Survey looks at priorities for HR, along with tech considerations, collaborations with IT
The biggest investment area for HR (49 per cent) over the next 12 months will be employee engagement tools, such as software for tracking goals, sending pulse surveys or measuring sentiment, according to a S&P Global Market Intelligence report.
As for what’s missing in the software, “better analytics around employee sentiment and needs” comes out on top (64 per cent).
Other features that are lacking include:
- strong privacy options (53 per cent)
- the availability of intelligence and automation (52 per cent)
- the ability to integrate with performance management vendor and other systems (43 per cent)
- a streamlined process for sending pulse surveys (41 per cent).
Among employees, 60 per cent have noticed a change in HR’s role, such as being more involved in driving change and people-related decisions, with the pandemic being a big catalyst for these changes, according to a previous report.
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of respondents believe it will be a somewhat (44 per cent) or significant (24 per cent) challenge to support a more distributed workforce over the next two years.
The top five reasons for this difficulty are: work-life balance, retaining employees, team building, employee burnout and keeping employees focused and aligned.
“These challenges will help reshape the role of human resources and reprioritize outcomes in various ways — changing long-standing responsibilities around compliance and bringing new responsibilities to light,” says Conner Forrest, author of the report and senior research analyst at S&P.
When it comes to achieving their top priorities, many HR leaders lack confidence. Why? Lack of resources. But it’s hoped that increased spending on technology will help.
Closer collaboration with IT
IT is the function area that HR collaborates with most frequently (46 per cent), finds the survey of 138 HR professionals who use these kinds of tools.
And 61 per cent of HR respondents listed HR as the function most directly involved with architecting and leading the employee experience strategy at their organization; IT was not far behind at 52 per cent.
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of business leaders see the metaverse as the next stage of hybrid working, finds Regus.
