Hawaii’s employer laws (if you’ve ever looked you know that the list is very long). When choosing a PEO to partner with, there are many things to consider including cost, services and technology solutions.
With the cost of doing business in Hawaii at record highs, we know how important it is to keep labor costs in line with revenue. Our plans are priced competitively and include value-added services like time-in/time-out systems. Our three tiers of PEO service plans are tailored to the size of your business and specific needs. We offer a 100% paperless solution which means that your employees can manage their needs through a computer, tablet or phone. We can truly improve your employees work benefits while freeing you up to run your business.
What are you waiting for? Companies who partner with a PEO benefit from 7-9% faster growth, 10-14% lower employee turnover; and they are 50% less likely to go out of business. Contact us today to get started!