HRO Today December 2019 - 18

Cover Story
paradigm of HR leadership will emerge where leaders
empower their teams to drive innovation in the HR
function. Nedelcoff says that leaders will learn to lead
by example, attending trainings and practicing scenarios
to better model agile mindsets and behaviors.
And teams are in for a transformation as well. Mike
predicts that HR will increasingly adopt a more
collaborative structure that focuses on networks and
communities of expertise within and beyond the
enterprise. Rather than just making current processes
more efficient, HR teams will leverage new technologies
to enable entirely new ways of working, mirroring the
changes they hope to implement in the rest of the
business.
" The function of HR will become much more strategic
and consist of specialized individuals who are trained
and focused on talent and performance management,
employee relations, benefits, talent acquisition, culture,
and diversity, " says Jordan. " Having subject matter
experts in these divisions allows a higher focus on each
of these important areas. It also allows for more agility.
When you have a dedicated team responsible for the life
cycle of a program or process, it becomes much easier to
pivot and remain flexible as business needs evolve. "
These subject matter experts will not work in silos,
Mike says-they will collaborate in a flexible, adaptable
team environment that tackles business challenges and
opportunities rather than quickly outdated complianceor
efficiency-related people processes.
5. Compliance challenges are on the rise. In recent
years, transformations in government, society,
culture, technology, and the legal landscape have
dramatically impacted employers and the workforce.
From the #MeToo movement drawing attention to
sexual harassment in the workplace to the continued
legalization of marijuana across the country, HR leaders
have their hands full-and this is only expected to
continue in 2020. Here are some of the top compliance
challenges that HR will face in the coming year.
* Benefits. Minimum wage laws, salary history bans,
lactation laws, paid time off regulations, and a host of
other new developments mean that staying on top of
the patchwork of benefits-adjacent legislation will be
essential.
" Mandatory paid leave policies continue to evolve
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HRO TODAY MAGAZINE
| DECEMBER 2019
differently by state and locality, " says Jordan. " This
will become a challenge for HR to adequately track
and maintain compliance, especially for multi-state
employers. Salary history bans prohibiting inquiry
into past compensation and compensation equality
are also hot trends that continue to grow. It will be
important for HR to determine best practices around
these areas and determine when it is appropriate to
implement company-wide standard policies that meet
the requirements of the most stringent regulatory
requirements to ensure compliance. "
* Privacy. Data privacy compliance laws are also
becoming a hot topic, with HR leaders under pressure
to make sure they handle ever-increasing amounts of
employee data thoughtfully and intentionally. Allison
says that the question of how much data should be
shared, what data is confidential, and who should have
access to data will become paramount.
" We will have to find the guardrails around data, " she
explains. " When you start to merge information in one
place, that can be risky when there are data breaches.
There is a heightened sense of security and awareness.
In the future, data will be really accessible through
lots of devices. HR needs to have conversations about
what data they share, what they have access to, and
how to use the information they have. Trends, diversity
data, associate information-that data tells interesting
stories, but who gets to hear those stories internally?
HR will have to come to the table and enable those
conversations to happen. "
* Immigration. As immigration laws crack down in the
U.S. and abroad, HR leaders will also have to consider
how their policies will need to shift to contend with
the increased difficulty of recruiting and relocating
international talent.
Allison shares some key questions that will be top of
mind for HR leaders facing talent shortages: " How
will our policies shift to allow us to recruit talent from
anywhere? With AI and data analytics at the forefront,
where are we getting the tech talent that we need?
Do immigration policies need to be revised through
lobbying and having a voice in Washington? If loosening
immigration is not an option, how can we go to where
the talent is? "
HRO Today December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HRO Today December 2019
