January 2016 Blog –
By Jill Perelson
A new year brings new challenges for HR professionals when it comes to finding and retaining the best candidates, and 2016 will likely be no different. To drill down on the top 10 hiring problems companies will face in 2016, we turned to the experts at the Society for Human Resource Management, and their team of expert contributors.
In their article, “What HR Needs to Know in 2016,” they asked 10 business and HR thought leaders to write essays about challenges faced in 2015, and ways to address them in 2016. Below, you’ll find a Reader’s Digest version of this excellent and insightful piece, but I do encourage you take time to read each expert’s essay for a deeper explanation of these 10 challenges that will face hiring professionals in the upcoming year:
#1 – Leveraging social media to find the best candidates
“While many companies still shy away from creating a cohesive social recruiting strategy, mainly out of fear of the unknown, this is a trend with legs. If your company is not willing to engage with what job seekers of the future want, prepare to be left behind.”
- Danielle Monaghan, head of talent acquisition, consumer, at Seattle-based Amazon.com,
#2 – Creating productive and engaged teams
“To build high-functioning organizations, we must identify the best teams and build more just like them. If HR professionals can do that, they will lead their organizations to greatness in 2016.”
- Marcus Buckingham, founder of TMBC, an engagement and performance solution company
#3 – Treating employees as whole people
“Workplace flexibility is one of the defining issues of our day. To attract and retain the best talent, companies must think of employees as whole people. Doing so is also key to strengthening our relationships with and engaging our employees. In an era when job-hopping has become the norm, that’s critically important.”
- Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute (FWI) in New York City
#4 – Preparing your company for the new overtime rules
“Your workforce is probably already abuzz about this issue. Those in the reclassification zone may feel anxious about what they perceive as a demotion. Reassure employees that no final rules are out yet and that you will continue to monitor these developments. That will go a long way toward alleviating their concerns and maintaining positive morale in 2016 and beyond.”
- Paul DeCamp, attorney with Jackson Lewis in Reston, Va., and former administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
#5 – Recognizing the ways HR must evolve
“HR’s toughest critics may be themselves. Our leaders often rated HR’s effectiveness lower than those outside the field. Even some of the world’s most accomplished CHROs indicated an urgent need for HR to improve its ability to keep up with the demands of a rapidly changing world.”
- John Boudreau, professor at the Marshall School of Business, and a professor and research director at the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California
#6 – Putting analytics into action
“Metrics and ‘big data’ have transformed many business functions, from marketing to operations. As a result, business leaders have high (but thus far largely unmet) expectations for how analytics should revolutionize HR as well. In 2016 and beyond, rising to the challenge will require HR professionals to develop their own quantitative skills and to work collaboratively with data scientists, IT staff and technology vendors. Indeed, forging strong partnerships will be key to adopting a data-driven approach to HR management.”
- Jeanne G. Harris, Columbia University faculty member and co-author of “Analytics at Work” and “Competing on Analytics.”
#7 – Championing a principled culture
“As scandal after scandal suggests – and don’t expect there to be fewer such episodes in 2016 – ethical breaches can often evolve into legal troubles, resulting in lawsuits, loss of stock value and even jail time,” MacDonald explains. “Yet as executives engage in their short-term pursuit of quarterly profits, they often lose sight of the role culture can play in keeping the company out of hot water. It is up to HR professionals to remind them.”
- Chris MacDonald, associate professor and director of the Jim Pattison Ethical Leadership Program at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management in Toronto
#8 – Using business acumen to build a better HR
“… it’s hard to deny that HR is often perceived by corporate leaders as being out of step with the rest of the business. Indeed, according to an article in the Fall 2015 issue of People + Strategy, business leaders both inside and outside the field consistently rate HR as moderately satisfactory at best in terms of skills and effectiveness.”
- Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management at The Wharton School and Director of Wharton’sCenter for Human Resources.
#9 – Spreading the Word About Benefits
“I see a not-too-distant future where companies of all sizes make substantial investments in year-round multichannel benefits education that can help all of their workers build lifelong health and financial security. Although this work won’t be easy, it can transform organizations and the people who drive them”
- Jennifer Benz, founder and CEO at Benz Communications, San Francisco
#10 – Acting as Both HR Prophet and Practitioner
“HR expertise will no longer just be about responding to the needs of today. It also must include the ability to identify future trends and analyze diverse sets of data to develop insights and recommendations in advance of a trend’s potential impact. In a world of rapid change, if we focus on today at the exclusion of tomorrow, we may win the battle, but we will surely lose the war.”
- Tracy Layney, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Shutterfly Inc.
Overwhelmingly, technology, data and social media are the most talked-about challenges this group of experts addressed. That’s why we rolled out an entirely new website last month, recognizing that both our clients and job seekers required a resource that was both functional and multifaceted. Keeping one step ahead of the pack is why we at Prince, Perelson & Associates continue to succeed in an industry with constantly changing challenges and opportunities.
Jill Perelson is the CEO and founder of Prince, Perelson & Associates, one of Utah’s largest and most established specialized recruiting firms. After starting with just 3 employees in 1992, PrincePerelson has grown to more than 30 employees and won numerous accolades for growth and service, while assisting companies of all sizes with every type of hiring need conceivable. Learn more at www.Perelson.com.