The New Breed of HR: The Evolution of People and Culture
By Jessica Gyles, HR Specialist
I know this may come as a shock, but human resources (HR) hasn’t always been looked at in a positive way. There was, and may still be, a negative stigma around HR. It can be labeled as paper-pushers, fun-stoppers, nay-sayers … and the list goes on. As an internal resource, the HR department can be seen as a monetary cost to the company. However, it can also cost the company in other ways.
At times, HR can be highly bureaucratic, procedural, and bogged down with process. So much so that it can cause friction between employees and the business. Employees may not ask for help from HR, and the business may be selective on how involved HR is in the decision-making process. This can create a disconnect between all three parties. But the good news is, this has evolved!
Yes, HR still is an overhead to a company, but modern HR is multi-faceted. This is not only seen in the career path, education, or background of an HR professional/department, but also with the strategic position HR carries — as a resource rather than a barrier.
So when did this shift start? The new breed of HR can be connected to the rise of technology and digital transformation. As demands and competition grew, the qualified talent pool shrunk, which created a need to use technology to automate processes and integrate recruitment and onboarding tools. In turn, this allowed both employees and HR to be more productive in their jobs and allowed HR to spend more time building relationships with employees and focus on the strategic side of the business.
As our blog on BPM + RPA says, “integration pushes us towards the day we can all imagine when tasks we find boring and repetitive are no longer our worry. A day when we can use our capacity on work that fully engages our empathy, our judgment, and our creativity.” Well, it looks like we’re well on our way!
HR is one of the strongest facilitators an organization has to communicate its core purpose to employees. But how will the HR landscape continue to change with more automation in the workplace? In this blog post, our Marketing Content and Communications Specialist, Rebecca Dakin, states that “it’s important to remember that people still matter!” And I couldn’t agree more.
Engagement is a must here at Bits In Glass (BIG), and HR spends a lot of time and effort making sure our employees are happy and committed to their job and company. Labeled as “cool HR”, the HR team is always finding creative ways to engage BIG employees so they feel part of the BIG team and the culture that makes it so special, whether they work remotely or in an office.
HR sits in a unique position between the business and its employees. At BIG we’ve experienced the success of having a strong relationship between the two. There’s support from the leadership team, encouraging employees to engage with HR initiatives, and there’s technology to help automate the more mundane HR processes and paperwork. Because of this, there’s more time for HR to develop programs that foster and build company culture so we can attract amazing talent in this competitive space. With this, I’m proud to say that HR not only has a seat at the table, but it facilitates engagement that results in positive changes within the company.
You can read all about the fun and innovative ways BIG keeps its employees feeling engaged and valued here.
