HR Trends
Select three articles (published within the past five years), each from different peer-reviewed academic journals/magazines. [Utilize the above publications or other peer-reviewed academic journal/magazine publications you find through the Trident Online Library.] Find articles that specifically address the following:
Future HR trends. What main point(s) does each author make? Do you agree? Why or why not? Provide actual employer best practices in place now to meet the challenge of future HR trends. Also include the employers names.
In your 3-page submission (not counting the cover page or the References page), provide the citation to each peer-reviewed academic journal/magazine article and include the three sources in the References section. Include an appropriate Introduction and Conclusion to your paper.
H
R
HR
PERSPECTIVES
BenefitsPRO.com DECEMBER 2017 23
H
Rtrends
TECHNOLOGY, WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY and increased
awareness of generational differences continued to be
important issues for HR professionals and brokers in
2017. The rapid pace of change in technological tools,
mixed with dramatically different work styles among
the various age groups in todays workforce, present
ongoing challenges for those involved with managing
employee benefits.
In addition, the customization of benefits continues
to offer greater options to both employers and employ-
ees. With many Americans now enrolled in some form
of health savings account (HSA) arrangement, the use
of voluntary benefits, which can help protect against
unexpected costs, has been a growing trend, as well.
MAKING HR MILLENNIAL-FRIENDLY
Generational differences have been a hot topic for HR
departments, as well as brokers who are educating com-
panies and their workers on benefits, for several years.
The largest single trend is the general difference
between workers, says David Reid, founder and CEO
of EaseCentral, an HR software company based in San
Francisco. Especially between baby boomers and
millennialstheyre completely different animals.
Reid notes the dramatic difference in the way baby
boomers and millennials are used to getting infor-
mation. It used to be you got a 20-page packet that
was stapled, and workers took it home, studied it and
looked at it with a spouse, he says. With millen-
nials, you might as well print that on toilet paper,
because it isnt going anywhere. They consume their
information only through the web.
Rodney Alvarez, vice president of talent manage-
ment at Boston-based Celtra Inc., and a member of the
HR Disciplines panel at the Society for Human Re-
source Management, says some of his companys most
popular offerings among millennials are voluntary ben-
efits apps that can be navigated from a smartphone.
Generational issues arent going away, he says.
The way millennials use technology and benefits is
very different that the old ways that benefits were ad-
ministered. With millennials, everything is self-service;
BUZZ-
WORTHY
HR Emerging trends in the workplace during 2017
By Scott Wooldridge
http://www.benefitssellingdigital.com/benefitsselling/december_2017/TrackLink.action?pageName=25&exitLink=http%3A%2F%2FBenefitsPRO.com
DECEMBER 2017 24 BenefitsPRO magazine
H
R
H
Rtrends
everything has a portal.
They want to be empow-
ered to do everything
themselvesto research
it, and then go get it.
Alvarez company
resides in the tech sector,
where the race to attract
and retain young workers
is fiercehe calls it hy-
percompetitive. Alvarez
says to cater to younger
workers, companies are
offering things like com-
muter benefits, programs
that help repay student
debt, and generous fami-
ly leave options.
We implemented 18
weeks of maternity leave, and Im see-
ing other companies get close to that,
he says. We are also now offering pa-
ternity leave, with six weeks off with full
pay, and six week transitioning back.
TRANSPARENCY BREAKTHROUGHS
Younger workers are demanding de-
vice-friendly solutions, but all employ-
ees are helped by platforms that make
benefit options easier to understand
and access. The recent development of
software that brings transparency to
health care interactions is a promising
new step, according to Reid.
He points to apps such as Amino.com
and EligibleAPI as examples of services
that could revolutionize the way con-
sumers access health care information.
Amino.com is a startup that has com-
piled de-identified records from 220 mil-
lion patients and data from $1.8 trillion
in health insurance claims in the U.S. to
create an app that can give consumers
information on costs of specific proce-
dures for specific providers at almost
any clinic or hospital in the country.
The cost-saving potential of this type
of service is obvious, and it is available
for free to consumers. Employers can
also partner with Amino for a fee to add
the transparency tool to their workers health benefits platform.
