Top 6 HR Challenges Professionals Are Tackling Today

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Top 6 HR Challenges Professionals Are Tackling Today 1. Identifying and hiring candidates for open jobs 2. Adopting AI and other emerging technologies 3. Managing remote and hybrid work 4. Managing benefits and perks programs 5. Staying competitive with compensation 6. Staffing HR roles within the organization

Job openings remain near historic highs, and the pool of job seekers continues to shrink, with hiring managers reporting challenges in bringing talent on board. Robert Half research reveals almost half (48%) struggle with a lack of applicants with the required skill sets.

Amid ongoing challenges, HR teams must be more adept than ever at locating talent beyond placing job ads. At the same time, they must excel at marketing their companies to potential employees so the most skilled applicants are eager to join their team.

Recruiters are finding candidate sourcing success through other channels like soliciting recommendations from their own team and working their personal and professional networks, including social media. This is the time for recruiters to have boots on the ground, exploring their community for potential prospects. Many will start working with an external talent solutions firm to broaden their search even wider.

One of the most significant HR trends today is the adoption of generative AI and machine learning, which are revolutionizing HR functions, from recruitment and onboarding to performance management and employee engagement. AI-powered chatbots streamline the initial stages of recruitment, answering candidate queries and conducting preliminary screenings. Predictive analytics tools are helping HR professionals forecast future talent needs and identify potential retention risks.

However, the adoption of these technologies brings its own set of challenges:

Ethical considerations: HR professionals must ensure that AI systems are free from bias and promote fairness in all HR processes.

Data privacy and security: With the increased use of AI and data analytics, protecting sensitive employee information is more critical than ever.

Upskilling the workforce: HR teams need to prepare employees for an AI-augmented workplace, identify skills gaps and create training programs.

Change management: New technologies often face resistance at implementation time. HR can tackle resistance with a rollout plan that is heavy on communicating benefits and addressing concerns.

Balancing technology and human touch: While AI can increase efficiency, HR professionals must consciously strive to preserve the human element in their interactions, especially in sensitive situations. HR staff should be able to demonstrate still-critical soft skills like emotional intelligence and active listening. AI-generated insights are great for conversation starters, not replacements for productive dialogue.

Providing HR leadership in remote and hybrid workplaces requires some state-of-the-art competencies. Critically, HR professionals should consider developing people managers into “coach-leaders” who can manage workforces equitably and effectively wherever they are. This means educating them on unconscious biases that could favor onsite team members over those working remotely.

Additionally, HR professionals are leaning in on techniques for keeping remote employees engaged, motivated and on track through tailored development plans and goals. They are also pursuing new approaches to building a successful organizational culture in a remote environment.

My own company is providing a great model for this. When it was safe after COVID, Robert Half adopted a voluntary remote and hybrid work policy that really empowered employees to do what was best for them, allowing them to work with their teams and supervisors to decide what they wanted their schedules to look like.

Additionally, I have been so impressed with the tools and strategies they continue to roll out that enable managers to successfully oversee remote and hybrid teams. Such large policy shifts require strong, all-level leadership from the C-suite to people managers.

Many organizations have added new benefits in response to today’s hiring market, bringing many new tasks to the HR desk. Companies are adding flexible work, mental health resources, wellness programs and volunteer opportunities — all of which require HR’s strategic engagement.

Our research shows today’s HR leaders are commonly adding to or enhancing:

Retirement savings plans (42%)

Employee assistance programs (42%)

Mental health benefits (42%)

Paid time off (41%)

Life insurance (41%)

Health insurance (40%)

Preventing workers from being lured away by better salaries, impressive titles or attractive perks is another HR challenge we’re managing daily. There’s more pressure than ever to ensure compensation stays competitive as the economy and labor market continues to shift.

To remain competitive and drive innovation, businesses must rely on HR leaders to recruit professionals with specialized skills. Staying current on salary and hiring trends using evidence-based tools like The Salary Guide From Robert Half can help HR teams hit the sweet spot in hiring and retention.

In the coming year, pent-up demand for HR talent may see us ramping up hiring, including bringing on contract talent for project-based assignments. HR leaders are looking for help with enterprise-wide compensation and benefits reviews to address issues like pay transparency, pay compression and increasingly customized benefits.

Companies also need HR strategy and management professionals to oversee human resources operations and balance budgets. Strategic positions such as HR director and manager, as well as roles like coordinator and assistant, are commanding higher starting salaries now. Hiring priority is also being given to candidates with AI experience in various applications like compensation reviews and open enrollment.

The most multifaceted HR leaders are taking crossover roles with other departments. Examples of these expanded “business partner” roles include collaborating with finance on budgeting and cost management, creating employee engagement programs, participating in marketing efforts for employer branding and supporting IT in implementing HR technology solutions.

But the bottom line is, to do really great work in HR requires someone who cares about people as much, if not more, than policies and procedures. Therefore, when placing HR candidates, I aim to make sure the position will be fulfilling and allow them to do the impactful work they desire.

HR leaders don’t want to be in the “personnel department” anymore. They want to walk into an organization where they are empowered to influence leaders, support workers and unleash solutions for shaping future workplaces.

Learn more about in-demand HR roles and hiring trends from Robert Half.

Follow Elizabeth Hang on LinkedIn.

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