HR Congress Brussels 2018 takeaway

I had the chance to visit HRCongress in Brussels last week. It was quite a disrupting experience for me. What the industry is proposing now, first as a new sales pitch from consulting companies but also as a new trend in small dedicated tools and apps, is to go much further than optimizing traditional HR processes. I clearly distinguish 2 patterns:

  1. On one hand, we are expecting HR professionals to stay continuously connected with the employees. They would pulse the mood and satisfaction of employees. Should mobilise the leadership for continuous feedback conversations. Should monitor the skills of employees to make sure these are in line with the Company's strategy. The "Chief Happiness Officer" seems to be gaining ground: it is a fluffy name, but it certainly means something and sets new expectations.
  2. On the other hand, Data collected from this monitoring would be processed and compared with some hard data from HR or from the business areas*. People analytics is on its way. These data would be analyzed to take actions to improve employee experience, develop appropriate skills, etc.

Staying constantly online with your customers, analyzing data to adapt their experience, communicating to engage, this is precisely the management process of digital brands.

Employer branding towards external candidates is not new. What is new, however, is that HR should use digital marketing concepts and competencies to stay connected with its employees, propose "stories", capture feedback, and adapt the services accordingly.

Jurists and Psychologists are the profiles and skills we find today in most HR teams. HR people are usually great when it comes to communication: HR Business Partners can manage the human aspects and expectations of individuals, and listen continuously to Business stakeholders. Industrial relations professionals are great in communicating and negotiating with social partners (unions). But remaining on a daily basis online, supported by a dashboard of key performance indicators, adapting the messages to the employees, and even the daily HR processes and activities, continuously responding to the feedback captured (not to say regularly modifying the configuration of HR Systems), requires an entirely different mindset. And also a revision of HR strategies to allocate time and money to this new function.

There is indeed a business opportunity for consulting companies with IT and communication skills. And great career moves for HR professionals with the right attitude and skills.

#hranalytics #insight222 #employeeengagement #HRIS #HRMS

* source: Master Class from Insight222

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