Canadian HR Reporter Weekly

3 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018 December 12, 2018 "Changing legislation requires careful planning and, often, costly technology development to implement," she said. "Scheduling systems, time and labour systems, payroll and benefit systems don't reprogram themselves." Out west, employers are facing minimum wage increases and a new employer health tax, which will require organizational review from HR, said Pau. "Employers — especially on the smaller end — are going to struggle with things like the minimum wage increase and the impact that has on their entire wage structure." e legislated increases in compensation may require HR to review perks such as benefits and bonuses as organizations cope with additional business costs, she said. Search for talent HR's never-ending quest to find the best talent will be the greatest issue facing employers in 2019, said Pau. And beefed-up efforts on branding to differentiate organizations in the marketplace could be necessary to help with recruitment and retention, she said. "ere's such a competitive labour market right now for employers," said Pau. "Employers need to be spending more effort figuring out a different way of sourcing talent in a genuine, honest kind of way." "I don't think it's going to go away. It's a conundrum, for sure." Employer branding and employee experience will definitely be higher on the to-do list come 2019, according to Taylor Green. "Everyone knows that great workplaces attract top talent, and the desire to stand out among peer organizations is manifesting as an emerging marketing discipline within HR." As employers seek to become more agile, job descriptions may too require an overhaul to leave space for wiggle room and possible organizational change, said Poirier. "I think we're going to see the end of job descriptions," she said. "I don't think everybody's ready to go there, but I think this should be our aim for the future." Rather than hire for specific roles, HR should begin seeking out recruits with a "matrix of skills" to allow for more fluidity at organizations, said Poirier. Once positions are more fluid, mundane tasks could be more easily automated, specific work could be farmed out to gig workers, while the most important duties could remain with internal staff, she said. e gig economy also continues to gain ground with employees seeking to work when and where they choose, according to Anthony Ariganello, Vancouver- based president and CEO of CPHR Canada. "We must adapt to this cultural change, ensuring our programs and benefits reflect this new trend," he said. "HR needs to be ahead of the curve to ensure that programs are tailored effectively for all within an organization." A global economic slowdown is also possible in 2019, and HR must be prepared to address the potential of organizational restructuring, said Ariganello. Technological advancement Investment in artificial intelligence (AI) also continues to increase at workplaces, he said. "HR needs to be aware of this and, more importantly, (understand) how it will affect current roles and responsibilities and how they can be trained to adapt to this new technology." But even as AI heavily impacts some HR processes, emerging technologies remain largely unproven and expensive, said Taylor Green. "HR leaders are competing for operating and capital dollars with the revenue-producing sides of their businesses, so getting access to that capital to invest in new technologies is an enormous competition," she said. Human resources professionals need to recognize how technology will impact their organizations — and not just from an HR perspective, said Poirier. "We need to be able to understand the impact of technology on the organization and be able to anticipate how it's going to impact jobs," she said. "Will some of the jobs disappear? How will technology support our staff, and how it will change their reality?" "It's quite a change for HR professionals because the level of proficiency in terms of technology — understanding technology — is probably pretty average in terms of the profession. But the expectation from now on — that HR professionals understand all types of technology and how they impact the bigger organization — is a knowledge that needs to be acquired, if it's not already there." I think we're going to see the end of job descriptions. This should be our aim for the future." Credit: Robert Kneschke (Shutterstock) HR leaders are competing for operating and capital dollars with the revenue-producing sides of their business, so gaining access to capital to invest in new technologies is an enormous competition, says Louise Taylor Green, CEO of HRPA.

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