As the global pandemic situation continues to develop and we move through continual transitions in the workplace, fuelled by new technologies, the future of the HR function has never been more exciting, daunting and challenging to pin down.

Where are we now?:

• A key function of HR leadership is in tracking emerging skills and the impact of technology, bringing observed trends into people strategy and workforce planning discussions.

• As we have all experienced, COVID-19 has turned our work-lives upside down. Companies have been forced to re-think where their employees work, the way they work and how they stay connected and productive. The pace of change in technology development has only accelerated.

• Business disruptions have resulted in fundamental shifts to key work trends. Many positive changes have been uncovered which might otherwise have taken decades to happen. These trends are radically changing work and employment expectations.

• After some initial resistance, many HR leaders and organisations are welcoming the waves of change thrust upon them.

• Changes to core HR functions have been seen across all industries and sizes of organisations. HR is increasingly focused on holistic employee well-being, supporting remote/hybrid team management through new technologies and helping businesses incorporate people analytics and data into decision-making.

What can you do?:

• Support the building of resilience across your organisation, nurturing remote workers’ purpose and sense of belonging. A workplace culture that promotes psychological safety and has access to learning opportunities and resources makes it easier to hold on to top talent (and reduces the impact of ‘The Great Resignation’).

• Emphasise employee well-being and ensure all employees have adequate support. HR is tasked with managing the entire employee experience as lines between work and life increasingly blur.

• Keep up to speed with the trends and changes happening in your sector and function, always be on the lookout for opportunities to learn new knowledge skills and grow laterally. A broad skill base will always give you an edge in the future HR jobs market.

What's next?:

• Innovative solutions to tomorrow’s challenges will be demanded of HR and technology will play a larger role in a wide range of job descriptions. We will increasingly see human-augmented roles emerging, and HR roles will be no exception.

• This is HR’s moment to help guide their organisations into the future. It is a huge responsibility but also a fantastic opportunity to support and provide employees with the skills and capabilities required to find success in tomorrow’s workplace.

The best insights we've found from around the web on future HR trends:

1. Explore these 10 HR trends for the post-pandemic future of HR.

2. Close to 100 CHROs, CLOs and VPs of talent and workforce transformation envision HR’s evolution over the next 10 years with 21 HR Jobs of the Future.

3. Explore the future of HR in 3 timeframes: Right now (2021), 5 years and 10 years into the future.

4. The newly released data from McKinsey’s Reskilling Survey discusses skill transformations in organisations.