1).

HRM PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF HRM AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN THE
PHILIPPINES

Teresita Audea, Stephen T.T. Teo &John Crawford | Published online: 17 Feb 2007

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study conducted in the Philippines that examines the extent of
adoption of human capital-enhancing human resource (HR) and industrial relations (IR) practices.
Differences between locally owned and other organizations in these practices and their relationship to
firm performance were also investigated. Questionnaire responses were obtained from managers and
union representatives from 128 organizations located in the Philippines. The results indicated that
there was, on average, a fairly high level of adoption of practices consistent with a strategic approach
to human resource management (HRM), with foreign-owned firms tending to show a slightly higher
level of adoption of such practices. A scale representing the adoption of a more conciliatory and union-
friendly IR approach was found to be a significant predictor of perceived firm performance. Surprisingly,
the level of strategic integration between HRM and business planning and most human capital-
enhancing HR practices were not significant predictors of perceived firm performance. Research and
practical implications in relation to the role of HRM in enhancing firm performance are discussed.

2). 6 HR TRENDS AND WAYS THESE IMPROVE EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE REVIEWS

JULY 6, 2017 BY TJ

Your company’s most asset is no one else but your employees. It pays to have a skilled workforce that
contributes to the success of an organization. 69% of employees said that they would work harder if
they felt their efforts were better recognized. As they are the front line of the organization, their
observations and experiences are relatively essential to your business goals and objectives.

To ensure the productivity and efficiency of your organization, you need to optimize your people first.
The first step towards achieving this is to improve the way you manage employee performance.
Performance management means providing guidance and closer oversight to employee performance as
they reflect the image of your company.

While the impact of HR trends on recruitment firms and employee management processes are changing
over time, you should take advantage of them to increase overall efficiency in your company.

Here are 6 HR trends and how you can use them to improve your employee performance reviews:

a) FOCUS ON COLLABORATION

According to the survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 90% of HR
professionals believe that a combination of feedback creates a more accurate evaluation of employee
performance. This feedback can come from the manager and other colleagues in the organization.
Trends in HR Technology let managers and employees collaborate during the performance-review
process. It should be a joint effort between the employee and their respective superior to evaluate
performance expectations throughout a certain period effectively.

Moreover, performance reviews aim not to weaken your ability to interact with your employees, but to
encourage them to be the best in the industry.

b) EMPLOYEE MANAGEMENT AUTOMATION

The increasing trend towards automation is well recognized in every industry. Performance
management revolution has been making the process much more data-driven and team-oriented than
before.

Using AI to automate your employee management provides flawless results, making it easier to evaluate
your employee’s performance. Cost-wise, employee management automation reduces the time
required to evaluate employees. It helps to align the organization’s goals with your workforce and
expect goal-oriented results eventually.

c) PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT TOOLS

The competitive leg of HR technology is becoming more lucrative and more cutthroat than before.
Getting ahead of this competition requires platforms that are truly innovative in their approach to
solving some of the biggest recruitment and HR challenges.

With the latest HR technology trends, it doesn’t just allow managers to identify and address basic HR
skills, but also tertiary skill gaps that are critical to an employee’s requirements and the organization’s
goals. The use of performance management tools gives HR managers an extra hand to practically
identify trends, strengths, and areas of weaknesses. In line with that, it also addresses the
implementation of training and development programs.

d) REGULAR CHECK-IN SYSTEMS

Annual employee appraisals aren’t enough to improve the employee’s performance in the workplace.
Employees would much appreciate regular feedback to keep them focused on goal setting, and even
expand possibilities. Achieving business objectives are easier by doing regular feedback sessions. It
allows the faster revision of goals if there is a need to do so.

By providing ongoing feedback and connection between manager and employee, it’s more efficient to
address employee concerns without making a big deal out of it. This doesn’t just improve the
employee’s performance in the organization, but the relationship between manager and employee in
general.
e) TURNING NEGATIVE FEEDBACK INTO CONSTRUCTIVE IDEAS

Be as clear and direct as possible about shortcomings or mistakes. Take the time to provide solutions to
those problems. Moreover, HR managers must always be mindful of how to give feedback and be more
constructive as possible. Doing so will give your employees the thought that their performance review is
taken seriously and done on a personal level regarding their achievements.

