10 HR and HRIS trends for 2024

HR & HRIS trend #1: closer ties between HRD/CFO and HRD/CTO

In historically siloed companies, with their many square pegs, digital transformation has unfortunately also taken place in a compartmentalized way.

However, our expertise shows us that transforming organizations is a shared challenge, and that the actions of one department have an impact on those of others.

At SQORUS, we are working to break down these barriers, in particular by choosing not to limit our firm to a single support function, but to cover human resources, finance and IT. On a daily basis, we interact with our peers on their projects, and despite our different frames of reference, we work to nourish our methodology by taking into account a global vision (or “360°”) and sharing similarities to best support our customers in their acceleration.

HR trend 2024: a challenge for HRDs and CFOs

In terms of the HRD/CFO challenge, we could mention, for example, the Strategic Workforce Planning approach approach, led by our HR Consulting teams, and the Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) approach, led by the teams at Smarthys Consulting who joined us at the end of 2023. This collective effort echoes a trend we observe among our customers, which requires them to smooth out their egos, pool their resources, and take to heart the need to work for the good of the whole company.

A short extract on the subject from the latest Victoires du Capital Humain, where our team was present:

HR trend 2024: a challenge for HRDs and CTOs

On the HR/CTO side, our numerous HRIS assignments (selection assistance, implementation, HR data, etc.) show us the benefits of an effective technical and business pairing. HR Business Partners, new-generation CIOs who embrace the challenges of the cloud and artificial intelligence, and the acculturation of all parties to each other’s challenges, are the foundations of companies that will be ready to outperform.

HR & HRIS trend #2: skills take precedence over diplomas

In 2018, I had written an article on LinkedIn that unintentionally reached hundreds of thousands of people on LinkedIn. Its title: “We need to move from the cult of the diploma to the culture of competence“.

Behind the latter, a reflection that is accentuated by the accelerated arrival of artificial intelligence in our professional lives: hard skills have a shorter and shorter lifespan, personal and daily learning is becoming a necessity, and the era of the learning company has come.

We don’t deny the value of a diploma in many countries, like France: in terms of networks, methodology… But we also came across a lot of over-qualified people, who thought differently, and to whom companies sometimes closed the door.

In 2024, I’d like to see no more job offers that require Bac +5, but rather recruitment mechanisms based on cross-referenced questionnaires that assess competence for a particular position.

The diversity I mentioned earlier in this article also applies to the profiles you recruit. Don’t just copy and paste what you feel comfortable with, but really look for the most effective people in your teams. Otherwise, companies will end up hiring well-trained generalists, who will then employ armies of specialized freelancers that they will no longer be able to recruit.

HR & HRIS Trend #3: Diversity and inclusion go beyond marketing posture

We see DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs flourishing in many organizations, yet you only have to visit some of them to see that it remains a drop in an ocean of conformism. Between Diversity Washing, which is the corporate equivalent of “I’ve got a black friend”, the failure to adapt the organization to non-visible disabilities (and not expressed by employees for fear of being pigeonholed), or Rainbow Washing during Pride (with logos in LGBTQIA+ colors).

Even within certain scale-ups (those startups in the acceleration phase) from which one would expect more modernity, there are whispers that management considers this to be “bullshit”.

Call me naive, call me humanistic, call me inclusive, but I think the time has come to really tackle these issues. And this, willingly or unwillingly, as the new generations (Z in particular) will twist the arm of corporate cultures that have been pretending for too long, with a business and organizational impact that will handicap them over the long term:

According to a McKinsey study, the most gender-diverse companies are :

Thile ethnically diverse organizations are :

HR & HRIS trend #4: changingthe model 4 years after Covid

During 2023, some of our customers began to question their Target Operating Model. It’s not just a question of processes or changing the titles of your employees, but rather of the very mission of HR teams. There are multiple avenues of evolution: The agile model, the “Employee Experience Driven” model, the “Leader-Led” model, the “Machine-Powered” model based on technology…

At SQORUS, for example, we like to speak of a “half-measure” approach: we apply proprietary methodologies to your specific business and cultural characteristics, to build with you a unique, specific model, with governance that will enable you to best anticipate the future.

