2019: Hot Topics for HR and implications for career development
What are the predicted hot topics for HR in 2019 onwards and how might they impact people development?
Hot Topics for HR in 2019
We’ve always got our eye out for specifics that will help parents at work, however the potentially hot topics of 2019 below will impact all employees.
- Brexit’s longer-term impact
It’s important to recognise that this period of uncertainty is not going to be solved in the short term. It’s likely that we will see an increase in driving productivity and development of the existing workforce, as competition for talent (especially senior and specialist) will be much greater. This could be welcomed as good news for those new parents returning from leave, as we should see more time and budget spent on their retention and development. The Public Sector, for example, is expected to spend more on women returners.
Managing and communicating change will need to be a firm priority for leadership teams and line managers will need to be upskilled to demonstrate confidence in this area. Developing personal resilience in times of change as we enter what has been described as ‘a decade of uncertainty’ will strengthen both the individual and organisational position.
- Investment in soft-skills
Forbes reported the ‘widespread concern that the soft skills gap is widening with the tech-savvy but soft-skill-poor Generation Z entering the workforce’. However, it is not as simple as putting on more training and development – a LinkedIn study this year found that the biggest challenge is enabling individuals to find the time to devote to their development. Trainingindustry.com offers a challenge: ‘how fast can a learner access the information they need to do their job?’ As soft-skills are not classed as being ‘informational’, there is a danger their importance is overlooked. There will be a continuing demand for all learning to be available in ‘bite-sized’ resources, across multiple platforms
- Support in mental health
We have seen a lot of progress this year in the mental health space and it’s becoming more and more acceptable to open up and seek support. The need for development in this area can only get bigger as we move into 2019 and beyond, so organisations who overtly offer support here will stay ahead in the war for talent that is on the way. The HR Trend Institute also reports the increasing need for mental health support through technology – they call it ‘micro-learning’
- Line manager as coach
Managers will be under increasing pressure to coach on the job. IES Employment Studies believe it is central to the success of learning – learning is becoming a much more continuous and social process, as well as being more informal. It’s a good idea to start assessing the coaching capability of line management in preparation for the changes to come
Solutions to proactively prepare the workforce
At Parent & Professional, our career management interventions for 2019 will support the transition to the workplaces of the future – in particular we will help you develop your employees, parents and women in:
- Resilience in times of change
- Mental health awareness and coping strategies
- Managing change
- Upskilling managers to embrace and lead flexible teams
- One-to-one coaching, in collaboration with our online portal and App for the parental transition at work
Contact us info@pandpcoaching.co.uk for more details of these development solutions.