It’s a new year, with 12 months of opportunity ahead of us. Businesses are getting back into the swing of things after a holiday break, and looking at their plans for the upcoming year, one that will undoubtedly be impacted by the unclear economic outlook.
Regardless, for any business out there, there is much to be excited about and many chances to deliver something great for their clients. We want this revitalized energy to stay high, so we thought we’d share some HR trends, as well as legislative items, coming up this year that business owners should have on their radar. This way, you can focus on delivery while minimizing HR-related surprises.
Trends in HR for 2024: Technology Improvements and AI
Merriam Webster’s word of the year in 2023 was authenticity, which they attributed to the rise of AI in the ways we work and interact online. It is undoubtedly going to be more prominent in the workplace in the upcoming year, and that means ramifications for HR practices in businesses of all sizes.
Within the workplace, policies are being drafted by HR managers in tandem with leadership on how to work with AI on client projects, data processing, and marketing. Examples of this include how to build structured prompts, data interpretation, and technology integration. Expect Artificial Intelligence to be supplemental to any role in a workplace, helping to identify gaps in the workforce, or to assist in identifying growth opportunities for a business.
Read: Business Sherpa Group Leaders Discuss AI
There are other workplace policy impacts anticipated. Business leaders and their HR partners are advised to keep pace with the federal and provincial responses to the rise of AI in the workplace, as governments are now starting to recognize that AI is here to stay and will need regulation going forward. If passed, Bill C-27, the Consumer Privacy Protection Act, will regulate federal workplaces to disclose, in plain language, if it uses AI in the hiring process, and will also require them to explain the logic behind it if they are questioned on it.
Trends for HR in 2024: Right to Disconnect
Just like the last couple of years, any Ontario employer with 25 or more employees as of January 1 needs to have a written and distributed disconnecting from work policy in place by March 1 of the same year. Since we are in 2024, it’s important for organizations who recently reached the 25-staff threshold to be aware of it for this year.
This policy was introduced Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) on December 2, 2021 and has been in place ever since. Read about the policy and background more from Ontario.ca here.
Trends for HR in 2024: Accessibility in the Workplace
Workplaces often discuss their DEI efforts, however 2024 should see an increased focus by workplaces on eliminating barriers faced by persons with disabilities. Last month, Air Canada was put under the microscope for their inability to treat disabled passengers with respect, which is just a microcosm of a wider discussion on accessibility needed to be had in workplaces.
For Ontario, it is particularly of focus, as the Ontario Government has a goal of universal accessibility by 2025. To get there will require businesses of all sizes to have measures in place so that nobody faces accessibility barriers to employment.
Trends for HR in 2024: Transparency in The Workplace
Consumers have long demanded more transparency from businesses, and in 2024, that trend will only continue. For instance last Fall, the Ontario Government introduced proposed legislation under Bill 149, which would require employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings and to also disclose whether they used artificial intelligence during the hiring process.
In further transparency trends, expect employees to continue to desire workplaces that allow them to be authentic, where culture is important to their employer and where work life well-being is fostered. Allowing employees to be themselves, and where they feel their employer is being honest and transparent, will improve their commitment to the tasks at hand.
Trends for HR in 2024: Hybrid Spaces, Flexibility
Return to work was the trend in 2023, and that’s gradually been rephrased into flexible work environments as employers learn what employees are and aren’t elastic on. In many cities, commercial office vacancies hit record highs in 2023, despite many businesses implementing their return-to-work plans. Even if we think we’re past it, the shift in office culture is ongoing, as a new generation enters the workforce, having been greatly impacted by the pandemic.
Read: How to Manage Performance Virtually?
Changes in Your HR Needs?
Those are just some of the changes and trends we’re seeing in the world of HR in the coming year. Of course, more will come, but our experts can help you prepare for it in a way that works best for your business.
How? Well, that’s just one meeting away from being answered. You can book a meeting with our team through the link below or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to keep getting insights until you’re ready to make that first step. Contact Us.
