It's unbelievable that the year is coming to a close. In fact, with the holidays just around the corner, it seems even busier than ever!
I don't' know about you, but I find that the end of the year offers much opportunity to reflect on the past year and goal setting for the coming months. So much has happened in 2017 that has had significant implications for organizations of all sizes that it's almost overwhelming just trying to take it all in when reflecting on the past months.
At first glance, the list strikes a bleak tone for the coming year, but each issue that organizations find that they will be grappling with in 2018, offers HR the opportunity to play a key role in strengthening an organization's response to challenges.
- While the economy is clipping along and organizations are benefiting from this continued growth, uncertainty in the market and changes in the tax code, will continue to drive change within organizations.
- Events such as mass shootings, attempted terrorist attacks at home and abroad are forcing organizations to evaluate security measures for employees and customers alike.
- Cyber attacks and data thefts are continuing to change the relationship between organizations, their employees and customers on how they protect personal information and data.
- Sexual harassment policies in the workplace are becoming front and center in the wake of a series of high profile incidents in business, politics and entertainment.
- Finally, the partisan political environment continues to offer more confusion than clarity.
As organizations dealt with many of these issues over the past year, what we've seen from clients and partners alike, is that more is being asked of HR professionals. For a lack of a better word, a fundamental shift seems to be happening and HR is being moved out from an administrative function within an organization, and being viewed as a crucial partner for organizational success.
No prediction is ever truly 100 percent accurate, but what I can guarantee is that 2018 is being set up to be another year where change is at the core of every organization. Don't fear it! Embrace it! Change offers companies unique opportunities to continuously improve. We encourage Human Resources professionals to be at the table providing the insight and objectivity that organizations need to succeed in the coming year. Now is a perfect time to engage HR's perspective into leadership teams more than ever!
We look forward to diving into many of these issues in 2018, Happy Holidays from all of us at HR Advisors Group! We hope the coming year is full of nothing but success and happiness!
