What HR needs to be wary of in next 12 months

The next 12 months will be a critical time for HR professionals. Here are the biggest trends you need to look out for.

The rise of tech, continued evolution of the HR function and greater emphasis on safety and culture have shaken up businesses in recent years.

To unpack how HR professionals can mitigate the changes, HR Leader spoke to Sarah Kruger, Accenture ANZ’s new talent and organisation practice lead.

In this Q&A, Ms Kruger discusses her new role and what she envisions being the biggest challenges for leaders ahead.

HR Leader: What are your main responsibilities in this new role?

SK: As talent and capability lead, I’ll be overseeing all of the components of talent that our clients need help with, as well as the activities that we are undertaking internally for our people. This ranges from transforming the employee experience to ensuring wellness, inclusion and diversity and our future talent and skilling needs.

For clients looking to transform their enterprises, talent is critical to success. My role brings together our internal functions with client work, by taking an internal “test and learn” approach that we can learn from and apply for our clients. The work we do internally plays a major part in the kinds of solutions that we’re able to create for clients facing similar problems. It also looks at how we work across our various capability areas, including technology, to enable our clients to get the most from their talent and transformations.

HR Leader: How has this kind of role evolved since the pandemic, and how is it likely to continue to evolve going forward?

SK: This is a new role that bridges the gap between our internal functions and client-facing positions. Accenture has seen significant growth over the past three years – during the pandemic – and with this growth comes the need to be more conscious of how the different parts of our business are functioning at once. From this perspective, my role is connecting the dots within an integrated network of people.

HR Leader: What are the key areas HR professionals/business leaders need to be wary of in the next 12 months?

SK: Over the next 12 months, it will be critical for HR professionals to focus on the safety of their people. This extends beyond just physical workplace safety, with mental health playing a key role in employee wellbeing. Organisations need to know what their people are doing (including the hours they work), the environment they are working in and the impact this is having on their wellbeing. This all needs to start at a board and executive level, with steadfast requirements put in place to ensure wellbeing in the workplace.

As parts of the economy slow down and we continue to see skills shortages in a variety of sectors, organisations will also be tasked with managing their workforce. For instance, supporting career transitions with reskilling and upskilling opportunities will be critical for workers within the fossil fuel sector as the nation moves forward with its energy transition. By analysing what skills are needed today, tomorrow and into the future, organisations will be staying a step ahead of the transition. Those that are on the front foot will benefit greatly in the years to come by preparing their workforce ahead of time.

There has been much discussion lately around whether the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace will lead to redundancies of some skills, and managing how we integrate AI will be essential over the next 12 months. While AI is still in early phases, it’s important that we ensure its use is ethical from the outset. Technology has the potential to remove bias and also to reinforce it, meaning it is critical to ensure these systems are reviewed for bias and rectified.

HR Leader: How can business leaders/HR ensure they’re appropriately positioned to navigate any headwinds?

SK: The best way for business leaders to navigate challenges and headwinds is by listening to their people. So much can be learnt by leaning on the people and leaders within organisations who are taking part in the day-to-day functions.

There will always be times when unexpected challenges arise – the recent security threats impacting large national organisations are a good example of this. In these scenarios, the best strategy is being prepared with a good defence built from experts both internally and externally.

HR Leader: On the opposite side, what opportunities should HR/business leaders keep an eye on moving forward?

SK: With so much happening in the world, HR leaders should embrace any opportunity to further understand their people. Whether this is through data and analytics or anecdotal evidence, understanding more about what makes their business and people tick will be the key to moving forward. Leveraging the full potential of data, technology, and people can help to speed up transformation and growth.

Leaders across the entire C-suite need to have equal understanding of all parts of their business in order to navigate the future effectively. At Accenture, we talk about the concept of a High-Res CHRO, which refers to HR leaders bringing business growth and exceptional human experiences into higher resolution. A High-Res CHRO is able to accelerate reinvention in their organisation, by finding new streams of value and maintaining strong relationships across the entire C-suite.