Written by: Talal Bayaa (Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Bayzat)
Edited by: Hagar ElKenany, Mona Timor Shehata
Publisher: Amira Haytham
The Human Resources industry in the Middle East is experiencing an upwards curve in terms of ongoing developments. With tremendous business competition and increasing use of new technologies, there is a significant change noticed in the industry. Using HR assessment tools, workshops on trending topics and strategic partnerships, the HR industry has undergone a positive change.
Below are the top five trends observed in the HR industry in the Middle East.
Automation is the key:
HR departments spend more than 70% of their time doing administrative work and answering questions about the company benefits. Due to this, they are unable to complete the department’s basic work. The introduction of Automation has been a boon to HR professionals. It helps manage employee records without any hassle. If HR processes are automated, leaders can regain control of their people management skills. This is less time-consuming and beneficial to both the department and the company. Companies are no longer ignorant of HR departments, and therefore continuous efforts are being made to ensure that there is a hands-free data entry and that all employee information and records are easily accessible. Automation tools are known as human resources management systems and can eliminate many routine paperwork – benefits, salaries, attendance – and automation. It is said that 36% of organizations expect to employ smart automation, which will lead to significant changes to the business and HR operating model.
Employee Involvement
Considering the advancements made in the HR industry, a completely new view has been developed in people’s minds. The industry is now moving towards employee involvement and experience. Companies are looking forward to collaborating with agencies that highlight the elements of the employee experience, in a very clear and transparent way with shared metrics. Employee involvement has helped create an environment in which people are an effective part of decisions and actions. 97% of employees want to be involved in these decisions and recognized for their contribution to the company. It is more of a management and leadership philosophy about how people are most empowered to contribute to the continuous improvement and the ongoing success of their work organization.
Transparency
Technological advancements mean increased and transparent access to information to all employees, especially employees, so leaders must be more open and authentic when communicating. The current situation is that companies aren’t holding anything back and that they respect every employee’s right to company information, including salary bifurcations and other benefits. The path to transparency has helped companies change the communication paradigm, and explore other channels and communication tools to reach people and engage them more effectively.
People Analytics
It is vital to understand employee behavior and performance. Predictive analytics tools from many HR technology agencies make it possible to analyze data regarding performance, recruitment, employee responsiveness and many other factors. This derived data is supporting and is being considered beneficial to decision-makers. The larger the organization, the more critical it is to derive this data.
Personalized learning and development
Personalization is building speed to become a must in today’s workplace. From creating flexible benefits programs that provide employees with options for career development and learning, personalization is the name of the game. One of the main trends that helped mold this industry is the art of understanding that the learning path needs to be personalized since one size does not fit all. Learning has moved beyond the office walls and gone towards modern methods. Companies now recognize that learning is a continuous state and that traditional learning management systems are not yet able to capture many of the learning experiences encountered by each employee. Well-established leadership training programs are 94% more likely to have a positive financial impact on the organization and are likely to have about 70% more positive impact on competitive performance.
In conclusion, bearing in mind these trends, it will not be less accurate to say that innovative training methodologies consistent with current best practices are of great importance. Middle East companies are carefully turning towards these trends to make Human Resources a successful game.