3 HR trends to focus on in 2024

1. Upskilling and Reskilling for the Future of Work

Ensuring that you are investing in your current workforce is a must if you want to guarantee an edge over your competition and retain your top performers. With current talent shortages making it hard to hire new employees to fill the skills gap at your company and new technologies such as AI popping up every day, you need to develop the skills of your current employees to ensure your internal talent is equipped with the necessary competencies.

One way that you can upskill and reskill your employees is by designing and delivering tailored training programs that focus on any skills gaps that you have identified in your team. For example, making sure that they understand the latest AI technology (Google’s new AI Gemini is launching soon) and how to use it most effectively.

They may also want to develop their soft skills if this is an area that they need to work on, these are skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability. This could be delivered by internal departments such as Learning & Development as they will be able to offer personalised guidance.

If, however, there is a need to develop more hard skills to upskill their business acumen it may be worthwhile bringing in external experts who offer specialised training programs. By offering training in business fundamentals such as financial literacy, marketing principles, and strategic thinking, employees will be able to contribute more effectively to your company’s success. For this, there must be an integration between the external training programs and your company’s learning systems.

See this investment in upskilling your employees as part of their personal career development journeys. You want to keep your top talent, so investing in their future is imperative. This will allow them to make informed decisions about their career paths and pursue their professional aspirations which will foster a sense of belonging and increase your overall employee satisfaction.

2. Human-Centred Design for HR Technology

There is no denying that AI has been the trending topic in 2023, and this is unlikely to change going into 2024. Whilst AI technology has become increasingly sophisticated and easy to use, it is no replacement for human judgment and empathy. Therefore, you need to be ensuring that the technology that you use has a people-first approach at its forefront. This can be done by ensuring you integrate the technology features with human expertise. 

Using technology to design onboarding programs can help make your processes more engaging and informative, which in turn will help new employees get up to speed faster. Hibob is a great example of this. They offer a personalised onboarding experience that is tailored to your company’s unique culture and needs.

Another way that human-centred technology can be used to provide for your talent is through chatbots that can give employees 24/7 access to HR support. They can answer employee queries on topics such as benefits, policies, and procedures, even on a Sunday when they are trying to work out how many days of holiday they have left. By using an AI-powered chatbot you can categorise tickets coming through to ensure that they are being dealt with most proficiently. The chatbots are programmed to learn from past encounters so that they are continuously evolving to become better and more helpful.

The talent acquisition process is another way that you can utilise human-centred technology for your HR. They can make sure that inclusive language is used in your job posts and any marketing materials being sent out. You can also use AI to identify and match qualified candidates with any open positions. Automating tasks within the hiring process not only enhances efficiency but will save you time and resources.

3. Focus on Employee Engagement and Well-Being

Recognising the importance of employee engagement and well-being is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent. Employee engagement measures the extent to which employees are actively participating in their work and experience a sense of belonging and purpose. Employee well-being looks at the overall health and happiness of employees. The purpose of focusing on these areas is so that your employees feel more productive, do not burn out, and therefore stay with your company.

One way that your HR department can help foster a culture of employee engagement is by actively promoting programs and initiatives designed to have a positive effect on your employee’s health. They can do this by providing employees with fitness classes or discounted rates to the gym and by offering subsidised fruit in the office to promote a healthy environment. It would also be beneficial to offer regular stress management workshops or seminars led by mental health professionals to teach your employees coping mechanisms, relaxation techniques, and mindfulness exercises.

Employees feel more engaged and motivated if they have a sense of belonging and community within the workplace. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you are creating a work environment that champions this. Organise regular celebrations of your employee’s achievements, this can go a long way to make them feel accomplished in their role. Social events and team-building activities can help build employee relationships and make them feel part of a team. It may also be a good idea to encourage a mentorship program for your employees to network with each other, allowing them to connect with colleagues from different departments and gain new perspectives.

Are looking to enhance your talent strategy for 2024 but need some additional support? Feel free to reach out to Vilde from our dedicated Client Partnerships team that is an expert in the field. 

• vl@thor-companies.com
• +44 737 8400 284