Reid says Amino.com has cost information that was almost impos-
sible to get before. You go ask your doctor how much a procedure
is going to cost, and they dont know, he says. They dont know
what the reimbursement is going to be because it depends on the
carrier. Amino, as a transparency tool, cuts through that and lets the
consumer see how much a service is going to cost at that doctor.
Another technological breakthrough is the emergence of applica-
tion programming interfaces (APIs), which are programming proto-
cols that allow apps to share data.
In an article for the Harvard Business Review, Robert S. Huck-
man and Maya Uppaluru write that although health data APIs have
been slow to develop, they could have a big impact on how health
care is delivered.
In a health care market where APIs are commonplace, patients
could have easy, efficient access to their own data, which would
help them understand their own health and make more informed
choices, Huckman and Uppaluru write. Providers would be em-
powered by innovative user interfaces and analytics platforms that
could support their clinical decision making. Researchers could have
easier access to detailed clinical and claims data to create hypothe-
ses and identify trendsand create a better experience for individu-
als donating their data for science.
One API that has recently come online is Eligible, which provides
eligibility and insurance verification for health care providers, and
can give patients quick access to their billing status.
Reid says that these types of peer transparency tools give pa-
tients, providers and insurance plans a degree of cross-platform
interoperability that has not been possible in the past.
Two years ago, these tools didnt exist, and theyre right around
the corner from being on everybodys mobile device, he says.
http://www.benefitssellingdigital.com/benefitsselling/december_2017/TrackLink.action?pageName=26&exitLink=http%3A%2F%2FAmino.com
http://www.benefitssellingdigital.com/benefitsselling/december_2017/TrackLink.action?pageName=26&exitLink=http%3A%2F%2FAmino.com
http://www.benefitssellingdigital.com/benefitsselling/december_2017/TrackLink.action?pageName=26&exitLink=http%3A%2F%2FAmino.com
BenefitsPRO.com DECEMBER 2017 25
H
R
H
Rtrends
Lisa Boucher, vice president of Cross Employee
Benefits in Portland, Maine, says her company has
worked with transparency platforms such as Direct-
Path and MyMedicalShopper. These are the tools
everyone has been looking for, she says. They
can go in and extract the data on what a health care
procedure is going to cost that person. Its definitely
something that has not been availableand it not
only helps the individuals, it also helps the employer
from a total claims cost perspective.
Boucher adds that consumers find these transparen-
cy tools appealing because they serve as an unbiased,
third-party source of information. People are confi-
dent that theyre getting accurate data, she says.
ARE VOLUNTARY BENEFITS BECOMING MANDATORY?
The popularity of voluntary benefits continued to
grow in 2017, especially with more people enrolled
in HSAs and health reimbursement accounts (HRAs).
Many voluntary benefit products help cover unex-
pected, or unexpectedly high, costs that might create
a problem for families who are on plans with high
deductibles. Examples of such products include critical illness insur-
ance and accident insurance.
Absolutely, we are seeing that voluntary benefits have really tak-
en off in the past few years, says Boucher. They help employers
round out their benefit offerings to their employees.
She notes that health plans in her state have traditionally featured
higher deductibles than in many other places, so having voluntary
benefit plans that cover things like accidents or critical illnesses can
help ease the sticker shock. You can fill in the gaps; if someone
with a $2,000 or $3,000 deductible has an accident and has to go to
the ER, a voluntary benefit will help them cover some of those costs.
Its how were back-filling certain high-deductible policies.
Reid agrees. Now that people are paying more out of pocket,
theyre increasingly interested in voluntary benefits, he says.
Were seeing a bigger demand for these products from employees
who want to pick and choose which benefits work best for them.
The range of voluntary benefits now on the marketwhich
includes life insurance, short-term disability, legal coverage, and
moreallows many employees to fine-tune their coverage, Reid
adds. It used to be that an employer had half a dozen benefit plans
on offer, and could choose what they liked. Now, employers may
have several core benefit plans options, but they could literally have
two dozen supplemental policies from which employees can pick,
according to their needs.