HR & HRIS trend #5 2024: the back-to-work war

If Covid has brought anything positive to office workers, it’s telecommuting. It helped save our organizations during a crisis unprecedented in modern times… but it also made management lose control a little.

Over the past few months, we’ve been reading about companies that are “calling it a day”. Apart from the fact that this type of title infantilizes employees, I think that this desire on the part of companies to “get back to the office” will clash violently with what office workers now consider to be a given, in the same way as paid vacations, for example.

By entering into conflict for dubious reasons (“we need to be together”, “some people abuse us”), I think that companies are going to accentuate disengagement, and the risk of some of their employees leaving. Of course, trust does not exclude control, but control does not exclude trust.

HR & HRIS Trend #6 2024: mental health as a social benefit

Did you know: according to a study conducted by Markteffect and Goodhabitz in 2023 :

Which means that you, the reader, have more than a 50/50 chance of being in this situation. So what to do? Pedal faster? Tilt your head a little more and wait for the storm to pass? Companies must assume their responsibilities and ensure health and safety in the workplace. A large part of our time and energy is dedicated to work, so we need to make our workplace more caring. This requires premises, but also, and above all, tools and resources to engage in deep, understanding and empathetic dialogue around mental health.

So, should we really get started before we run out of road?

Photo credit: MidJourney

HR & HRIS Trend #7 2024: the culture of HR ROI

Have you ever heard of HRIS projects that implode and end up costing millions of euros? Of those recommendations from consultancies that are paid for at a premium and end up gently wedging the desk of certain departments?

The key word for 2024 is “pragmatism”. Be efficient in your choices, get rid of your preconceived ideas about the partners you should choose, and aim for performance and ROI (Return on Investment).

To do this, train yourself in data, do post-mortems of projects, really analyze what already exists, challenge your firms, don’t just let yourself be carried along, and above all, trust each other.

HR & HRIS trend #8 2024: co-optation through affiliation

With a background in marketing, I discovered the logic of “affiliation” a long time ago. The idea is simple: a reference site or influential person distributes an e-commerce link with a tracking tag, and they earn a commission when a sale is made thanks to their help.

On the co-optation side, the logic is the same. Rather than offering a bonus that will only be received at the end of a lengthy recruitment process, the amount is broken down into several types of action. One of your employees shares a link to a recruitment advert in your company, and earns small sums according to the actions of his community: one person who clicks, one person who submits a CV, one person who is interviewed, one person who is recruited!

This makes it easier to climb the ladder, and boosts your co-optation campaigns.

HR & HRIS trend #9 2024: back to basics for change

Over the past three years, the only constant for organizations has been change, and this is set to continue.

Instead of trying to “manage” change (which has become permanent), organizations need to focus on improving their readiness for change and on creating a culture capable of accepting and managing change in real time.

It starts with the management team: we need to make them more aware of why change can be difficult, and how we can empower ourselves to take ownership of how to lead and engage with change.

At the same time, we need to get back to basics and know our “why”: we need to be clear about what your company expects from you as an HR partner: what will really make things happen?

HR & HRIS Trend #10 2024: AI, AI and AI

I mentioned artificial intelligence in the introduction to this article, but I thought it would be interesting to conclude it as well. The techno-resistant have already had a tough time of it in recent years, but the tidal wave caused by ChatGPT and other generative AIs is unlikely to leave us any time soon.

Conclusion: HR & HRIS trends in 2024

If you’re feeling a little lost on the subject, or if you want to speed things up, you should know that we offer acculturation conferences for HR and HRIS teams. Duration: 1 hour, to understand the foundations of AI, and its impact on HR processes. Contact us via the form and ask to speak to me, I’ll be happy to answer you.

See this article for the other must-read topic: CSR and HR.

If you’ve made it this far, I wish you an exciting 2024! And if you’re interested in the subjects of HR innovation or AI applied to HR, you can contact our LAB to discuss them.