Over the past few years, we've seen a series of trends in people management’s maturity levels., as well as in the HR manager's profile. If the basic premise before was to have “total control over processes and numbers,” today it's necessary to have a good dose of psychology, sociology, anthropology, be a good negotiator, leader, among so many other skills.

Human resources statistics are no longer tied solely to productivity and efficiency, but now encompass the internal gross happiness index and the ability to retain talent, demonstrating that companies seeking sustainable growth must adopt a new approach.

This new work model is driving organizations to:

• reinventing oneself with a focus on the human factor;
• work increasing talent retention and internal mobility;
• emphasize continuous learning;
• redesign the way we set goals and reward people.

But what actions are these? What are the trends in people management for the coming years? This is what you will find out throughout this article. Keep reading!

Leading a social enterprise

A 2019 survey asked CEOs of several companies to assess the most important measure of success they intended to take over the years, and found that the most cited was: considering the impact the organization has on society, including issues such as income inequality, environment, and diversity.

Leading a social enterprise means recognizing that, while organizations must generate profit and deliver shareholder returns, they must perfect people management in order to contribute to improving the quality of life for employees and customers, and to enhancing the communities in which they operate. In today's world, achieving this goal requires large-scale reinvention and knowledge.

Alternative jobs

For years, many regarded remote work – also known as work-from-home – and temporary jobs as alternative work arrangements, meaning supplementary options to full-time employment. Today, this segment of the workforce has grown and become mainstream. However, best practices for implementing alternative work arrangements are still being developed. In this regard, research predicts that organizations will tend to be more flexible in adapting to these new work arrangements in order to use them strategically.

The rise of “super-jobs”

The vast majority of organizations expect to increase their use of artificial intelligence, both cognitive technologies and process automation. However, as companies adopt these technologies, they find that people management also needs to reflect this change. 

To fully leverage these technologies, organizations must redesign their processes to find the human dimension of work. This tends to create new roles for employees and positions that the research has termed “super-jobs.” These are job positions that combine parts of different traditional jobs into integrated functions, which tend to significantly leverage increasing productivity and efficiency.

From employee experience to human experience

One of the biggest challenges highlighted by this year's research is the need to improve the so-called “employee experience.” However, the concept of employee experience is not fully capable of capturing the real need for a redefinition of work that these times demand.

Therefore, the research expands the concept to “human experience” at work, which would encompass a greater understanding of workers' aspirations to connect their work to the impact it has, not only on the organization but on society as a whole.

Organizational Performance: A Team Sport

The transition from traditional hierarchy to more horizontal teamwork seems to be well underway. 

However, many leaders still aren't quite sure how to manage teams, and many organizations are still struggling to build programs and incentives that also support team building. Technology has already greatly facilitated the adoption of team-based work models. It's time for companies to do the rest.

Rewards: Bridging the Gap

Organizations are exploring a wide range of advantages and rewards to motivate their employees. 

How can organizations develop ways to recognize their employees that align with more agile performance management models, while also meeting their legitimate expectations and needs? Research suggests that focusing on relationship building in people management can help organizations bridge this gap.

New ways of learning

The research also points to the need for organizations to change their understanding of how people learn.

It's not hard to understand why. The evolution of work demands is creating a huge demand for new skills and capabilities, while an increasingly tight labor market is making it difficult to hire staff. 

Within this context, research indicates that the learning process has become more integrated into the work itself. This requires companies to invest more in a growth culture that supports continuous learning and in people management that motivates employees to seize learning opportunities, focusing on helping them identify and develop new skills.

Talent mobility

As organizations globalize and compete aggressively for top talent, internal mobility has become paramount. Organizations can no longer afford to hire sufficient staff with all the resources they need; they must develop people internally and work on increasing talent retention in order to prosper.

For this, people management must consider a new set of parameters that guide internal mobility, which should be perceived as natural progression rather than a major career change for someone. Opportunities for movement should be extended to workers at all levels, not just managers and team leaders. And technology should enable an optimized mobility process for changes between functions, roles, and projects.

Continuous feedback

The programs of performance evaluation They show the collaborators' strengths and weaknesses, which should be worked on through training and qualifications. However, they point this direction only once or twice a year. This improvement model is being replaced by continuous feedback, which improves communication and also learning. As soon as the collaborator receives feedback, they have the opportunity to evaluate their attitudes and thus improve their performance, whether technical or behavioral.

Continuous feedback also prevents the accumulation of failures that can turn into reasons for turnover, keeping employees constantly aware of points that can be worked on.

Conclusion

Therefore, leadership development is among the main challenges of people management, according to the consultancy. It is necessary to optimize processes and find ways to show that your training is capable of increasing the company's results.

As we can see, there are several trends in People Management that HR professionals should observe. Only then is it possible to stay at the forefront of the market. So, invest in the analysis of a large volume of data, artificial intelligence, the remote workforce, new labor relations, and the use of a good behavior management platform.

Now you understand the main trends in people management, right? Take the opportunity to keep learning. Read our article on incentive programs and learn How to effectively manage teams and motivate your employees!