As we enter the new decade, Human Resources is poised to undergo a significant transformation. Colin Sloman explores the future 'Decade of HR', focusing on the shift from administrative functions to talent management, recruitment, and retention. What does today's workforce need, and how will HR address these requirements moving forward?
The origins of HR trace back to the personnel departments of the early 20th century—a crucial development during WWI as women entered the workforce to fill roles left vacant by conscripted soldiers. This marked a shift from the slower, predictable hiring and firing practices that had long characterized employment.
Post-WWII, the need to rebuild Europe sustained high employment demand, evolving personnel functions to embrace employment law, discrimination, health, safety, and training issues. By the 1980s, “human resources” became prevalent, recognizing employees as valuable assets, or talent, to be managed.
Since then, the HR role has expanded to cover workforce strategy, industrial relations, executive compensation, succession planning, well-being, and diversity and inclusion. HR leaders now carry titles like Chief Human Resource Officer or Chief People Officer, reflecting the extensive scope of their responsibilities.
Over the past 25 years, I've observed HR's evolution both from the sidelines at Accenture and on the frontline at Saudi Aramco. Today's challenges—from the pandemic to the "Great Resignation" and looming economic uncertainties—underscore why this is the decade of HR.
Employees increasingly seek purpose and meaning in their work—a concept we call the "Great Reflection." As HR stewards this 'way of the workforce,' focus should be on infusing purpose and meaning into work experiences, ensuring organizations can meet their strategic goals.
HR must also embrace data science and evidence-based decision-making. Companies like Google exemplify this approach, utilizing recruitment data to optimize interview processes and eschew low-value brainteaser questions and overemphasis on elite educational backgrounds.
A recent Gartner study identifies key HR priorities for the coming years:
All these areas demand rigorous, evidence-backed approaches, particularly in understanding human psychology.
At Cognician, we believe the HR decade is upon us. We support HR professionals to lead as custodians of people, performance, and behavioral science in their organizations.
Our Activation catalysts are grounded in over 30 years of behavioral science research. One key catalyst is reflection, which encourages self-reflection across organizations, providing deep insights into employment issues. We also advocate for evidence-based decision-making, supporting our offerings with comprehensive analytics and reporting tools. These tools, underpinned by our Activation and Commitment indices, enable clients to track real-time engagement and adapt their strategies for maximum impact.
For further details on how we can support your HR transformation, visit info.cognician.com.