2019 is almost over - crazy right? In less than two weeks we’ll toast to a brand new year of trends, failures, successes, and experiences. It’s an incredibly exciting fresh slate, new chapter, clean sweep...tabula rasa, if you will. With the new year, we say “goodbye” to old trends and “hello” to brand new ones. As week number three of our December series: Best of 2019, we’re taking a look back at the Best HR Trends of 2019! We’re also including a few trends to keep an eye on into the new year. We hope you’ll enjoy!

The Best 2019 HR Trends

• Employee Experience- A major trend we saw this year was a shifted focus to the employee experience. Culture, flexibility, and independence were all taken into account on a more serious note as the happiness of your employees really does matter! Think of your employees as advocates for your brand - if one becomes disgruntled and has friends on their side who then become disgruntled too...you have yourself a big problem. This is why it’s important to focus on your employees experience. This is not to say there shouldn’t be rules and your employees get to have free reign, but things such as PTO, Benefits, bonuses, etc. matter and help boost morale and motivation.

• Working With AI, Not against AI- By now you’re probably sick of reading about AI! Sorry, but it’s not going anywhere in 2020 either. AI has become a major, major, major trend of 2019 and is something that many companies have now infiltrated into their daily lives. However, for those companies resisting AI, this may be difficult to grapple with as artificial intelligence is often seen as a threat to the workforce. We explored many articles to compile our list, and at the forefront of multiple sources was something related to artificial intelligence. HRDive lists this trend as number two on their list with a great quote from Larry Nash, Director of Recruiting at EY. He believes, “as recruiters and HR professionals we have to really embrace this change, go with it, try things, fail at times, figure it out, but be comfortable with it”. What better advice? If we shift our attitude towards AI being something that can help us, not hurt us, we can open up a whole new world of possibility. Often times, companies are scared to fail. That fear is a good thing, and it’s healthy. Keep in mind that fear doesn't equal failure, so embrace change, embrace the "new" and explore unknown possibilities, especially as we dive into 2020!

• Culture- Culture really goes hand-in-hand with Employee Experience and will be popping up again next year! Today, office culture is a huge factor and benefit for a lot of people searching for jobs. That same HRDrive article lists this as number 5 on their list of 10 saying that today, “consumers are value-driven”, meaning job seekers and those looking for business opportunities are aware of who or what the company is associated with. It matters to them, and it should matter to you too! On an incredibly basic level, HRDrive says “people want to align with companies that share their values.” Employees are spending more time with their co-workers than they are with their families, it makes sense to want to find an office culture that fits and feels right for them. If an employee can work in a trusting environment, they can flourish and work to the best of their ability.

• Remote Employees- If you’re on the fence about remote work, you may want to reconsider. With the rise of an insane amount of technological advancement, remote work has become more and more feasible and, for some, just makes sense! Plus, looking at remote employees, expands your candidate pool to a whole new group of candidates that could be an awesome fit! If you haven’t considered remote work, you may want to by 2020 as it’s only going to become more and more abundant!

• Potential not Perfection- One of our favorite trends we’ve noticed this past year is hiring based on potential. This one might be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s important nonetheless. If you’re unable to find that stand-out candidate, reconsider how you’re hiring. Monster calls the perfect candidate the “unicorn” because it simply does not exist. Searching for perfection can be a losing battle more times than not especially when it comes to hyper-specific requirements and skills needed. Reconsider your non-negotiables, are they really deal breakers? Wouldn’t a person with outstanding potential eventually perform to the standards of a “perfect” hire? Monster believes that “a candidate might be a “hire for potential” [if their resume] include[s] a history of developing new skills, even if they’re not relevant to the job you’re hiring for; being up-to-date in advances in their field, even if they don’t apply to yours, and performing well in problem-solving interview scenarios where they’re tasked with coming up with creative solutions to some of your most common problems.” Oftentimes recruiters leave many jobs unfilled due to the lofty standards that companies set for their job postings. It’s important to be detailed and know what you want, but leave the rigidity and closed-mindedness at the door. Your next great hire could be right around the corner, full of potential in 2020!

• Standing Up for Social Issues- This is another big trend we’ve seen so far and expect to see well into 2020 and the future beyond that. PeopleMatters says this about social issues: “forty-four percent of millennials feel increased loyalty toward their CEO if he/she takes a stand on a relevant contemporary issue, and 47 percent believed that their CEO should take active stances on social issues.” Taking a stand on a social issue can be controversial because, typically, social issues are controversial and come with two sides. However, it’s important in our day and age to stand up for what’s right, whatever that may be.

• A Diverse Workforce- This next trend is another that we don’t expect to disappear anytime soon. A Diverse Workforce should be a given, but believe it or not, they can be hard to come by! Forbes talks a bit on the subject of what makes a diverse subject. Basically, the terms “diverse” and “inclusion” have been revamped to be more inclusive. Forbes discusses the typical factors that make up a diverse workplace such as gender, race, sexual orientation, and religion, but go on to mention Geographic Location, Generational Affiliation, and Education Levels. Right now you may be thinking “what?” That’s fine, we’ll explain. Basically what Forbes is trying to say is that by including Geographic Location, remote positions and workers are included that may be far from urban areas, Generational Affiliation will then “embrace five generations and their respective cultural norms and communication styles”, and Education Levels will open up great jobs to those who may not have a 4-year degree. If you feel as though your office-environment or culture is lacking diversity, consider expanding your team in 2020.

2020 Trends to Look Out For

• Adaptive Systems- The first trend to keep an eye out for in 2020 is adaptive systems. Basically, the term is exactly what is sounds like - a system that adapts to its environment. For example, most airlines ask how you prefer communication. Once you select that channel of communication, it’s saved in their system and from there on out - you only receive messages via email. A more simple example is when you check-out from a drug store and they ask you how you want your receipt. While it doesn’t auto save what you want every time, it adapts every single time to any myriad of options you may select. This is a huge trend we expect to see in 2020 with HR in staffing/recruiting with the automation of adaptive systems for clients and candidates.

• Diversity/Equal Opportunity- We told you this isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. A diverse workplace is relatively new when you consider the newness of equality in terms of women in the workplace, racial equality, etc. While we seem to be moving in the right direction, it’s not something that everyone is entirely satisfied with and will continue to (hopefully) grow. Consider expanding the diversity of your office in 2020. It improves company culture and will also allow for a generous pool of potential for your workplace when you expand past your stereotypical businessman.

• Automation and A.I.- “Here’s Johnny!” Just kidding, Jack Nicholson is not typing this, we promise...Anyway- we told you a few minutes ago that AI is not going anywhere and we weren’t lying. We fully expect AI to continue to grow well into 2020 and beyond. To stay competitive and ahead of the trends - it’s time to infiltrate some sort of AI into your life to maintain relevance. The time is coming very quickly where those who do not partake in AI advancements will be overlooked. Don’t be those guys.

• Slack > Email- We’re seeing this in our offices already. Slack is becoming more popular than emailing. If you’re unfamiliar with Slack, it’s a social messaging application that businesses use to communicate. It’s instant, effective, and more relaxed than the formality and time-consuming email. Slacks are meant to be informal and to the point and can operate extremely efficiently for those remote workers who aren’t in-office every single day. If you want to implement Slack into your daily office communications, click here.

• Brand Advocacy through Employees- We also mentioned this briefly before but your employees should be advocates for your brand, your product, and your company as a whole. They’re your best advertisement! Promote this sort of advocacy within the workplace through social messaging - especially LinkedIn and you’re sure to see gradual growth within your social following as well as employee engagement!

Have more trends you want us to share? Let us know in the comments!