Looking Down the Road: What’s In Store For HR In 2017?

Another year is almost in the books.  The leadership of organizations are looking at how 2016 turned out, and looking ahead to 2017.  A part of this looking ahead is reviewing the strategic roadmap to determine what some of challenges and trends might be for the new year.  Every department has it’s challenges.  One of the greatest challenges for those in HR is to keep an eye on not only the latest trends and law changes but also how to continue to engage, challenge and ultimately keep the best talent around them.

For the last couple of years, Millennials have been a cause of concern but most organizations have come to understand the unique challenges that are presented with engaging and challenging Millennials in their work. It’s no secret that the challenges of “company culture” are continuing to push organizations towards finding new ways to assess and evaluate their talent and how that talent relates to the culture that has been created.  For 2017, more companies will continue to move from annual assessments to more performance based feedback to better equip HR to know that the human capital is being used in the most effective way.

Another key factor for 2017 is the importance of peer relationships, and how those relationships will translate into employees desiring to remain a part of an organizations. When people feel connected, the more apt they are to stay and continue working as a part of a team. As we move into next year and the foreseen future, leadership development programs become all the more important for companies as Baby Boomers look to retirement and Gen X’ers move into the mid-point of their careers.  Equipping the next generation of leaders is vital to the future success in organizations.

The new year also figures to be filled with more of the changing model of workforce that has been talked about for years.  People are looking for something less traditional that takes them away from a standard corporate culture, that offers more flexibility and experience.  As a result, companies will most likely rely more heavily on contractors and consultants who bring their expertise and experience to help companies through a particular project.  The challenge for HR in this space is to present a new strategic talent roadmap, helping company leadership understand how this new way of working can support the mission and vision of the organization and perhaps lead to a more effective and prosperous bottom line.