Over the last decade, we have been witnessing a shift in HR – and the current pandemic crisis is accelerating the trends. With issues and topics more polarising with every passing day, it is HR professionals that will be in the spotlight – now more than ever. Grasp this opportunity to embrace HR’s role as strategic partner and play an essential part in becoming an organisation of the future

GDPR has been a burning subject in the past three years now. It was enforceable in 2018 across European countries and things have evolved since then. In fact, since its implementation date until January 2020, some 160,921 personal data breaches with EEA have been reported (DLA Piper: GDPR Data breach Survey 2020). In this article, we’ll go about how to complete the data register followed by a data handling case by science giant Dupont.

Throughout the entire anniversary year of 2020, SD Worx invited 4,600 employees and 68,000 customers worldwide to collect 'sparks' through remarkable collaborations, heart-warming initiatives and great stories for charity. If we managed to collect 75,000 sparks, SD Worx would donate €150,000 spread across 75 charities.

In this increasingly globalised world, there is a vast array of opportunities for businesses to explore. For companies looking to expand their international reach, payroll is one of the biggest consideration factors.

Business leaders are always searching for dynamic new ways to improve their business strategy, but there's one source of data which still remains largely untapped. There is a wealth of potential strategy ideas to be found in a place businesses already have unrestricted access to - their payroll system.

Over the past year, HR too has had to deal with our modern version of the Big Bang. We all adopted a ‘new normal’, to use a trendy term. Hopefully 2021 will be better. Thanks to the vaccine - fingers crossed - we shall soon be getting back to our social lives and be able to meet our colleagues and customers in person again more often. The after-effects of the coronavirus will continue affecting HR developments in the year to come, however. We hereby present the most important insights and trends for the new year.

Payroll is the lifeblood of an organization, so getting it right is crucial. When organizations branch out into new geographical locations, the risk of payroll mistakes heightens. It’s a scary thought for HR and payroll professionals. 

What will 2021 bring? After such a turbulent year, it would be audacious to start making big statements. But one thing seems to be a given: ‘the old normal’ is not coming back.

COVID-19 has a great impact on employees, with mass homeworking as one of the most remarkable outcomes. Many companies are pulling out all the stops to establish viable homeworking policies, implement digital tools and create a renewed organisational culture.

According to Professor Joe Perfetti from the University of Maryland, “The keyword for the 20th century was ‘speed’; the keyword for the 21st century is ‘agility’. And then COVID emerged to shake the business world up beyond our wildest imaginings. What does that does that mean for companies – and their HR teams?

In the digital world, ensuring that you have a healthy work/life balance has never been so important. However, in this ‘always-on’ environment, it can prove difficult to step away from the world of work and to take that all-important break from your seemingly never-ending to do list. Some HR and payroll professionals see the introduction of HR tech as another cause of stress, with many fearing that it will threaten the future of the industry. However, the introduction of automation and other technologies could be the answer to empowering the HR professional and maintaining a healthy work/life balance.