“New imperative for HR will be to influence day-to-day changes, and play a critical role in organisation design,” Chandrasekhar Mukherjee

A big change in 2022

Human resource leaders will have to see how the new trends have and will alter the organisation’s strategic goals and plans, and what immediate and long-term workforce adjustments will be needed as a result.

Also, HR will need to analyse the impact of multiple scenarios to identify and prepare for technological, social and labour changes that can significantly shift talent needs. The new imperative for HR will be to influence day-to-day changes, create trust and team cohesion, and play a critical role in organisation design and change management.

Great resignation a disguise of great movement

The ‘great resignation’ is due to many factors. The normal annual attrition had hit the pause button due to the pandemic, and organisations are rehiring after laying off employees. Certain sectors, such as technology and manufacturing, are hiring additional workforces due to growth in business.

Organisations that lacked a positive and inclusive company culture in a remote work environment are seeing higher than normal attrition. How employees are treated during a bad/abnormal phase is also very critical to the flight of talent from an organisation.

“It is important for HR to be credible activists in the eyes of all stakeholders, including the organisation, line managers, employees and society at large”

HR to look beyond models and best practices; be more innovative and hands on

Human recource needs to embrace complexity and not be over reliant on models or best practices. Models may help deal with complexities, but successful HR teams embrace complexities, as they realise that human behaviour is complex and difficult to predict. The need of the hour is for HR to take up the role of an activist in a positive sense. A credible activist is seen as a successful and effective HR professional— one who drives business results, is trusted by business leaders and also has a strong point of view. It is important for HR to be credible activists in the eyes of all stakeholders, including the organisation, line managers, employees and society at large.

HR managing compliance issues

Statutory and regulatory compliance is increasing by the day and with the implementation of the new labour codes, I foresee compliance taking up a substantial amount of time of senior HR professionals, including working towards a mindset change within the organisation vis-à-vis compliance. As a society, we need to move from a ‘Chalta Hai’ attitude towards compliance — to being more compliant in all spheres of life.

Change in leadership development programmes in 2022

Post the pandemic, change management will be a critical competency for any successful manager. Hence, I do see a great need for high-quality and carefullytargeted leadership programmes, which should include development of lifecoaching skills. Flexible workforces are becoming a reality and a long term trend. Independence and autonomy were a positive experience. Going back to the old situation, working in the office with a manager close by does not seem to be a very nice prospect for many. Hence, managers and leaders need to relearn the art of managing and leading.