Transforming HR
Deliver more of what your business and workforce need now
We’re on the cusp of a machine-augmented revolution in the future of work, fueled by workers’ evolving expectations and businesses’ changing needs. Making this transformative shift will demand a keen focus on agility and sustainability. It will also require building a smarter HR function and delivering more consumer-like experiences to keep pace.
To thrive in this age of change, HR needs to evolve from its legacy as a steward of employment to become a steward of work. HR’s legacy role was designed to ensure the silent running of the enterprise — enough people with the right skills, available at the right time and price. This often led to one-size-fits-most talent and workforce solutions that were built for efficiency. As AI and the democratization of work exponentially increase the velocity and variability, progressive HR functions are redefining their mandate to become stewards of work. They are enabling talent to connect to work as seamlessly as possible while meeting more talent on their individual terms, bending the demand and supply curves of work in a fundamentally different way.
With HR at the helm, businesses can build a more intuitive, human work experience that places people at the heart of this transformation.
Sustained transformation requires an ecosystem approach rooted in change and designed for fluidity. Transformation is successful when it creates trust in every interaction, when people and the business thrive in every experience, and when HR is empowered to transform every day.
Aligning HR with the business
Leaders say sustainability is the number one driver of transformation for their businesses — and when it comes to risk, it’s also their number two concern. Yet only 31% of CHROs say they’re working on sustainability initiatives.
Instead, more than half of CHROs are still focused on enhancing the employee experience and delivering a compelling employee value proposition (EVP).
But keeping promises to both the business and the workforce doesn’t have to mean juggling competing priorities. Improving the employee experience can be an integral part of building sustainable people practices and delivery models — and workforces that can go the distance.
With generative AI rapidly transforming the digital HR landscape, requiring new skillsets and specialized knowledge, there’s never been a better opportunity for the HR function to position itself as a strategic partner to the business.
One in six HR leaders says recent HR digital transformation initiatives weren’t successful. Why? Because 67% of organizations adopt new technology without transforming the way they work.
Empowering HR to thrive
Over the past few decades, leadership’s unrelenting focus on efficiency hindered the organization’s ability to respond to a rapidly changing world of work — and the intended efficiency gains were never realized. The old model wasn’t effective then, and it’s now more antiquated than ever.
A future-proof HR function enables organizations to match their rapidly changing work with evolving workforce needs — and it starts with a digital-first culture. Changing the way we work to enable daily transformation is vital.
Traditional methods of HR transformation won’t deliver the necessary results. Achieving real workforce productivity and agility and building a culture of resilience requires a human-centered, experience-focused and outcome-driven HR function.
How can we change our approach to transformation and maximize the adoption of our HR tech to ensure we’re building a thriving function — that also helps the business and its people thrive?
It’s time to flip the script and get transformation right
Successful deployments are often digital in nature, but it’s a mistake to assume implementation is the same as deployment. Focusing solely on system implementations often results in a technology transition. A true digital transformation results in added value and new ways of working for the organization. To avoid the pitfalls of an unsuccessful digital transformation, we need to do more than just put new systems in place. To drive lasting change, considering the mindset, people, process and technology implications is crucial.
HR transformation initiatives that are designed for real change are essential for HR’s success in becoming a strategic partner to the business. These are the elements of a successful transformation initiative:
- A clear vision and strategy
- Leadership support and alignment
- The right measures of success
- Effective deployment of new capabilities
- The ability to deliver needed value to the business
- A true improvement in the workforce experience
Why choose Mercer for your HR transformation?
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TrustBuilding trust in HR begins with an interaction model that puts people and work at the center. It requires the right balance of high-touch human and high-touch digital experiences, through HR processes that actually work, and creates an anti-fragile technology and data foundation so that HR can be powered by digital.
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ThriveA thriving HR function uses human-centered design to listen to and co-create with the workforce to reinvent work and design for change. It designs frictionless workforce experiences that meet employees where they are and deliver what they need, and it continuously enhances the operating model with new ways of working and innovative solutions like generative AI.
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TransformEmpowering an HR function to transform every day requires a clear, aligned HR strategy and plan that explains how HR will help drive business outcomes; leadership that no longer thinks of transformation as a finite process; and an overarching strategy for bringing changes to life for the workforce as part of a complete narrative.
As experts on all things work and workforce, we’re with you throughout your entire transformation journey. With our breadth of services, you’ll have access to a wide range of expertise and solutions to streamline your consulting needs. We’ve led hundreds of HR transformation initiatives over the past two years by offering a tailored, personalized approach to ensure alignment with organizational goals and culture.
Our transformation leaders are pushing the industry and our clients to the forefront of trends, developments and best practices. In an era of continuous evolution, Mercer can help you stay ahead of the curve by taking proactive steps with actionable solutions to drive better business outcomes.
How Mercer can support your HR transformation journey
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Digital HR strategy
Build a digital HR strategy that strengthens your operating model and enables better experiences. A successful digital HR function requires more than technology. We apply a holistic approach through our digital equations for success. -
HR Target Interaction Model and Operating Model
Develop an effective and future-proof HR operating model. We help you create an HR Target Interaction Model (TIM) to meet the strategic objectives of the organization and unlock the employee experience. -
Deployment and digital implementation services
Implement a variety of solutions with in-house resources. We partner with an array of providers to select the best solutions for our clients’ individual needs. Our recommendations are impartial and not biased toward any specific vendors. -
Talent acquisition and other HR sub-functions
Drive talent attraction to ensure you’re bringing in the best talent. We help you set up your employee value proposition, recruiting process, organization, and technology to attract and retain employees who are critical to your future success. -
Future HR skills
Upskill your HR teams to build strength for a successful future. Mercer Learning collaborates with leading content providers to offer the best scalable, digital learning solutions customized to meet your HR upskilling requirements. -
Strategic workforce planning
Design a rational, insightful approach for prioritizing, developing, and funding the people and initiatives you need to drive key business objectives.