Originally published on the TalentWise blog December 17, 2015.
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The end of our calendar is nigh and we’re excited to welcome another year, champagne flutes raised into the winter air, the fireworks ablaze with the promise of a fantastic 2016. We’re thrilled for a new year but, admittedly, we can’t wait to say goodbye to 2015 in hopes that some baloney HR buzzwords will sunset at the stroke of midnight. At the very least, we’re hoping that HR professionals—and providers alike!—can get past the clichés and get to the real issues behind these catchy phrases:
“Engagement”
Oh my gosh, we get it already! If your employees are happy, they’ll produce better work and everyone will get along, and the birds will sing, the clouds will part and glorious rays of sunshine will descend upon your office. Sounds great! But maybe it’s time we’re a little more realistic; satisfaction and retention can’t be at the mercy of engagement all the time. Given the stresses of our personal lives, an always-engaged worker is about as common as an employee who never takes vacation! Instead, let’s unpack the all-encompassing term “engagement” and focus on the building blocks of a happy workforce: from contributing meaningful work to enjoying progressive benefits and a culture of appreciation, it’s all about the employee experience, not just engagement.
“Millennials”
Are you about to scream and pull your hair out at the sight of one more article about millennials? You’re not alone. Millennials themselves are tired of being discussed like some exotic new species whose presence has puzzled working humans. Besides, it’s high time we move on from millennials. They’re well-integrated into the workforce now and we’re quite aware of their wants, tendencies and how they’ve impacted the workplace. The next generation, however, is on the rise. So let’s get Gen Z under the microscope and determine if these ripe, new workers will be like their millennial predecessors, or if we have ten thousand new articles to write and read about their unique influence on the workforce of tomorrow!
“Big Data”
There are still plenty of organizations who need to catch up and jump on the Big Data train, but lucky for them, conversations and developments in Big Data have come to the most conclusively helpful place for HR: it’s all about predictive analytics. Now that we’ve figured out what to do with all the data we’ve been sifting through—and given more cash flow and resource investment entering the HR technology space than ever before—2016 might be the year where predictive analytics triumph. But that’s just a prediction.
“Mobile-Friendly”
If you’re entering 2016 with “mobile-friendly” solutions, you may as well be asking your candidates to send paperwork via fax and your coworkers to hit you up on your pager. It’s not good enough anymore to be “mobile-friendly,” because you need to be mobile optimized. Been awhile since you’ve dug into the wealth of analytics that Dig Data has provided us? Prepare to be shocked at how big the “mobile” wedge is on in the user data pie chart.
There’s no doubt the industry is shifting, but the question remains: will the New Year bring a new reality to these tired phrases? We raise our glasses—here’s to hoping! When it comes to HR buzzwords, our eyes can only roll so much.
Spencer Czapiewski 