Every moment can be a learning opportunity and a powerful motivational tool to hone employee’s
performance. Real-time feedback is essential to give the employees a clearer understanding of specific
points they can improve on and things they should continue doing.

f) IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Your employees are your competitive advantage among all other organizations. It’s important for them
to be well-informed with the company’s goals and where they are headed to career-wise.

Millennial talents will constitute nearly 50% of the active workforce by 2020. Coping with trends, being
mindful of what motivates them and what keeps them productive can help your organization from being
left behind. As an HR professional, providing training, development, and improvement is the most
valuable benefit you can give to your employees.

No employee would want to struggle with their growth and improvement in their job. Personal
development objectives focused on learning and behavior will do more to help employees perform well
and deliver optimum results. Through time, this helps in exceeding the organization’s performance
goals.

Today, almost every company is undergoing a digital transformation. There are many possible methods
you could use to achieve all of your organization’s goals. Ultimately, employers want to create a work
environment that makes employees look forward coming to work and reduce absences. With the help of
performance reviews, your employees will be motivated to deliver good results.

Human resources, management, and employees can work in close cooperation together to create a
process that works for everyone.
3. The Role of Human Resource Management in Organizations

Audra Bianca, Updated March 05, 2019

Human resources managers oversee the most important component of a successful business – a
productive, thriving workforce. This requires viewing people as human assets, not costs to the
organization. As with any other asset, a talented workforce can be used strategically to add value to an
organization.

1. Strategic Role of HRM

The human resources management team suggests to the management team how to strategically
manage people as business resources. This includes recruiting and hiring employees with specific skill
sets to meet the company's current and future goals, coordinating employee benefits and suggesting
employee training and development strategies. In this way, HR professionals are consultants, not
workers in an isolated business function; they advise managers on many issues related to employees
and how they help the organization achieve its goals.

2. Developing Skills for the Future

At all levels of the organization, managers and HR professionals work together to develop employees'
skills. For example, HR professionals advise managers and supervisors how to assign employees to
different roles in the organization, thereby helping the organization adapt successfully to its
environment. In a flexible organization, employees are shifted around to different business functions
based on business priorities and employee preferences.

3. Building Loyalty and Commitment

HR professionals also suggest strategies for increasing employee commitment to the organization. This
begins with using the recruiting process or matching employees with the right positions according to
their qualifications. Once hired, employees must be committed to their jobs and feel challenged
throughout the year by their manager.

4. Building a Talent Pipeline

An HRM team helps a business develop a competitive advantage, which involves building the capacity of
the company so it can offer a unique set of goods or services to its customers. To build the effective
human resources, private companies compete in a "war for talent." It's not just about hiring talent; this
game is about keeping people and helping them grow and stay committed over the long term.

5. Staying Current and Competitive

Human resource management requires strategic planning to address not only the changing needs of an
employer but also a constantly shifting competitive job market. Employee benefit packages must be
continually assessed for costs to the employer. Tweaking the packages also provides an opportunity to
increase employee retention through the addition of vacation days, flexible working arrangements, or
retirement plan enhancements. For example, in recent years many human resource professionals have
overseen the addition of preventative health components to traditional health plans for both
employment recruitment and retention efforts.
4. How Does HR Add Value to an Organization?

By Neil Kokemuller, Updated January 28, 2019

For companies that consider employees their most valuable assets, human resources have extreme
value. In the most general sense, HR motivates workers to perform at the highest level possible and
maintain an organizational culture of high morale. In the early 21st century, strategic HR has emerged as
a prominent view of the role this functional area plays in building and developing a strong organization.

Tip

HR motivates workers to perform at the highest level possible and maintain an organizational culture of
high morale. A primary way HR adds value to a company is by persuading company leaders to train and
develop employees and reward strong performance through increased compensation and regular
promotions.

1. People and Performance

A well-run human resources department manages an essential link to company success, quality workers
and exceptional performance. The long-term success and financial performance of a company is usually
directly correlated to the talents, motivation, and accomplishments of its people. People make and sell
products, work with customers, and collaborate on decisions. A primary way HR adds value to a
company is by promoting this link and persuading company leaders to train and develop employees and
reward strong performance through increased compensation and regular promotions.

