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In the “It’s About People” podcast premiere, Suzi Alligood leads a discussion with Brandon Laws and Molly Kelley of Xenium HR about the SHRM article “What’s in Store for HR in 2015” written by Josh Bersin. During the episode, they highlight some of the predictions in the article, such as culture, talent analytics, tools & new HR technology, and professional development.
Suzi: Hi, this is Suzi Alligood, and I am sitting here with Brandon Laws and Molly Kelley of Xenium.
Today I’d like to talk about this article in HR Magazine that was put together by the Principal and Founder of Bersin by Deloitte, and he’s sharing 9 predictions of how HR will redefine the workplace this year. He’s interviewed some key professionals from various fields. A lot of this article reinforced what I already knew and what we suspect based on our experiences working with our clients in the industry, but there are also some good nuggets and some inspiration for me, especially on the learning and engagement side.
One important thing I think he addresses is that today’s Millennials are expected to make up 75% of the workforce within the next five years. I know that this causes a lot of frustration for our clients, who were trained to retain these younger folks, but I think instead of trying to fight it and be frustrated by it, we need to just accept it and invent new strategies. We need to know that our workforce in the future is going to be more transient due to its demographics: the technology people are not going to be staying with one employer for the rest of their life. Employers are going to have to look at selling an experience versus job security or stability, because the needs and interests have changed. There were some key areas that were highlighted. I’d like to point out a couple of them and get both of your feedback on them.
One of the things that I thought was interesting was that he mentioned, “Workers now join companies like athletes join professional teams.”
Brandon: [Laughing] Hmm, so they get traded quite a bit, huh?
Suzi: Yeah! And it’s really a joint venture in the sense that if both people aren’t benefiting from the relationship, then employees typically move on.
Brandon: It’s like their goals have to be aligned, truly.
Suzi: Right. It’s putting employers in the position of less power than they have been in years past, traditionally. And there’s so much transparency about your company or organization’s brand and culture, because people can access that information online and through social networks. So a key thing that was addressed was culture and engagement being a key driver for retention. This is something that we’re passionate about here at Xenium and that we talk a lot about.
So it talks a lot about diversity and inclusion and making sure that when you’re implementing HR solutions you’re asking yourself, “Does this make work more enjoyable and productive for people?”
Molly: And whether it supports their overall wellbeing. I noticed that one of the other trends he mentions is that “More companies will deal with overwhelmed employees,” which I think is a really interesting trend. So when you talk about this shift in demographics, yes we’re going to have a huge increase of Millennials in the workplace, but you’re also going to see Baby Boomers looking for encore careers. There’s a tremendous opportunity to retain, and frankly, to attract new talent. An 
encore career is essentially a shift into something you’re really passionate about. Maybe you’ve got folks looking around and saying, “Alright, so I’ve done this for years, but now I’m going to do something that really speaks to my passion.” So there’s a tremendous opportunity to attract new talent in all generations.
But the one that resonates with me the most, of the ones you shared, Suzi, is the overwhelmed employees, because we’re already seeing that in terms of this sandwich generation of folks that have young children at home and are caring for aging
parents. It’s just a huge stress. So I think the trend in looking at employee assistance programs, having benefits that include a very robust mental health support system for employees, and flexible work-life integration—no longer “balance,” but integration—amongst employers will be a big trend as well. At least, I hope so.
Brandon: I’m with you, Molly. Speaking from the Millennials’ side, because I am one, I think that’s so important. It’s funny that a group of people I know who are all Millennials care less about compensation but more about a flexible work environment, because they have families. The work-life balance is important, especially with young kids at home. I do think that employers will pay more and more attention to this work-life balance and flexible work schedule and creative benefits. I think this prediction is spot on, absolutely.
Suzi: Actually, some of the companies that Bersin by Deloitte interviewed were actually quoted to have saved money and improved productivity by making the workplace more humane and flexible. I’m sure there’s data out there to support the fact that it’s not just perks. Often it’s consistent with the values and culture—of caring about people and the fact that they have lives outside of work.
The other thing that I thought was really interesting was a trend about learning and development. I’ve always felt like you have to have a blended approach to appeal to all different learners. But now there’s all this focus on real time information and
knowledge. Some take-aways here are having some videos, a blog, online course, or even an app that people can quickly access to get information on specific topics. They may include a game or an assessment at the end of them, but looking at different aspects of technology that may not be costly, that you could even create in-house, so that people can access information when they need it and quickly, is key.
Brandon: I think you hit the nail on the head, and this ties really well into the prediction number eight, about HR technology. Because information is so fragmented out there—you may have people looking at YouTube for education, reading books, reading blogs, etc.—if an employer can figure out a way to build some sort of technology that brings it all together, I think that’s a huge opportunity for training and developing your employees. Because then they’re spending all their time educating themselves on the tools and resources you’re giving them.
Molly: Right. Just please don’t forget about the dinosaurs like me who still print everything and read everything in print.
Suzi: Right, you can still print some of this! We’re not saying that you should exclusively go to video.
Molly: Please no, please no!
Suzi: But as an option, yes.
Brandon: I mean, this is an example—we’re doing a podcast right now. People get their information so differently, and to be able to provide some sort of resource for your employees to access. You may like print, so maybe that’s an option, but then there’s also podcasts, videos, and blogs available.
Molly: I think having leadership that embraces that, so the example of what we’re doing right now but also within our leadership team there’s a lot of sharing, of saying “Hey, I heard this podcast,” or “Hey, this was in the Wall Street Journal.” Emailing around information moves the team forward, I think.
Suzi: It makes for a learning culture.
Molly: Yes, exactly, that continual growth and development.
Suzi: Yes, and also, what we suspected and based on what we’re hearing from clients and prospects is that a lot of people are dusting off or creating new “universities” or their own professional development programs because they’re really wanting to
be thoughtful. And like that you said, Brandon, they’re being consistent in providing knowledge, information, and training that is specific to the competencies that are required for them to be successful. I thought that was good, I love the video idea.
Other things, in terms of training, were priorities around helping managers identify candidates in the hiring process, such as spending a lot of time training managers on how to continuously be building relationships and networking to recruit people and then interview people in a way that is thoughtful and mindful and reflects the culture that you’re trying to create.
Molly: We just had our Intelligent Hiring session, which we do a couple times a year, and I noticed that it was the single highest attendance we’ve had in probably about ten years, definitely pre-recession. Typically that session draws in about 20 or 30 attendees, and this time it was close to 60. Which is of course partly due to the phenomenal trainer who led it, Lacey Halpern, but it’s also a recognition of the fact that employers are starting to struggle, at least in the Portland metro area. I’m also hearing from elsewhere, from managers around the country, that the market is shifting. It’s becoming more of an employee’s market versus an employer’s market.
Brandon: Yes, and this leads me to one of the things I loved in particular from this article was prediction 7 which was, “Leaders will invest in talent analytics and workforce planning.” This really ties into prediction 8 about the technology piece. 
With the software we’re using these days, we’re able to capture so much data. To be able to analyze and actually draw some conclusions based on how your workforce is performing, and what skills you need and what gaps you have, is an indicator for your hiring processes as well. So all those things tie into each other, and I think it’s so important.
Suzi: Yeah, and I guess as you’re looking at all of these things, and they’re all really great ideas, a key thing is to prioritize. So instead of trying to do it all, I think it’s important to be really clear about what’s most important this year, what’s going to drive the biggest success or close the biggest gap for us or for your business.
Some great stuff in here, and I would encourage everyone to check that article out!