Sapphire_Synapse 2014 | Page 41

SYNAPSE - 2014 SYNAPSE - 2014 Paradigm Shift: The Evolving Face of HR - Saurav Kumar Das, HRM 2013-15, XLRI Jamshedpur The human resources function has at times been referred to as the last bastion of bureaucracy and viewed as a road block by the stakeholders in any organization. Being aligned with personnel and administrative functions, it has traditionally been viewed as mere paperwork. In this era of agile organizations, much of the HR role is undergoing a radical transformation. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-centered. Today’s changing HR landscape demands that the role of the HR professional has to be in sync with the needs of the evolving organization. With the ever increasing pressure to perform optimally, HR operating models need to be redesigned offering the best services at the optimal cost. Increased employee participation in HR processes, augmented by better technology will lead to the outsourcing of many transaction-heavy HR jobs. The days to come will see greater infiltration of technology into the HR function with most transactional services being automated. Increased employee participation in HR processes, augmented by better technology will lead to the outsourcing of many transaction-heavy HR jobs. However, HR would still remain the architect of the fundamental internal functions of “ARM”—Attracting, Retaining & Motivating – the workforce. Owing to this paradigm shift, HR generalists would more or less become an extinct species. HR professionals who intend to pursue a career in this domain will have to understand the direction of future trends, rise up to the impending challenges and maneuver dynamically akin t