Big Change Ahead for Post-Recession HR

Necessity is the mother of invention and the human resources model for many companies may be reinventing itself in the coming years. As they prepare for an up-turn following the current recession, many human resources professionals are calling for reform with an emphasis on people management skills:

“… Nearly seven in 10 HR professionals have identified a ‘huge need’ to ensure managers have the skills to manage the aftermath of the recession….” – Gilbert Helen, (Personnel Today, 26 Jan. 2010)

Management plays an integral part in organisations, big and small. In the wake of a recession, people management is more important than ever before. It is critical to the survival of a business and the welfare of its workers.

Top management has already shown signs of recognising the importance of management reform better to engage their team. The PricewaterhouseCoopers 13th Annual CEO Survey report showed that out of about 70 UK CEOs, eighty-five percent plan to change their management models because of the economic crisis.

Forms of change to management expressed in the report include plans for:

• More attention to team morale (81%)
• Change in flexible working (59%)
• Increased hiring (42%)
• Investing in more education and development (65%)

The next decade is poised to be an exciting time for human resource professionals. Reform and change is looming for how companies deal with management. As economic conditions improve, roles will need to be redefined and more positions will need to be filled.

As a result, HR professionals will be asked to focus on succession planning and recruitment. In the Corporate Learning Priorities Survey 2010, sixty-seven percent of recently polled HR professionals stated that they saw a great need for managers to be trained so that they have the necessary skills to tackle the tasks that lie ahead.

It is anticipated that in the next decade, significant change will come to human resources models. More emphasis is expected to be put on the development of middle management. More guidance and growth in people management procedures and methods will be put in place as a response to changing post-recession demands.