Sunday, August 3, 2025

Major HR Trends and Predictions for 2020

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Every HR forum is talking of future trends, all white papers and human capital consulting reports are focused on what’s changing in the near future. Well, the future is here and now. No new major change will take place in 2020. No new trends emerging. However, few areas will gather more velocity.

Behavioral sciences will be leveraging technology to get better insights through data analytics. This will fuel further innovation. Old rules on how work gets done, how we communicate with each other or how we access data or how we make decisions will continue to change. There will be continued more talk on simplicity and standardization.

“Cost reduction in HR delivery will be a demand form of business. Productivity will take center stage. There will be a huge focus on workforce optimization and possible layoffs. As workforce rebalancing becomes a norm, greater attention will be put on the performance management systems. This is bound to bring to attention the need to re-skill, leading to the velocity of learning to increase.”

The usage of Technology in HR will continue to be on acceleration. As this happens mental and physical wellbeing will become extremely important. Keeping talent engaged in a holistic manner will be the demand. As tough decisions on people front will be visible across industries, HR will have to prepare the business leadership to handle tough questions from their Millennial workforce who will require that each action be explained with respect to its purposefulness.

Nothing new again but the generational mix of our workforce has changed so it is bound to ask a different set of questions. HR leaders will have to work closely with the business to put the best people into emerging opportunities rather than putting them to solve problems. Team structures will change and small groups of highly agile workgroups will become more visible. With volatility continuing, standard organization structures will start seeing rapid changes if an organization does not want to end up becoming a dinosaur.

All the above will lead to a very different requirement of discipline in people practices. New talent metrics will find a place. Undisciplined approaches to people issues may become knotty. A systemic approach will have to adopted to succeed. A new culture will be required to be embedded as new rules come into play. Highly mature and agile Human Resource professionals will be in big demand.

A start-up and adaptive mindset will be an added advantage for new-age HR professionals. They will have to continue to look outside the window to remain relevant and continuously take the route to leverage collective intelligence creating a network of change leaders within their organizations. 2020 will see nothing new, yet the changes will be more than just incremental.

What is in play will continue to gather momentum.

Best wishes to the HR Fraternity for 2020. These are exciting times with no dull moment. Stay adaptive, focus on creating value. Remember transparency is on the rise across the world, therefore where laws do not exist to enable rapid current shifts in the market place just follow principles of ethics and integrity.

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DP Singh
DP Singh
D P Singh is senior industry veteran with almost four decades of experience in human resources working with ranked companies. Currently, he is working with Chandigarh University (Punjab) as Senior Executive Vice President. He is a member board of directors of Ethos Limited India, a Watch Boutique retail chain. And prior to joining Chandigarh University, Mr. Singh has been Ex-Vice President & Head HR of IBM India & South Asia & Ex-member board of director IBM India.