2. Talent Acquisition and Retention

Hiring and retaining talent is a foundation of high-performing companies and is essential for small
businesses and start-ups that want to grow quickly. HR is largely responsible for building and managing
the systems that recruit, attract, hire, train, motivate and retain a company's best employees.

This includes establishing strong job designs and hiring the right employees to match. It also involves
building strong interviewing and screening processes, planning orientation and training, developing
successful employee evaluation tools, and constructing motivating compensation programs that
maximize what your business has to offer. For example, a start-up may provide shares of the company
while an established small business offers a generous vacation policy.

3. Protection from Lawsuits

One of the less-heralded ways HR adds value to a business is through legal protection from
discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuits. HR professionals must be continually up to speed on
employee laws and educate business owners and managers.

They must also design hiring and promotional systems that promote fairness and equality. Interview
questions that align specifically to a job, for instance, minimize risks of a discrimination claim. This
element of HR becomes increasingly valuable as workplaces become more diverse.

4. Participation in Strategic Planning

As proactive HR strategies have overtaken reactive responses to employment conditions, HR

professionals play a stronger role in planning. HR directors commonly serve on company management
teams and participate in strategic planning. This includes assessments of company strengths and
weaknesses and projections of opportunities and threats. HR participants contribute the current view
and future expectations of people and resource needs, discussion of compensation and training changes
and research on emerging opportunities and threats.

5. The Main Job of the HR Function in an Organization

By Ruth Mayhew

Human resources previously functioned as merely an administrative department responsible for

accepting employment applications, handing out insurance cards and processing payroll. Since the
1980s, HR has evolved into its role as a strategic partner for mapping organizational direction. Although
HR remains the go-to department for employees with questions about their health care insurance and
payroll deductions, the goal of the HR function is to strengthen the employer-employee relationship.
Every discipline of HR contributes to solutions that accomplish this goal.

1. Conflict Resolution

HR takes on simultaneous complex roles such as mediator, advocate, and judge where conflict
resolution is concerned. Employers typically publish company policies on resolving workplace issues in
their employee handbooks. An HR representative – usually an employee relations specialist familiar with
labor and employment law – investigates and resolves employment matters. Resolving workplace
conflict is one of the most obvious ways to strengthen the employer-employee relationship.

2. Workplace Safety

Employers have an obligation to provide their workers with safe working conditions. Responsibility for
workplace safety and risk management generally are within the purview of HR. Safety experts monitor
federal and state laws that govern use of dangerous equipment, hazardous materials, and preventative
measures for safety, such as ergonomics and convenient workstations.

3. Training and Development

Creating and sustaining a skilled workforce strengthens the relationship between employer and
employee. HR often develops the strategy and implements the functional steps of employee training
and development programs. The key to strengthening the employer-employee relationship sometimes
rests on the type of resources and investment an organization makes on behalf of its employees.

4. Job Satisfaction

HR supports a work environment where employees are fully engaged workers, enthusiastic about their
job duties and responsibilities. Conducting employee opinion surveys is an effective way to measure job
satisfaction and morale. HR analyzes employee opinion survey results to develop action plans for the
organization’s leaders to improve in areas that affect satisfaction and morale.

5. HR Image

One of the most challenging jobs that HR has involves clarifying the duties of HR and its role within an
organization. Some employees report unpleasant experiences with their employers’ HR department,
giving the department a bad name or equating interaction with the HR department with a visit to the
principal’s office.

An article titled, "Why We Hate HR," in the August 2005 issue of "Fast Company" magazine went viral
reporting results from a study the Hay Group conducted about the low percentage of employees who
saw the value of HR in terms of retention, performance appraisals and training. In the Hay Group's 2005
study, the percentages of employees satisfied in these areas were 40, 41 and 58 percent, respectively.

The main job of the HR function is, therefore, to rebuild the image of HR to craft an employee-friendly
support system that represents the interests of both the organization as well as its employees.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Procurement Function of HRM
November 08, 2019

HRM Functions
In Human Resource Management & Personnel Management there are two types of functions:

 Operative Functions
 Managerial Functions

Procurement in Human Resource:

 Procurement is the process of finding and agreeing to terms, and acquiring goods,
services, or works from an external source, often via a tendering or competitive bidding
process.
Procurement Function in Personnel Management

 Procurement is first operational function of Human resource or personnel management.

