The top 5 HR trends
have been derived from my assessment of how 2016 was with regards to
employer-employee relations and the environmental (social, political, technological and
economic) impacts on the practice. The economic environment of Malawi in 2017
looks dark as per economic forecasts which will see lower growth rate,
continued high inflation, hunger, water and power crisis as well as lower productive
capacity of the country which ultimately affects HR practice. The job market
will continue to shrink causing both job seekers and employees to have less
leverage, which will cause salaries to stagnate and employers to invest less in
staffing and employee benefits. The following are some trends which will affect
the HR space in 2017 which HR practitioners should be aware of so that they can
devise appropriate strategies that will see smooth implementation of their
activities:
1. High Tension Relations
Between Employees and Employers
The
economic slowdown of the country will continue in 2017 as there are no visible immediate
solutions to the problems that Malawi is going through. Productive capacity of
Malawi will continue to be hampered by the low energy levels and water problems.
Due to the shrinking economy, high inflation and continued effects of hunger,
high tension relations will continue to exist between employers and employees
characterized by demand for more wages/salary to cushion employees from the
economic hardships. More strikes and sit-ins demanding better pay will increase
especially in the civil service and government agencies. HR professionals will
be faced with the challenge of balancing between employer and employee
interests. This will require the HR professionals to be abreast with negotiations
skills in order to ensure harmonious relations in the workplace and reduce
disruptive actions that become as a result of out-of-hand industrial actions.
2. Shrinking Job Market
The
job market in Malawi will continue to be flooded with trained graduates and
skilled pool of talent with less practical experience. However, the hiring appetite
of employers will continue to be low due to the economic environment in Malawi.
The demand for hiring from within (internal recruitment), job enlargement and
job enrichment as well capacity building of employees will be focused more as
the craving for external recruitment will drastically reduce in the year. This
means that the HR market will remain static and HR professionals will have to
devise strategies that will leverage this trend and remain proactive in the
management of organization’s key resource, human resources.
3. Increasing
Use of Technology and Social Media In The Workplace
The
ever-changing technological environment means more technology will continue to
be the bedrock of business success for Malawian organizations in 2017. Those
that have the technology will continue to make improvements on it and those
that do not have, will have to play catch up to ensure that they are not left
behind. Software, computer analytics and digital HR will be a trend that HR
professionals in organizations will have to embrace for spotting, attracting
and retaining relevant human resources in the workplace. Social media will
continue to be part of the organizational culture that will either foster or
impede employee performance. The use of WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
LinkedIn and other social networks will be used more to disseminate information
either as grapevine or official company information. 2017 will all be about
apps and will probably offer a more integrated user experience. It will be more
of smart phones influencing most operations in the workplace. This will require HR solutions that are assessable via smart phones e.g. training. HR professionals will have to be aware
of these platforms so that they can leverage on the information therein for
betterment of information dissemination and raising positive company profile. Capacity
building on digital HR and social media awareness will have to be emphasized
among HR professionals to be abreast with critical trends which have the potential
of affecting employee performance.
4. From
Intuitive HR To Fact/Evidence Based HR
Since
the institutionalization of HR as profession in Malawi, HR practitioners have tried
hard to justify the relevance of the profession in assisting the organization
to achieve its goals. HR practitioners in Malawi have made reference to
literature of the strategic business partner model where HR plays an integral
role in the fulfillment of the business goals. In 2017, the HR space will be
pressured to provide evidence/facts on success factors it brings to the
organization in terms of improved employee performance, improved productivity,
team spirit and harmonious business environment. There will be a high demand
for HR practitioners to use HR analytics, Balanced Score Cards etc. to justify
the impact of the function in the organization. There will be a high demand for HR to
provide more data in justifying the HR budget/costs for the function to remain relevant
and seen to bring positive impact on overall organizational performance. The HR
space will have to strike a balance between the softer HR which focuses on
emotional intelligence, psychological contract, teams building, capacity building,
rewarding, employee engagement and motivation to scientific-fact based HR where
there is measurement of HR output.
5. Interesting Workplaces
Aside financial and development needs
that employees require from their work, there are social needs that employees
aim to fulfill when they go to work. Employees are not dead logs or dead camels that should always be told
what to do or follow rigid tedious regulations. 2017 will present the HR
practitioner in Malawi with the challenge of providing interesting work that
fulfills both organizational and personal goals. The memo based communication
will be challenged with the desire for more fluid communication via email and
other internet based platforms. The HR professional will be required to grasp
the fact that employees want to be paid for doing their work while having fun and
enjoying what they do. As indicated somewhere else, ‘making fun’ is serious business.
Social activities, telling jokes, WhatsApp groups and social football will
characterize the business environment which HR should prepare in advance and
embrace them for the betterment and enhancement of performance in the
organization.