COSTLY DRUGS AND FLEXIBLE WORKPLACES
Boucher says plan enrollees she works with are also struggling with
prescription drug costs. What were seeing across all clients is a
significant increase in
the cost of prescription
drugsspecialty drugs
in particular, she says.
Employers are having to
make changes in benefit
plans to offset some of
the cost.
She adds that brokers
are hearing about a need
for better education
among both employers
and their workersoften
because of changing pre-
dictions about the fate of
the Affordable Care Act.
Weve been talking em-
ployers and employees
alike off the ledge; there
are so many mixed mes-
sages, and costs continue
to be so high. So we are
spending a lot of time answering ques-
tions around that.
Workplace flexibility is another top-
ic that employees and companies are
talking about. Boucher and Alvarez
noted that although more flexibility is
a good thing in general, some com-
panies have pulled workers back into
the office, rather than letting them
work remotely.
Although Alvarez company has
different locations, it does want its em-
ployees at the office, rather than work-
ing at home. We want people to be in
one place so we can share information.
We believe that provides more collab-
oration and strengthens the culture,
he says.
Reid notes, however, that remote
workers are a new realityand that
companies are just trying to find the
right balance. Physical location is
becoming less important, and the
younger workforce prefers to work
from home, he says. But its still
good to regularly bring employees
together. Theres no replacement for
that contact.
Now that
people are
paying
more out
of pocket,
theyre
increasingly
interested
in voluntary
benefits.
http://www.benefitssellingdigital.com/benefitsselling/december_2017/TrackLink.action?pageName=27&exitLink=http%3A%2F%2FBenefitsPRO.com
Copyright of BenefitsPRO is the property of ALM Media, LLC and its content may not be
copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s
express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for
individual use. www.humancapitalonline.com16 January 2016
COVER STORY
HR trends
and challenges for
2016: A 360
degree makeover?
2016 promises to be an exciting year for HR and HR Practitioners. This
article endeavours to look into the HR scene in general and the Talent
Management scene in particular. Here are early insights, albeit general,
into the year ahead
– BY RAJIB KUMAR
www.humancapitalonline.com January 2016 17
C O V E R S T O R Y
the verge of becoming a critical factor in the
process of identification and response to
business challenges. Companies desirous of
achieving a competitive edge need to get data
oriented insights into workforce trends and
take appropriate action in assorted areas like
recruitment, compensation and performance
management.
At the end of the day, it is the people
factor which draws the distinction between a
successful organization and an unsuccessful
one. It is therefore pertinent that people centric
data is used suitably and on a timely basis for
an efficient managerial decision making
process.
Need For Integrated Human Capital Management
Systems
The Obama Government has amended the Affordable Care Act
that favours all those employees working in companies that carry
a workforce of more than 50. This has implied that the previous
practice of the annual enrolment programme to a monthly process
of tracking and reporting extensive data. Thus, it would be
incumbent upon firms to collect data from personnel in assorted
functions to address statutory requirements. This also revisits the
need for the development of an integrated human capital
management solution. (See box)
Employee Engagements To Rule
Organizations are increasingly focusing on enhancing their
employee engagement to achieve better performance. Research
indicates that employee engagement is strongly linked to business
outcomes that is so much necessary for financial success. Engaged
employees are conventionally seen to drive the cause of innovation
and growth. Further, with the expansion of the service sector, the
Transformation through
employee participation
A culture of participation is driving efficiency at
Eaga Eaga is one of Europe’s fastest growing
green support services companies. Established
as an employee owned company in 1990, Eaga
continued its commitment to employee
ownership when the business floated in 2007.
Today, 36% of Eaga’s share capital is held in
Trust for its employees (still referred to as
“Partners”) by the Eaga Partnership Trust.
A culture of participation is driving efficiency at
Eaga Eaga is one of Europe’s fastest growing
green support services companies. Established
as an employee owned company in 1990, Eaga
continued its commitment to employee
ownership when the business floated in 2007.
Today, 36% of Eaga’s share capital is held in
Trust for its employees (still referred to as
“Partners”) by the Eaga Partnership Trust.
