Creating a Top HR Strategy in 2022

HR leaders and professionals need to be immensely adaptable. They always need to be altering and fine-tuning their tactics and strategies, ready to adjust their approach to suit the changes of the world around them. And now being adaptable is more important than ever.

One of the many ways in which HR professionals can lead their teams to success in the months to come is by focusing on some of the top industry trends. This blog will take a closer look at some of those trends, as well as exploring ways you can use them to strengthen your strategy.

Working Remotely 

One of the biggest changes we saw in the world of business once COVID-19 hit was a shift out of traditional offices and into home offices. Worldwide, countless people have been working remotely from home due to safety reasons and lockdown rules. Even as vaccines roll out, it's expected that working from home is here to stay.

Building an Inclusive Workplace

In recent years, the world has started to focus much more on how people in the workplace treat one another. When workers feel bullied, harassed, or simply stressed about having to enter a toxic work environment each day, they want to be able to turn to HR for help. We’ll continue to see businesses striving to build more ethical and inclusive workplaces, with HR having an essential role to play.

Developing Skills

Of course, studies and reports show that one of the most important priorities for HR leaders is skill-building. In surveys, this tends to be ranked as the most significant challenge for HR year after year—and 2021 is no different.

HR leaders want to become better at upskilling their workforces. From adjusting your recruiting tactics to bring in better quality hires or adjusting your skill development strategy, there are various ways to do this. To implement upskilling at your organization, you could offer learning and development classes, stretch assignments, or career pathing programs—all designed to solve for specific skill gaps.

Redesigning the Employee Journey

Before COVID-19, your company may have had a standard employee journey blueprint in place. For example, when a new worker was brought on board, you might have had a process ready to welcome them to the office, introduce them to the team, take them out for lunch, and so on.

In a post-COVID world, that sort of experience can't quite be the same. HR in 2022, therefore, needs to focus on redesigning and formulating the employee journey. Virtual onboarding should be a priority for HR leaders, with the focus on personalization, welcoming and introducing employees to the different sides of the business, and ensuring compliance. Everything from team meetings and conferences, giving and receiving feedback, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance need to be taken into account.

Improving Diversity in Leadership

Statistics, studies, and surveys of HR leaders also reveal an ever-growing demand for more diversity in positions of leadership and authority. Even with good intentions, many HR professionals are struggling with this—and it's clear that more needs to be done, with reports showing low percentages of women and people of ethnic or racial minorities in leadership positions. 

One way to change this is to diversify your recruiting practices, looking at different sources and areas so you’re able to attract a wide range of candidates. Through programs around mentorship and leadership development, you can facilitate a workplace environment where younger talent works together with senior executives in order to help to nurture their growth into positions of leadership later in their careers.

Want to learn more about the future of HR? Check out our blog post on 7 Leadership Trends in the Post-Pandemic Workplace.