There are signs pointing to a more employee-friendly HR future, writes William Arruda, a Forbes contributor and a personal branding expert.
"Advocacy can take many forms, including regular check-ins, open dialogues, and even corporate culture planning and execution," Arruda writes. "It's a far cry from decades ago, when people were thought of as merely cogs in a machine (and the HR department was called the personnel office) instead of being valued as vital contributors with unique traits. This new paradigm treats employees like customers to be served."
Other current trends that Arruda sees gaining strength include HR tapping more into tech to better serve workers, stepping up as career counselors and leveraging data to spur innovation.
"Advanced software finally allows an integrated command of information to ease processes for workers, as well as boost productivity and profitability," Arruda notes. "Departmental collaboration like this puts HR in a position to help employees meet the company's business objectives, and that makes the department undeniably more relevant to the workforce."