The technological revolution that we are witnessing in this century is bringing about changes in our daily lives and in the world of work. At this point, we should ask ourselves if it is also having direct or indirect consequences on HR/Personnel departments.

Several studies into the ways digital technologies impact human resources highlight the need to transform these departments to make them more open to change.

Trends that will mark the future of companies

In such a competitive world, companies will place their bets on truly talented personnel, capable of making a difference both within the team and at the business level. To this end, HR managers are recruiting in new ways than they had before on social networks.

Another of the basic functions of human resources will be to maintain a company philosophy and culture and to make it part of the life of the entire staff, making them feel like an indispensable part of a larger project.

The experience and satisfaction of the workers will improve if human resources managers attend to some fundamental issues:

• Maintain the corporate culture and make it visible to employees.
• Improve workers’ motivation and commit to them.
• Pay attention to new demands that may arise.
• Offer better training opportunities.

If a worker feels comfortable in a company, this will be reflected in her or his productivity. This will have a direct impact on the company, improving its reputation in an increasingly demanding environment.

The evaluation models of Human Resources departments must change and seek new ways of evaluating that are based on well-defined objectives and guarantee continuous feedback. Many large companies have been trying out new ways to evaluate and reward the performance of their staff for a long time.

The people in charge of this department are also in charge of looking for leadership candidates that meet the demands of the times: young people able to lead businesses and manage small and agile teams, and who have an interest in continuous learning throughout their career.

HR departments have the obligation, like the rest of the workers, to be up to date with technological developments. They are in charge of implementing mobile applications, software and other tools that help change the way we work.

The use of Big Data by these departments has given rise to what is known as “people analytics”, which consists of using the data held on employees to make decisions that affect their work. Although for many it is still a trivial issue, the truth is that sooner than expected it will be a widely used tool.

In response to social demands, HR must be responsible for having an equality policy that promotes diversity and inclusion among employees, which will improve the company’s reputation and brand image.

Could Human Resources be replaced by machines?

The question that comes to everyone’s mind in the face of technological advances is the same: what job positions are going to be replaced by machines? And, of course, this question also affects companies’ human resource departments.

For this not to happen, jobs and the business organization will need to be redesigned. The key will be to combine essentially human skills such as empathy or certain social skills with machines and automation techniques that facilitate more manual aspects of work.

Without a doubt, a great opportunity is knocking at our door, and knowing how to take advantage of it is in our hands.