5 HR trends to watch out for in 2024

The ongoing talent shortage is by now causing job roles to expand beyond their traditional boundaries. Many employees have been given a wider range of responsibilities. In some cases, this means they’re leveraging AI tools to increase their productivity and capabilities, leading to the rise of the so-called “super-worker”. But it has also led to a growing number of “accidental managers”, who find themselves handling complex people problems without the right training to do so.

For employers, now is the time to make sure you’ve got a skill-mapping framework in place, so you can spot talent gaps and find new talent to nurture. You can also then enable employees to develop new skills that align both with their desired career path, and with the needs of your business. 

Many workers are currently struggling with strained finances, which means they’re looking for more value from their employee benefits. HR teams should consider whether to introduce financial wellness support, while re-evaluating existing benefits to ensure they provide the right level of flexibility. That could mean, for example, enabling last-minute leave requests to support employees who are juggling childcare or other responsibilities. 

Flexible working continues to be a major attraction for talent at companies across Europe. To stand out from the crowd in 2024, start making employee benefits more customisable, so employees can tailor their personal benefits package to meet their unique preferences.  

AI continues to be the most talked about topic not only in HR, but across the business world. Now that generative AI is an everyday tool and new AI solutions are popping up daily, HR teams, business leaders and employees alike are overwhelmed by the possibilities. When there’s an AI for everything, it’s hard to know where to invest your time and attention. 

In 2024, HR teams will begin to integrate new AI tools more selectively and strategically, attempting to streamline operations and do more with less tech. There will also be a focus on optimising employee experience through careful planning of new AI integration. At the same time, AI will open up more possibilities than ever in areas where the potential for automation is high, such as payroll. 

Speaking of doing more with less tech: that’s a central theme for HR teams in 2024. For years, HR managers have been struggling with disparate tools and a fragmented tech stack, which is having a broader negative impact on employee experience. Our research shows that 4 in 10 employees at international companies struggle to keep up to date with digital applications. So, it’s no surprise there’s a growing trend to prioritise HR tech integration and consolidation. 

To ensuring tech downsizing is a success, the best place to start is with an audit of all your existing HR tech applications, so you can find any areas of overlap. A growing number of HR tech solutions are designed to integrate with one another, providing a seamless employee experience. Consider whether you could replace a bundle of existing tech with just a few providers.  

Have you heard of “systemic HR”? The phrase originates with people management guru Josh Bersin, who explains how the role of HR has transformed since it was first introduced in a mostly administrative capacity. By now, there is so much focus on the importance of attracting and retaining the right talent that HR teams are closely involved in almost every aspect of the business. 

For HR teams, embracing a systemic approach means keeping the employee journey as the central focus of your plans for the upcoming year. Then you can see how employees interact with different parts of business, right from their first application until after they leave and consider how to collaborate with different departments to optimise their experience at each touchpoint.