HR Networking in Miami: Anticipating the Top HR Trends of 2018

In November, we convened with HR leaders from various industries for our inaugural Global HR Leader Networking Series in Miami, Florida. ChapmanCG would like to thank TMF Group for hosting this session. Special thanks go to Lisa Shephard, Global Head of Executive Recruitment and her team for their hospitality and contribution to a thought provoking session on the dual topics of: 2018 Global HR Trends; and Best Practices in Employee Engagement. Thanks also goes out to the HR leaders who attended from companies such as Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Citrix, DHL, Lexmark International, Mastercard, Mount Sinai Medical Center Miami Beach, Teva Pharmaceuticals, UA Brands, Wells Fargo, and W.R. Berkley Corporation. Your insights and contributions were much appreciated. During this session we covered many of the issues which we expect will capture the attention of HR leaders globally in 2018. There was focus on the expectation that the HR function will need to not only continue to partner the business closely; but that it will also need to drive business impact more than ever before. Perhaps the liveliest dialogue was around the topic of Diversity & Inclusion and what progress might be made in driving contemporary D&I practices in the coming year — and considering the need to adjust approaches to suit different geographies, cultures, and workplaces. Technology is becoming a perennial favourite in HR trend predictions, and 2018 is certainly no exception. The march of technology into every facet of HR continues at pace, particularly in refining hiring processes, analytics and the use of social media. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was identified as a particularly exciting trend that CHROs will be watching in the coming year. There was also discussion around how the digitisation of workplace communications will develop greater partnerships between Marketing/Communications and HR. The war for top HR talent will continue to intensify in 2018, requiring organizations to revolutionize their processes to attract and retain these leaders, particularly in emerging markets. Employee engagement was also high on the agenda, and the group agreed that this is an important topic given its profile with CEOs and the C-suite; and the clear link between employee engagement and business success. Although the hype around Millennials in the work place is fading, the fact remains this demographic has become the staple of the modern workforce and so their collective expectations of organizations and workplace culture must be considered. Millennials continue to gravitate towards organizations with an ethos of altruism, that are tech savvy and focus on workplace culture and engagement. The traditional approach to performance feedback and management continues to be redefined in the quest to communicate better with these future leaders. This session was well received by attendees, not only to garner what is occurring on the HR scene globally but also for the opportunity to network with senior HR colleagues and share experiences. We are looking forward to a return visit to Miami in the first half of 2018!