Eaga has expanded rapidly over the last four
years, growing from 400 to over 4,000 Partners
and at the same time diversifying and expanding
its services. This was part of a programme
called Eaga Cares which was designed to ensure
that the values of the business continued to
shape day to day decisions and behaviour.
(Source: www.ipa-involve.com/EasySiteWeb/
GatewayLink.aspx?alId=161904)(Source: http://www.surveycrest.com/blog/infographic-millenials-vs-
baby-boomers/
I
(Source: http://www.slideshare.net/singhalshubham/hr-analytics-32826595)
direct customer interface factor enhances the
employee development requirement.
Again, the service proposition mandates
quicker decision making on the part of the
employees directly involved in servicing
customers. It is therefore mandatory for greater
employee engagement to ensure that this occurs
in an effective and a sustained manner.
ncreased Need For Analytics Tools
Analytics-The ability to collect, process
and analyse large amounts of data- is on
www.humancapitalonline.com18 January 2016
(Source: http://www.recruitingunblog.com/tag/talent-
mapping)
More Customized Programs
Based on the previous proposition, “Less standardization,
Greater customization” is expected to be the order of
the day. Organizational programs need to be customized
based on specific requirements and capabilities of the
Talent Inventory. This is akin to a firm making products
based on customer needs. It makes no sense for the
organization to endeavour or move into areas wherein
its workforce do not carry the required acumen or
skillsets.
Importance Of Subject Knowledge Over
Intuitive Management
Subject knowledge of HR is gaining importance with
every passing day. Intuitive thinking is not seen to be
sufficiently reliable and organizations are seeking proven
ability. Employers, on the othr hand, are looking for a
tangible correlation with organizational success in
prospective profiles. Academic qualifications and
acquired certifications therefore shall continue to
hold importance. Among several factors that are
driving the cause of certified knowledge and experience-
promiment among them being the higher supply of
competent human resources. Thus, comparative analysis
among prospects shall be based on the quality of certified
experience and knowledge.
From Secrecy To Transparency
While confidentiality and secrecy have ruled the ambit
of Talent Management over the years, the new generation
seeks greater transparency. In such a scenario, it would
COVER STORY
More Millennials
Research data show that the Millennials will account for
nearly half the global workforce by the year 2020. In
certain organizations, they are already the dominant
workforce and exceed the combined numbers of Gen X
and the Baby Boomers. Therefore, organizations wanting
to attract and retain Millennial talent
will need to ensure that the e n t i r e
process from sourcing through onboarding is managed
through social media.
Expected Trends in Talent Management:
In today’s global business environment, conceivably, the
key to success in an enterprise lies in creating a
sustainable talent pipeline. It is therefore sensible to
carry out a detailed review on the Talent Management
arena.
Community management as a recruitment
tool
“Recruitment has to make the shift from reactive to
proactive. The practice to create communities around
your organization, a kind of “fan clubs”, is growing rapidly.
The communities are connected to your organizations
by various means and through the community you can
give people a real experience of what it means to be part
of your organization. When opportunities occur,
candidates from the communities can very organically
become part of your organization.” – Suman Datta,
Assistant Manager HR, DQ Entertainment International
Limited
Broader view of Talent
With changing business as well as employee needs, talent
today has a much wider perspective. On the one hand,
we have individuals who are merely looking to garner
experience with the intention of moving on to something
else sooner than later. On the other, we have those who
are strictly looking for a specific kind of experience in a
certain project or assignment.
In light of this, it is important for recruiters to assess the
personal objectives of the available human resource. In
other words, the need is to create a broader Talent pool
based on individual resourcerequirements. This adds to
the challenge of encompassing the dimension of
sustainability to the Talent pipeline.
For The Layman
HR ANALYTICS – Human resource analytics (HR
analytics) is an area in the field of analytics that denotes
application of analytic processes to the human resource
function with the goal of improving employee performance
and consequently ensuring better return on investment.
HR analytics is not just about gathering data on employee
efficiency; it endeavours to provide insight into each
Human Resource process by organizing data and then
making suitable use of the same for taking appropriate
decisions on how these processes could be improved.
