The number one challenge set to face HR professionals over the coming year is that of employee engagement, it has been claimed.
An article from Kings College London entitled The State Of HR – From Recession To Recover, notes as the economy recovers, steps need to be taken to re-engage workers.
Richard Martin, employment partner at Speechly Bircham and author of the article, notes that over the recent times of economic difficulty there also appears to have been an “increasing enlightened” approach to cost cutting.
“While compulsory redundancies have featured heavily, employers have demonstrated a greater appetite for looking at alternative ideas including a dramatic increase in the use of flexible working arrangements,” he explained.
Mr Martin added that the issues of the last year could see HR workers facing more challenges in 2010.
Recent research by the Hay Group revealed 65 per cent of HR staff feel there will be an economic upturn within the next year.
Looking to the remainder of 2010, 79 per cent of firms surveyed will conduct salary increases in the workplace, in comparison to 57 per cent of companies in 2009.