Procurement is subjected to procuring and employing people who fits the position and
have necessary skill set, mindset, attitude, and knowledge.
Procurement Functions

 Job analysis
 Manpower planning
 Recruitment
 Selection
 Placement
 Induction
 Internal mobility
Best Ways to Understand the HR Procurement Process
By Marianne Chrisos - Last Updated on January 6,

Demystifying the human resource procurement process.

When did HR and procurement departments become one and same? What exactly does
‘procurement’ mean? Is it really a feature of human resources?
To understand how to improve the HR procurement process, you first need to understand how
these two facets of business work together.

What is Procurement?
Procurement is a fancy term meaning “to get.” To procure something means to find and
retrieve something, usually an item or a service. Plenty of businesses have their own
procurement department. – this is usually a group of dedicated employees who make buying
decisions for the business. Whether it’s a buying department at a publishing house who decides
which printers around the world to partner with or a procurement officer at a Fortune 500
company who runs a team that’s responsible for sourcing all the office furniture for thousands
of employees, procurement is an important job.

What is Resource Procurement in HRM?

This could mean one of two things. It could mean HRM teams that focus on finding good fits for
the procurement teams mentioned above. Lots of staffing and recruitment groups focus on
finding the right candidates for their clients in one industry – whether that’s creative,
marketing, sales, etc. Therefore, there are lots of staffers looking to find good fits for
procurement jobs like buyer, procurement assistant, supply chain analyst, contract coordinator,
and many more.
In these instances, HR professionals need to really understand the roles they’re filling for, the
kinds of industries looking for buyers and procurement specialists, and what kinds of things are
being procured. It’s a lot of information, but it’s crucial to finding the right fits for businesses
looking for procurement team members.

HR Procurement
But there is another way that HR and procurement work together, and that is with HR
functioning as the procurement team. This is two-fold:
Procuring people: People are a resource – many would say a business’s most important
resource (and certainly one of the most expensive). Procurement, then, for HR, is the function
of their job that makes them the expert in finding and obtaining this resource. This part of HR
usually falls under recruitment, with recruiters focusing their time and skills in this area.
Procuring supplies: HR is also often responsible for physically ordering office supplies that the
people in the office need and use. Anything from printer paper to coffee to pens (and in many
small businesses the furniture, etc.) is often taken care of by a human resource manager.
Supplies might also mean the physical needs of a business-sponsored event, whether it’s tables
and banners and streamers or food, drink, a guest speaker, and sound equipment.
Whether the work is finding quality people to go on and procure product for their business or
the added responsibility of supply ordering to the role of an HR specialist, one of the most
important skills that can bring success is an attention to details. It is important to be able to
manage projects, multi-task, and effectively see details to be able to get results in HR
procurement roles.
How do you feel about the relationship between HR and procurement? Do you feel like these
functions of business tend to overlap more in the modern workforce?
PH JOINING WORLDWIDE SHIFT TO WORK-FROM-HOME TREND, SAYS STUDY
Joel Pinaroc, May 29, 2020
Tech giant Lenovo has released a study revealing that smarter technologies are now fueling
remote working as extended quarantines push employees and businesses to expand work-
from-home (WFH) set-ups.
Lenovo said new research showed most employees (87%) feel at least somewhat ready to make
the shift to WFH if required and that the majority (77%) expect companies to be more accepting
of WFH policies after the pandemic passes.
Lenovo, in the same study, added that the Philippines is joining the worldwide trend of
encouraging people to work from home wherever feasible to intensify physical distancing.
“Our survey suggests that the employee experience was already changing before the pandemic
hit. For example, in the past 15 years, the number of those regularly working from home has
grown 159% in the US and the same increase is happening in other markets,” said Michael
Ngan, Lenovo Philippines president and GM.
“While our current situation is extraordinary, we are seeing a real willingness from workers to
adapt and adopt flexible work arrangements. This confirms that corporate technology
investments are paying off, as most people now feel productive at home and believe that the
workforce will move more in this direction once the crisis has passed.”
The Lenovo study, which looked at employee attitudes towards WFH in China, Japan, Germany,
Italy, and the US, found that a majority of employees (87%) felt at least somewhat ready to
make the shift to WFH when required.
Most had already been either encouraged (46%) or required (26%) to WFH as part of Covid-19
mitigation measures. Furthermore, 77% expect that companies will either encourage or at least
be more open to letting staff work remotely in the future.
Even when the quarantine is lifted, the Philippine government is expecting reduced economic
activity as a result of the public’s hesitation to engage. In addition, a pro-work-from-home
stance has already been raised as a solution to traffic woes, particularly in the capital region of
Metro Manila.
The Telecommuting Act (R.A. 11165) was signed into law to allow employees to conduct work
at home or remotely outside the workplace. The move to telecommuting is also a welcome
development to the nation’s rising gig economy which thrives on hiring employees on a flexible
and freelance setup through online platforms.
The Philippines currently ranks sixth in the world and is the fastest-growing market for the gig
industry, revealing a 35% year-over-year growth in freelance earnings as reported in financial
services company Payoneer’s 2019 Global Gig-Economy Index.
With the freedom to work anywhere, flexible schedules, the opportunity to prioritize work
according to personal schedules, plus the ongoing pandemic, the gig economy in the Philippines
is expected to see tremendous growth this year. All these reiterate the need for companies to
invest in smarter mobile technologies designed to bolster employee productivity at home or
outside the office.