What HR analytics essentially does is correlate business
data and people data, which subsequently helps in
establishing important connections. A key aspect of HR
analytics is to overwhelmingly demonstrate the impact
the HR function has on the organization as a whole.
Establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between what
HR does and appropriate business outcomes – and then
formulating strategies based on such information is what
HR analytics is all about.
HR has core functions that can be enriched by applying
processes in analytics. HR analytics helps address
problems associated with these core functions and
guide the managers and gaining insights from
information at hand, then make relevant decisions and
take appropriate actions.
www.humancapitalonline.com January 2016 19
C O V E R S T O R Y
be important to use transparency in Talent
Management to achieve better
engagement. Again, this is in the general
alignment of the overall paradigm shift in
business. From the dark days of secrecy
and confidentiality, transparency is the
new buzz word acquiring the required
wings and demonstrating equality in the
workplace. It has been found that
organizations that have practised
transparency in the area of employee
management have got better results in
terms of employee engagement.
The Increasing Importance Of HR
Analytics
Just like in the general HR scene, analytics
would continue to play an important role
in terms of Talent Management. Data
would continue to give greater insights
into Talent Management and Acquisition.
HR analytics is taking people management
to the next level. Unwarranted reliance
on “instinct” is giving way to an effective
use of data. HR analytics is adding a
totally new dimension to the way we are
looking at data as well; from a reactive role, we are
looking at a proactive role of data under its aegis.
From Annual To Frequent Feedback
In a dynamic business environment with ever changing
operational and strategic requirements,
people feedback needs to be made
available more frequently for pure
business needs. From an annual fare,
the need for feedback would
increasingly be a more frequent affair.
From Succession Planning And
Management To Creating
Broad Talent Pools
In a dynamic business environment,
meticulous succession planning is going
to take a backseat. The process has in
fact already started. It makes no sense
to put in so much effort into an area
that poses uncertainties, given the
changing business dynamics. The point
is that all the sincere efforts to groom
talent to take up a certain position may
come to nought if the positional
requirements need to be fulfilled in a
radical manner in the ever changing business landscape.
It therefore does not require rocket science to deduce
that the talent pool is required to be broadened to fulfil
the required resource for the business.
The Way Forward
A new era awaits us! An era that promises
For The Layman
GEN Y/MILLENNIALS – Each Generation consists of approximately
a 20-year span (though all generation researchers do not agree on
the exact start and stop dates) having unique set of values.
The Veterans (also known as the Silent Generation) 1925-1943;The
Baby Boomers 1943-1964; The Gen Xers 1965-1982; Millennial/Gen Y
1982 -2002
Some characteristics of Millennial Generation:
civic-minded
collectively optimistic, long-term planners, high achievers with lower
rates of violent crime, smoking and alcohol use/abuse
They believe that they have the potential to be great
Individualistic but appreciate groups/teams
Hate chores
Ambitious yet lack focus
HUMAN CAPITAL – It is a measure of the economic value of employees’
skills. The Human Capital concept builds on the basic production input
of “labour” wherein all labour is thought to be equal. Human Capital goes
on to give recognition to the fact that all labour is not equal and quality
of labour can actually be improved by appropriate investments. Human
Capital concept gives credence to the fact that appropriate education,
experience and capabilities of employees hold economic value for the
enterprise as well as the economy as a whole.
HC
Credits:
http://blog.adp.com/2015/11/04/5-top-hr-trends-to-watch-for-in-2016 #sthash.e6IFopt9.dpuf
http://hrtrendinstitute.com/2015/05/13/10-talent management-trends-for-2016/
to be on quick response mode at all times to the ever
changing strategic and operational business needs. In
light of this, the expanse of Talent Acquisition and
Management would be even greater, rendering it
imperative to make use of tools like People Analytics and
Social Media.
At a juncture, when
Time itself is the most
diminishing resource and
is being equated with
money, the onus is ever
on human resources
department to bell the cat
in an organization. Talent
Acquisition Managers can
in no way ignore proven
and documented success
for Talent. Further, on-
board, transparency in
Talent Management over
“under the wraps”
manoeuvres shall ever
ensure continued quality
engagement.
