As we wave goodbye to the last 2 years people are eager to jump into 2022 and start looking ahead with optimism and excitement, HR now has a very steep hill to climb – the knock-on effect of the pandemic means there are a few big HR challenges 2022 will throw our way.
1. Resourcing
There are lots of resource issues currently and it seems it has never been harder to find and retain good quality candidates, so why wouldn’t you want to promote from within? You’re giving your people a path to progress and securing increased productivity and budgetary benefits for yourself.
According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2020 report, talent professionals had this to say about hiring internally:
- 81% agree that it improves retention.
- 63% agree that it accelerates the hiring process.
2022 could really be the year that internal promotion gets cranked up a notch! According to the LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report 2021, 51% of learning and development professionals say that it is a greater priority now than it was pre-COVID and according to the same report, employees at high internal promoting companies stay for twice as long as their lower counterparts so there’s really never been a better time to work on your company’s career progression plans.
2. Remote working
We are all sick of hearing about the pandemic, but we have to face the reality that it really has changed the way we work, and one of the biggest impacts has been the sudden switch to remote working.
Many organisations planned a phased return to the office in 2021, but many organisations have permanently closing many of their offices, with a view to keeping a hybrid approach of remote work and office-based work
So what if home working is here to stay? Then this is going to pose a massive challenge in 2022 for example:-
Hiring and on boarding in a home working / hybrid world of work
Many organisations paused recruitment efforts during the height of the pandemic. And as we move in to 2022 and back to “business as usual” we may start to see less pandemic-specific vacancies, and more traditional vacancies. But this is going to be quite the challenge as we come to terms with recruitment and on boarding in a remote-focused environment
Organisations are going to have to completely rethink not only how people are interviewed and what kinds of new approaches will need to be considered in order to thoroughly vet and examine candidates, but also how to go about getting new hires up to speed through digital and virtual means.
They will need to leverage technology to help with this and this will need to carry on through to the on boarding process. Rethinking how they train new people, on boarding packages will need to be much more thorough and comprehensive in order to account for the lack of face-to-face introductions, walk-throughs and hands-on experience new recruits used to get.
Identifying and supporting mental health and wellbeing needs
Studies have shown that there has been a marked increase in the mental health and wellbeing needs of people during lockdown and therefore there will probably be more people in your workforce struggling with their mental health. In the current circumstances of home working will also mean it is going to be a lot harder to spot the signs that they need help. This new way of working poses new challenges due to limited interaction. It is imperative therefore that Organisation review and rethink the way they support positive mental health and wellbeing, and adapt strategy to work in the new climate we find ourselves working in.
3. Aligning HR costs to support the business’s bottom line
There is no doubt that this pandemic has hit hard on the economy. This means that for many organisations, survival now depends on their ability to avoid bankruptcy. Careful review of Resources and Employee benefits can sometimes be the only option available with Restructuring and Redundancy to follow. Hard times ahead still present themselves for a lot of organisations.