Worldwide, the rapid adoption of WFH policies has been made possible by the increasing
sophistication and affordability of smart mobile technology, which has enabled many
employees to work when away from their desk.

Changing workforce demographics play a part too. The Millennials and Generation Z employees
who make up nearly 60% of the workforce today grew up with video on demand, networked
video games, and video communication platforms. These digital natives are driving the
development and adoption of technology for remote working and collaboration.

“At a time when all companies need to navigate uncertainty and keep their business running,
technology enables them to keep moving forward. Companies need to adjust now and ensure
their employees have the video tools, technology, and training required to succeed today and
in a future where more remote working may be the norm,” Ngan added
Baby Boomers grew up as television expanded dramatically, changing their lifestyles and
connection to the world in fundamental ways. Generation X grew up as the computer
revolution was taking hold, and Millennials came of age during the internet explosion.
In this progression, what is unique for Generation Z is that all of the above have been part of
their lives from the start. The iPhone launched in 2007, when the oldest Gen Zers were 10. By
the time they were in their teens, the primary means by which young Americans connected
with the web was through mobile devices, WiFi and high-bandwidth cellular service. Social
media, constant connectivity and on-demand entertainment and communication are
innovations Millennials adapted to as they came of age. For those born after 1996, these are
largely assumed.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
11 Skills Recruiters Will Look for in 2021
Posted at 06 Jan in HR Transformation by Jake Amodeo
With 2020 at its end, 2021 is here and ready for a bright, eventful and interesting year ahead. In
the business world, recruiters are going to be given a busy handful, dealing with a large number
of applications throughout the entire year and especially early within the new year.
Although it is essential to understand that skills have completely been transformed and
changed throughout the year 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and an evolutionary
transformation to a business world moving to a more technology-centric approach talent
acquisition managers are now considering a new group of skills as a priority throughout the
recruiting process.
Provided within the blog below are 11 skills that job seekers, potential hires and those looking
to develop their current skill set to align to what skills recruiters are looking for in 2021 are
specified.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
The first a perhaps the most essential skill that recruiters will look for in 2021 is change
management. Change management involves one’s ability to utilise organizational tools,
individual’s knowledge and self-ability to handle moments of change and challenges within the
business environment being dealt with.
In the year 2020 change management was extremely essential whereby due to COVID-19
businesses had to deal with immense and continual changing environments. Likewise,
recruiters will want to hire individuals that are able to deal with change effectively if something
drastic was to happen again to best protect the organization.
PLANNING SKILLS
Recruiters throughout 2021 will be looking heavily into individuals who have strong planning
skills. Planning skills involves individuals being able to successfully manage a wide variety of
activities utilising the resources available to achieve organisational goals through the strategies
made.
Specifically, planning skills assures that individuals critically assess situations and ensure failure
plans, strategic strategies and beneficial ideas are put into place to assure the long-term
success of an action through the plans made. In 2021 this is a must, as recruiters seek someone
who will assure, they are protecting the organisation through well thought out strategic plans
which are largely successful and in turn beneficial for the business.
COMMUNICATION
Throughout the years’ effective communication skills has been essential, this is still the case for
recruiters in 2021. Specifically, communication skills involve how well individuals are able to
convey information to other individuals working within the organisation. Furthermore, it is
important that through the soft skill of communication, a corresponding skill known as
interpersonal skills are being effectively utilised.
When employees communicate with one another gaining an emotional understanding of how
employees respond when you talk with them is critical for successful work to be completed.
Thus, a strong combination of effective communication through interpersonal skills is an
essential skill any recruiter will be looking for in 2021.

