Consumerization of Human Resources
Employees in general – and digital natives in particular – are no longer only looking for a career: They seek an experience. They want to be included in shaping their workspace and they certainly want a voice – not only when it comes to their own career development, but across the whole HR value chain. Employees start to think about work like consumers. For this reason, organizations start to create personalized experiences along the entire employee journey and embrace the “ Consumerization of Human Resources ”.
Rapid transformation is affecting organizations and industries across the globe. The new currency for competitiveness is: Talent, knowledge and leadership. Pre-existing structures and practices are being disrupted and yield to Agile ways of working and delivering value.
To succeed, organizations and their leaders must provide the right environment for people to prosper and do their best work. That puts increasing pressure on Human Resources (HR). But forward-looking People Operations teams are already rethinking their value proposition.
Modern employees thrive on challenging work. But they also seek meaning and purpose along with appreciation and respect. They are intrinsically motived; they want to take responsibility and be involved. That’s why they must be allowed to manage themselves with the necessary autonomy and empowerment. This leads to a new talent contract and a substantial power shift. And that changes the way HR engages and interacts with people.
Because employees will claim a voice in shaping the way their organization takes care of them – not only when it comes to their career development, but across the whole HR value chain. HR solutions are now being co-created and evolve constantly. They are becoming more flexible and accommodating.
And just as companies have to ensure service excellence for their customers, HR must strive for service excellence for their employees. Employees in general – and digital natives in particular – are no longer only looking for a career: They seek an experience. And for that, one size certainly no longer fits all.
For this reason, more and more organizations start creating personalized experiences along the entire employee journey. They think outside the box and discover amazing ways to consumerize HR – ranging from the gamification of Learning & Development to the implementation of augmented and virtual reality into the hiring process.
The movement towards personalization in the workforce has been coined the “Consumerization of HR” – or “TalentSumerization”. It describes the idea of creating a social, mobile, and consumer-style experiences for employees inside the company. So, just as companies must ensure service excellence for their customers, HR must strive for service excellence for their employees.
Organizations with the courage to embrace the new talent contract and go new ways can shape innovative, engaging, and fun places of work. And it gives them a powerful element in building a strong employer brand and turning employees into influential brand ambassadors.
How are you ready for the consumerization of HR?
