A new industry report by Oyster HR finds that maintaining compliance in the new normal is the top priority shift for the HR function. The report, titled ‘The Future of HR: Preparing for a New World of Distributed Work’ which establishes major priority and focus shifts driven led by the pandemic. The report supports the notion that distributed work is here to stay, and that its mass-scale adoption in the post pandemic world will have serious implications on HR across its roles, responsibilities and processes. The future of HR will put talent acquisition, compliance maintenance and DEI at the forefront of strategic priorities to ensure better working experience for distributed workforce.

The shifting priorities of a post pandemic HR

While ‘thinking more deeply about flexible work arrangements’ aced the post pandemic HR’s priority list, ‘maintaining compliance’ emerged as one of the most concerning priority shifts that emphasises on managing data of distributed employees and distribution of learning and development content in geographically dispersed teams. 46 percent of HR respondents identified compliance as the main shift, compared to 48 percent who identified flexible work arrangements.

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Apart from these primary shifts, distributed work is expected to impact recruiting, onboarding and talent management. Talent acquisition, one of HR’s critical roles, has moved to the forefront of HR’s strategic priorities with 42% of HR respondents citing more full-time employee hiring as the top change they anticipate for their organisation. 

Demands of the future HR

With respect to features that the HR’s would like to see added to their recruitment vendor’s offering in the future, 47% of HR respondents to the survey said the ability to support internal and external recruitment. This was followed by the ability to conduct video interviews and the ability to digitize the negotiation and employee contract processes. 43% of HR respondents also said the softwares they use to conduct compliance and auditing must also have the ability to support diversity and inclusion audits.

Emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) 

DEI initiatives move to the forefront of talent strategies owing to the visibility challenges that COVID-19 puts forth, when it comes to supporting an inclusive workforce. This was further substantiated by the survey results where only about 5% of HR respondents said their organisation doesn’t have and is not considering a DEI commitment or program. 45% of HR respondents say that one of the biggest assets of the company is the diversity of the workforce which can bring new ideas, visions, and actionable plans. 

The statistics suggest that HR leaders need to be able to invest in new systems, technology, and training to successfully adapt to the era of distributed workforces. The report reinforces the fact that as the identity of the HR evolves into a strategic function, they need to rethink how they operate and provide value to the business. This is especially crucial for organizations that still view HR as a non-strategic cost center.

"The world of work has changed forever, and as companies adapt to the new expectations of employees and candidates, human resources leaders have a never-before-seen opportunity to shape the future of work — not only for their companies but for organizations everywhere," said Jack Mardack, Co-founder of Oyster.