In recent years, we have witnessed how digital disruption has altered the landscape in most industries to include Communications and Human Resources (HR) as well. HR professionals are experiencing expansion in their job scope to include more digital aspects such as proactively sourcing talent on online platforms, attending webinars or participating in online discussions.
The role of HR has evolved through time to include proficiency in social media skills particularly LinkedIn, digital job boards and participation in virtual career fairs.
Effective communication has always been a strategic necessity for the HR department and digital disruption places further emphasises on not just the need for effective communication but streamlining it through right channels to reach target segments.
Memos and emails are soon taking a backseat in the HR world of operations to create room for talent engagement with the company brand through productive discussions and immediate dialogues. This is facilitated through internal communication platforms such as Slack or even WhatsApp and other messaging apps.
HR professionals are now turning to modern communication channels such as videos and social media to achieve their goals and meet KPIs. A great example of the same is use of video presentations in recruitment, onboarding processes, formal training, and explaining HR policies to the new hires.
For us at Meltwater, we follow the mAcademy, an internal digital platform that houses professional training along with a database of articles and materials useful for our employees. Also, when it comes to recruitment marketing or advertising opportunities, we tend to take a more digital approach by posting listings on online job boards, social media, and company website.
See: Should HR and Internal Communications Collaborate for Better Employee Engagement?
Digital advancement has undoubtedly helped us stay abreast of the industry demands and trend shifts. Besides which, digital measurements are becoming more vital than ever even in HR. The fact that online conversations are taking place 24/7 all over the world, presents a great opportunity to gain more “outside insights.”
A study compiled by Capgemini Consulting unlocking the true potential of a HR shows that, over 3 million content pieces from employees across 200,000 companies are being shared on job boards like Glassdoor and JobStreet.
An increasing number of HR professionals are now looking for new age tools to assist them in drawing up on measurements, and to help make sense of online data available. For example, social listening helps gauge employee concerns, while becoming equally aware of their sentiments – both current and future employees.
Adapting to change in this digitally disrupted era is the key to engaging effectively with the team. It is part of the HR’s crucial role to highlight on the innovative opportunities that will improve on how work is done.
The influx of data makes it crucial for HR managers to shift to a data-driven approach for better decision making in terms of recruitment, learning and development. Modern tools help enable analysis of these internal and external insights to improve on the company’s efficiency, while retaining and attracting the best talents.
In years to come, digital will continue to disrupt and change the way HR works. To remain relevant in a competitive digital economy, HRs will have to incessantly monitor digital channels and platforms to ensure that they are actively listening and responding to the needs of the new-age digital learner/worker – the workforce of the future.
Author credit: Dasreena Kaur, Talent Acquisition Manager at Meltwater. She has 7 years working experience as a talent acquisition professional and is currently working on employer branding and hiring talent in the SEA region.
Also read: Changes in Employee Communication You Should Make in 2017
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