The future of HR: 3 people function predictions revealed

It's a whole new world out there, with HR managers having to navigate the uncertain waters

BY Emily Douglas 19 Jun. 2018

It’s a whole new world out there, with HR managers having to navigate the uncertain waters of impending digitalization and AI-enhanced employees. But what exactly can we, as HR leaders, expect from these changes?

We reached out to Al Oliveira, HR manager at Robinson Innovations, who explained why HR needs to be wary of losing their human touch and gave us his three predictions for the future of the people function.

“Coming in the industry, I think it’s great to embrace technology, but people still want to feel some sort of connection to the department and to the workplace,” he told HRD Canada. “So, we shouldn’t push technology after sacrificing human connections.”

Having said that, there simply no escaping technology and the impact it will have on HR departments. So, what does Oliveira think the future holds for the people function?

“Basic HR questions will be challenged with artificial intelligence,” he prefaced, “such as questions on employee benefits or time off policies. It’ll be like a company Google, essentially. People can Google questions and receive quick answers. Specifically, in regards to Canada, I think we’re going to become more polished and professional around mental health and depression in the workplace. It will become more common place, taking on more of an holistic approach. Despite this, I think there’ll still be the people who put in fraudulent claims, but on a whole we’re going to make more enjoyable workplaces.”

Oliveira told us that he believes the HR function will become more mobile, with practitioners taking more of an understanding in how the entire organization functions.

“I think more and more HR people are going to be pushed out of their offices and be required to have a strong hold on how the company works,” he told us. “And so, having a complete understanding of the business that they are in and the business that they are not in.

“With HR, we are in the people business of recruiting, training and attracting; but also, of understanding how exactly each sectors of the business run.”