PROBLEM SOLVING
An essential skill that recruiters will look for throughout 2021 is effective problem-solving skills.
Problem-solving skills involve individuals being able to solve extremely complex issues through
effective strategic thought and processes.

Individuals that highlight they have effective problem-solving skills are likely to be extremely
creative and analytical. To recruiters, this is extremely essential as employees who are able to
solve immense problems effectively are extremely cost beneficial for the business.

ADAPTABILITY
A largely sought out skill in 2021 that recruiters will constantly look for is adaptability.
Specifically, adaptability involves employees assuring that they are resilient, flexible and further
strong enough to deal with problems, situations and tasks at hand no matter the difficulty. This
is essential as employees who are able to adapt to difficult situations are likely to be the most
beneficial to any organisation.

Likewise, recruiters will definitely seek employees that highlight their overall adaptability skills
and provide real examples of cases especially throughout 2020 where they have adapted to
unforeseen difficult circumstances. One example could be how employees were able to work
extremely effectively whilst working from home to successfully assure team success and
likewise operational success for the business.
CRITICAL THINKING
Another extremely essential skill that recruiters will look for in 2021 is critical thinking skills.
Critical thinking is extremely important to recruiters as it highlights how prospective employees
are able to show their creative thinking and analytical thinking to best formulate solutions to
problems and issues faced within the business.

Likewise, in 2020 critical thinking was essential throughout COVID-19 in handling a mixture of
unforeseen circumstances which was essential, in turn, critical thinking in the coming years will
be a key to handling future difficult situations and thus becomes a priority to any recruiter.

TECHNICAL SKILLS
Essential to any organisation and key to any recruiter in 2021 is technical skills. Specifically,
technical skills encompass an individual’s ability to handle all tasks relevant to their field with
the knowledge and tools they have. For example, this may include an individual’s extensive
ability to understand how to effectively utilise Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Further in the case for a HR employee, this may include their software proficiency in utilising
Human Resource Information System (HRIS) technology. Therefore, it is essential to develop
and present a wide variety of technical skills to recruiters to be largely successful throughout
recruitment processes.

LEADERSHIP
A crucial skill that recruiters will look for in 2021 is an individual employees’ leadership skill.
Leadership is critical as leaders are able to motivate teams, individual employees and those
around them to be increasingly productive to meet the common goals at hand. Leaders play an
essential role in providing clarification to team members and further ensuring direction to any
activity.

Recruiters are looking for leaders who contain skills such as active listening, empathy, strategic
thinking and inspiring others. When a leader contains these skills, they can productively ensure
that the best outcomes are being met for the organisation and further ensure that work is
being done effectively.
TEAMWORK
Another critical skill that recruiters will be looking for in 2021 is teamwork skills. Teamwork is at
the forefront of almost every organisation today. The benefits of effective teamwork are
extremely well known to all recruiters and are important in their recruitment decisions.
Teamwork skills allow individuals to assure that they are able to participate in a team
effectively.

As such exemplar teamwork skills include conflict resolution, reliability, effective discussion and
active listening. When team members contain these skills, they are able to ensure that they
work extremely effectively within a team and in turn, become more attractive to any recruiter.

