It’s time to start predicting the year ahead.

Whether you’ve had a successful year financially or simply continued to hit the same margins, I believe 2018 has paved the way for an exciting 2019.

In parts, 2018 has been somewhat uncertain, with the Brexit situation throwing up all sorts of sticky questions over future UK immigration rules post-EU.

And not to mention the shocking revelations highlighted in the Gender Pay Gap report and the World Economic Forum claiming that it could take 217 years to close this gap across the world.

However, 2018 has also seen some positive improvements in the world of automation too.

We’ve seen a real shift in HR professionals and businesses starting to adopt automation, CRM and artificial intelligence in a bid to streamline processes.

In fact, we previously mentioned the impact Bullhorn is having on the market by significantly reducing time-consuming manual data entry.

But the question is; what’s in the pipeline for the HR industry in 2019?

Here are some of my top predictions.

Just remember, you heard them here first!

A push towards atypical working

Atypical working a term used when a business doesn’t stick to the regular office hours or common practices associated with it.

With so many people trying to juggle a million different things these days, it’s no wonder why businesses will start to finally listen to what their employees want and need.

For instance, by allowing employees to work flexible hours, they can tweak their working hours to allow them to pick up their kids from school, go to a dentist appointment and so on.

And for a business, it should make employees more engaged in their job when they do work.

Furthermore, there’s even an argument to say that it could reduce staff turnover rates in the long-term as well.

After all, an employee will appreciate that their employer values their lifestyle and encourages them to work with more autonomy.

This HR trend is backed up by the fact that access to 4G and remote working is something feasible and realistic.

Plus if a business needs to keep tabs on an employee, communication portals like Slack enable both employers and employees to chat throughout the day.

Programmes like Teamwork also deliver a proactive solution to monitor workflow and make sure that projects are visible, delivered on time and managed accordingly.

The evolution of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days – whether it’s Amazon Echo or a brand new platform.

In the world of HR, AI is eliminating tedious and troublesome data entry jobs associated with recruitment and HR.

Instead of spending time filling out forms, sifting through CVs and emailing staff/candidates, AI can give you the flexibility to focus on the face-to-face elements of the role.

One of the biggest breakthroughs set to take off in 2019 is HAL.

This AI solution sends messages, answers emails and deals with general daily queries.

In essence, it can automate the way you work and give you more time to build and develop relationships on a more personal basis with staff and candidates.

2019 will see more breakthroughs with AI and it would be a shame for you to miss out on one of the most exciting developments within the industry.

Attitudes and behaviours take priority

For the first time, 2019 will start to see more companies focusing more on the attitudes and behaviours of a candidate, rather than just the qualifications.

In HR terms, this is a real game-changer when it comes to utilising the skills of current employees to fill upcoming vacancies.

Forward-thinking HR professionals will look within the company and establish ways to upskill.

While qualifications are important, there’s usually a chance that someone who applies themselves and wants to learn can do a great job as well – within reason.

For example, you can’t exactly discard qualifications if you’re looking for a doctor!

Nonetheless, the same principle applies to recruiting new personnel outside of the company as well.

If they go the extra mile to tell you how and why they can do the job just as effectively as someone with more qualifications and experience, listen to them.

A relatively simple way to find a good fit for your business (when advertising externally), is to involve current employees in the process.

They should offer a prejudice and bias free opinion.

Summing up

2019 has the potential to be an incredible year for businesses.

Once Brexit has finally come to a conclusion, the second half of the year should see a real emergence of new technology and processes to help the economy flourish.

Stay open-minded and embrace change.

By doing this, you may well find that this is your most successful year in regards to a lower staff turnover rate, a boost in revenue and an improved employee satisfaction rate.

Good luck!

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