All the above can
therefore be translated as
the best times for HR and it is up to us to make hay
while the sun is shining upon us in all his resplendent
glory.
Copyright of Human Capital is the property of Oswal Printers & Publishers Pvt. Ltd and its
content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the
copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email
articles for individual use. www.humancapitalonline.com March 2016 37
Disruptive HR trends:
A futurist’s views
comes an annual desire to understand
as to what may emerge as the most
important HR topics or issues in the
months ahead.
Once viewed as a cost center,
organizations are now including HR
in key decision making. Technology is
enabling HR leaders to create a critical
business case for what they bring to
the table and they are becoming a
valuable part of strategic senior
leadership.
While the change augurs well, it is
imperative to remain abreast of the
trends which are disrupting and
evolving HR practices across all
organizations. These trends have been
here for quite sometime,but their
pronounced effects are being
experienced now. Let us understand
as to why there is a very consuming
need to change.
Generally, when we speak of trends
affecting workplace dynamics the
most common topic is change in
demographics and its derivatives.
a. More and more millennials with
very different work styles are
entering the market.
b. More professionals are seeking
short term stints instead of full-
time jobs as the freelance
marketplaces expand.
c. Maternity leave is becoming an
emerging as an extremely
important employee benefit.
Consumerisation of HR
Technology
Integration of content from
innumerous sources. The trend is
SAKSHI SOOD
HC
GEN Y SPEAK
specific skill training.
b. Organizations are moving from 1:1
succession management to
broader talent pools
c. Performance management is
emerging as the secret ingredient-
i. Companies are moving from
regular to annual to maybe even
real time feedback
ii. The trend is also to move from a
secretive to a more transparent
culture
5. As we speak, the topic of
workplace flexibility is getting in
vogue. Companies are laying more
emphasis on office design and layout
and using these to improve
collaboration and attract top talent.
Conclusion
The explosion of external people data
has led to the emergence of a new
world full of information. In addition
to this, there are multifarious forces
shaping the dynamics and role of HR
in modern day organizations. It is now
imperative for companies to learn to
manage and take advantage of the
evolving HR capability for better
recruiting, retention and leadership
development. Embracing and working
on utilizing the changes to remain up
the curve is going to be the mantra
for survival for organizations in days
to come.
Sakshi Sood is an Electronics Engineering
Graduate from NIT, Surat withMBA in HR from
SIBM, Pune. She currently works for Merck in
Mumbai and hasworked with reputed
organizations across different sectors in the
past. Sheis an avid reader and takes keen
interest in the current trends in the HRdomain.
W
ith the New Year’s celebrations
just gone by, like every year, in
the minds of HR professionals
HR trends have been here for quite
some time, but their pronounced
effects are being experienced now.
towards shifting the focus to more
consumer-like experience and away
from tools created to streamline the
work of HR administration.
a. The emergence of mobile as the
new and widely accepted commu-
nication platform. With the expo-
nential increase in the number of
smartphone users, it is
unsurprising that HR is starting to
leverage on mobile as its new
communication platform.
b. Apps as the Platform of the Future-
Gamification is penetrating in all
spheres.In fact, wearable
technology is being taken more
seriously. We are evolving into a
more mature market for feedback,
culture, employee well-being,
wellness, and productivity systems.
2. Redefining Employee Engage-
ment – We are entering an era with a
heightened focus on quality.
Thisrecognition is just the beginning
of what we see as a long-term
movement by companies to simplify
work and overhaul the work
environment to help employees focus
and relieve stress.
3. The era of People Analytics -An
emerging range ofERP vendors are
offering multiple predictive analytics
packages which help identify
employee flight risks to whether a new
office layout is working or not.And not
just this, these vendors also provide
cost effective and comprehensive
talent management techniques to
support recruiting, learning, etc.
4. To a broader definition of talent
a. With learning and development
into the spotlight, more
customized programs are being
designed for general to very
Copyright of Human Capital is the property of Oswal Printers & Publishers Pvt. Ltd and its
content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the
copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email
articles for individual use.
