Recruiting in the technological age: how to adapt?

Technology has completely changed the rules of the world of employment. The construction of flexible teams, the retention of the best and the formation of multidisciplinary profiles are trends that are more important than ever. In this new scenario, professionals must continually renew their skills and adapt to workforces in which diversity prevails.

The technological transformation of society has been one of the main consequences, but the impact of the new tools has not stopped there. There have also been economic, demographic and social challenges. Inevitably, all this has reached the business field and the relations between employees and companies are no longer the same. We find ourselves in a scenario in which the rules that determine how organizations are structured are being rewritten.

More than 10.000 human resources managers from 140 countries have analyzed what the companies of the future should be like and what situation they are in now. Their conclusions are included in the annual report Global Human Capital Trends 2017: "Rewriting the Rules for the Digital Age", prepared by Deloitte. “The world of employment is changing at breakneck speed. Technology and people are advancing at a very fast pace and companies and regulation are lagging behind. The challenge for organizations is to implement new rules in their corporate culture and thereby reduce the gap that exists between employees and employers, "says the report. The truth is that 2017 has been positioned as the year in which disruptive models will be implemented in people management and we must be prepared to work in the digital age. These are some trends that are marking this revolution:

new organizations

88% of those surveyed consider that it is important or very important to build organizations that respond to the needs of the future. One of the first steps is to end the hierarchy and move to the "redarchy", that is, create companies based on internal networks. It is about configuring teams focused on a specific product or service and not so much on some functions. In this new way of setting up work groups, multidisciplinary professionals are needed. “It resembles the philosophy of a start up. Therefore, small companies have an easier time implementing these measures”, says Salom.

race management

The concept of career has radically changed. The career trajectory is now much longer and on average we will work until we are 60 or 70 years old. In addition, the time spent in a company will be four or five years and the average life of the skills is also five years, after which they become obsolete. In this context, 83% of companies recognize the relevance of implementing more flexible systems that allow each professional to decide where they should direct their career. Innovative learning models are necessary, with content accessible at any time or even platforms for the professionals themselves to update the training material. However, organizations are not yet ready to offer these new systems to their employees.

Acquire the right talent

This is one of the newest trends compared to the editions of previous years. This time, 81% of human resources managers have shown themselves to be more concerned with improving their ability to select candidates. Today, technology plays a fundamental role in recruiting tasks. Although companies are investing a lot of money in automation, the truth is that people management is still a pending issue. We must pay more attention to the networking that is done on social networks, enhance data analysis to get to know all collaborators better, create algorithms that track millions of websites with the aim of recruiting the best professional, as well as launch simulators that help determine if the prospective employee will fit in with the company's culture.

employee experience

Achieving the satisfaction of human resources continues to be a challenge for organizations. Companies are now dedicating more resources to redesigning occupations, changing the way they lead and studying the needs of professionals with the aim of promoting their well-being. 79% affirm that it is essential to improve the relationship they have with the different teams. “In the age of robotics and artificial intelligence, the employee experience is more important than ever, even more so than that of customers,” the report concludes.

Leadership

The transition to a digital model has completely changed the type of leaders that companies need. Today more agile, diverse and young profiles are sought to occupy leadership positions and it is time to give way to a digital mandate capable of managing new teams. However, more than 60% of companies refuse to invest in different forms of leadership. However, this renewal is mandatory and in this sense the report recovers the words of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook: “The risk is not taking risks. In a rapidly changing world, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is to take no chances."

digital strategies

When implementing disruptive structures, organizations must mainly take into account three areas: the needs of the workforce, changes in the workplace and the new way of operating for human resource experts. How can organizations move towards a management model with which the culture of innovation is practiced and content is shared? How should communication systems be used to promote the feeling of belonging? To what extent do the functions of human resources departments have to change so that they use tools and apps that allow constant innovation? These are some basic questions to ask yourself. This is the only way to introduce strategies that contain innovative techniques such as “design thinking”.

Employee data

Knowing, analyzing and interpreting the data that defines each of the employees is more important than ever. For this reason, organizations are beginning to adopt big data techniques to discover what their professionals are like, as well as creating predictive models that allow them to anticipate possible problems and certain behaviors. Although 79% of those surveyed recognize the importance of these methodologies, only 8% have created mathematical models that help them manage people. However, the prospects are good and its implementation is expected to increase in order to better decide how to increase the productivity and well-being of its employees.

Diversity and inclusion

This is a problem in companies around the world. Organizations in the digital age are configured from team networks and, therefore, it is essential to create environments that facilitate dialogue and the incorporation of different work styles. The market is becoming more global and companies around the world are challenged to create inclusive models that take into account all types of professionals.

future of professionals

The arrival of robotics in the world of employment has reinvented the way of working and managing staff. The so-called “gig economy” has brought different employment formulas, has created disruptive occupations and has made skills crucial in any profession.