It’s always nice to take a break from the urgent tasks of the day to look ahead to the coming year.
The challenge, however, is that it’s hard to know exactly what the year will hold.
In fact, if anything, it seems like every year is full of surprises.
So instead of hitting you with a load of predictions and future-gazing I’ve decided to take a different approach.
What I recommend is thinking in terms of “What ifs”.
Simply posing lots of questions about the next year can make for a lively discussion on your HR team and open up perspectives that may prove useful.
What-ifs aren’t solutions; rather they are logical questions one might ask, that should then provoke some sort of response or preparedness for. After all, no-one likes it when everything is a surprise.
So, here are my top what-ifs:
What if…
…the economy is very strong and labor markets are tight?
Pundits are always predicting a disastrous downturn but what if it’s the opposite? What if the economy is surprisingly strong? How will that affect the business, and in turn how will that affect HR?
What if…
…automation really takes off?
There is a lot of cool stuff in the world of automation, from “no-code” software to AI-enabled tools. What will we do if it becomes apparent there is an opportunity for much more automation across the enterprise? How will this affect the organization? Where will it affect processes in HR?
What if…
…geopolitical instability gets even worse?
In 2023 we’ve seen serious conflict in Ukraine, Armenia, and Israel. Are there potential conflicts that could affect your business? Do you have employees in any troubled parts of the world? What will you do for those employees if troubles break out?
What if…
…activists clash with ESG fatigue?
Over the past decade, there has been strong pressure for organizations to be more socially conscious and to take stands on political issues. Now we are seeing pushback and just a general fatigue with having to deal with contentious issues. What will you do about this tension between activists who insist that your organization must take a stand on issues and others who insist this just leads to trouble? Might this be a big fat headache for HR?
What to do next
I present these what-ifs with a caveat: I wouldn’t approach answering these questions in a terrible formal way. What we’re not trying to do here is strategic planning.
What this is, however, is a chance for the HR team to brainstorm a bit and enjoy letting their minds engage with some interesting what-ifs.
HR deserves a chance to kick back and just think for a while.
In this Christmas week, when things might be a bit quieter, why don’t you schedule a couple of hours away from the office to have just this kind of discussion?