COMPUTER SKILLS
Recruiters within 2021 will be looking deeply into individuals who have strong computer skills.
Specifically, computer skills include employees’ abilities and knowledge to utilise computer and
related technology effectively. This may include understanding how to utilise word, managing
files online and further accessing the relevant field of work databases and information online.

Computer skills have become extremely essential as due to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic
businesses had become increasingly more technology-centric in their operations. Likewise,
having a strong base of computer skills allows an onboarding employee to show that they will
work productively with minimal training needed.

HARDWORKING
The final extremely essential skill that any recruiter will look for in 2021 is being hardworking.
Specifically, when employees are hardworking, they exhibit the skills of being extremely
dependable, motivational and self-strengthened to get work done effectively.

This is critical to any organisation as employees who are hardworking will ensure that the
business is positively influenced through meeting goals more efficiently in any circumstance.
Likewise, recruiters’ find hardworking employees essential as they do not want to hire an
employee who will be unbeneficial to the organisation by just taking everything easily and not
pushing themselves by going beyond expectations.
2021 HR Challenges: How to Connect, Recognize, and Support Employees.
January 5, 2021/Company Culture, Employee Experience, HR Strategy, Remote Work /by Robert
Hicks
We’re all ready to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021. But even though a new calendar year
has started, some of our HR challenges are likely to stay with us into the new year. Those
challenges include how to best support employees not just in 2021 but in the years ahead.
The reality is that employees are tired and stressed; many are on the verge of employee
burnout. HR and People professionals are feeling it too. In a recent survey of 751 HR leaders,
71% agree that 2020 has been the most stressful year of their careers.
Even as we move forward and look toward a better 2021, one of the biggest HR challenges
remains: How can organizations best connect, recognize, and support their people as they lead
them through this ever-changing, unpredictable environment?
A Focus on Digital Transformation
The data from the survey mentioned above shows just how important this question is to most
organizations. Specifically, professionals elaborated on the biggest HR challenges ahead:

When HR leaders have the tools, they need at their fingertips, they have more time to focus on
strategic initiatives; they spend less time dealing with administrative burdens. With a
customized employee engagement platform, HR leaders can do more with less and make a
more significant impact company wide.
This is a win-win for their people, too. After all, these platforms provide a centralized place for
employees to find vital company updates and help them stay connected to their colleagues.
And they ensure stability in their sometimes-unstable environments.
Making the shift to digital and modernizing your toolkit will set your business up for success in
2021. In a short time, digital solutions will leave you better equipped to face whatever
challenges may come next.
Fostering Deeper Connections
Unsurprisingly, as many moves into the tenth month of temporary remote work, people feel
less connected. During these uncertain times and long periods of isolation, reinforcing your
company’s mission, purpose, and values are even more critical.
With a dedicated employee communications tool, you can foster a sense of belonging and unity
by sharing updates from various teams or leaders that your people need to hear from. For
example, here at Reward Gateway, our CEO Doug Butler posts a weekly blog called “Mission
Mondays.” Our people can comment on and react to that post, which helps build connections,
boost visibility, and create a sense of community.
These updates are available on any device, at any time. That way, people can read them on
their own schedules, whether that’s before their morning coffee, during a work break, or after
the kids go to bed.
Keeping Workplace Culture Alive
Boosting morale for remote workers has always been important. And it’s no surprise leaders
and co-workers must show appreciation for the hard work of employees. This is especially
true now as employees may not be getting in-person contact with their colleagues or manager.
Digital tools are also helping organizations improve workplace culture and reward and
recognition programs across dispersed team members and support employees.
With an employee reward and recognition platform, HR leaders can spotlight all the excellent
work happening across the company – even when others don’t get to see it every day. As
shown below, available real-time analytics help HR teams know which departments are sending
the most recognition. They also know which ones could use some extra appreciation, which
helps boost collaboration and creates a culture of gratitude – even while working remotely.
The need to combat employee burnout and stress isn’t going away overnight. In 2021 and
beyond, we’ll need to find better ways to connect dispersed employees. An improved reward
and recognition program isn’t going to happen organically. But with the right tools, leaders can
better face the HR challenges ahead. Specifically, they can connect, recognize, and support their
people to set their organizations up for success in 2021.