Top 7 HR Issues in 2024: The Growing Concerns & How to Resolve Them

According to Forbes, employee burnout emerges as a significant concern for 95% of HR leaders, making it a critical factor in employee retention. 

Additionally, a substantial 47% of HR managers identify employee retention as their most significant challenge. 

These are just some hr issues examples to quote. 

In today’s rapidly changing work environment, HR professionals are at the forefront of tackling numerous such challenges. These challenges arise as organizations adapt to new trends, technologies, and changing workforce dynamics.

This blog aims to unveil the top 7 HR issues in 2024 and to provide practical insights for forging a path forward. 

Let’s dive right in!

Top 7 HR Issues We Must be on the Lookout for in 2024

1. Reevaluating the team and business performance

With the changing business landscape, HRs must constantly assess and reassess the performance of both their teams and the organization as a whole. 

The problem lies in the fact that businesses operate in an evolving landscape where market dynamics, customer expectations, and technological advancements continually reshape the playing field. If HR fails to proactively reassess team and business performance, several negative consequences can arise. 

Some of the common HR problems: 

• Decreased Competitiveness: Failing to reevaluate team performance means potentially missing out on opportunities to optimize productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Competitors who adapt and align their teams with changing market demands can gain a significant advantage, leaving businesses that neglect this challenge at a severe disadvantage.

• Misalignment with Organizational Goals:  Without a continuous evaluation of team and business performance, there is a risk of misalignment between individual efforts and organizational objectives. This lack of alignment undermines the collective direction and effectiveness of the entire organization. 

• Limited Adaptability and Resilience: The ability to adapt swiftly to changes is a hallmark of successful organizations. By reevaluating team and business performance, HR enables businesses to identify emerging trends, respond to market shifts, and capitalize on new opportunities. Without this ongoing assessment, organizations risk becoming stagnant, rigid, and unable to pivot effectively, leaving them vulnerable to disruption and potential obsolescence.

To enhance team and business performance, HRs should adopt a holistic approach. This approach includes continuous performance assessment, employee training for adaptability and innovation, fostering collaboration, forming agile teams, and aligning goals. Along with this, using technology for data-driven decision-making, staying informed about market trends, and implementing recognition and rewards for contributions to adaptability and success.A tool is highly crucial to enable HR to implement a continuous assessment of teams and company performance.  

2. Hybrid working – How to make it beneficial for both employers and employees

C-Level Linkedin Research reveals that a considerable majority, 71%, of Indian business leaders express a preference for employees to work more frequently from the office rather than remotely from home. Contrary to this, 87% of employees would prefer to stay remote most of the time. 

This poses a major challenge for HR professionals to navigate through and create an efficient hybrid working culture. While it offers flexibility and potential advantages, it also creates several human resource issues:

• Establishing Effective Communication and Collaboration: Hybrid working introduces a new dynamic where teams are physically dispersed. HR needs to facilitate effective communication channels for one-on-one culture, ensuring seamless collaboration between remote and on-site employees.

• Adapting Performance Evaluation and Management: Traditional performance evaluation methods may not be suitable for hybrid working. HR must develop new frameworks that accurately assess employee performance, considering factors such as remote work effectiveness, goal alignment, and outcomes-based evaluation. This includes setting clear performance metrics, providing regular feedback, and ensuring fair and unbiased evaluations.

To navigate the shift to a hybrid work model, HR should prioritize effective communication, revamp performance evaluations for remote work, promote employee well-being and provide skill development opportunities for enhanced engagement. They must also ensure robust technology infrastructure, and gather continuous feedback from employees about process improvement. Leadership training for managers is also essential to manage hybrid teams effectively and create an inclusive work culture.

3. Competition for people and skills – talent shortage, attracting the right talent and retention

In the fierce competition, HR professionals face a daunting challenge: the scarcity of talent and the struggle to attract the right individuals. Along with this the constant battle to retain them present critical hurdles that can make or break an organization’s success.

With industries evolving and job roles transforming, the demand for highly skilled professionals becomes critical. But the talent shortage leaves HR professionals grappling with the need to identify and secure top talent from a limited pool. 

It requires innovative employer branding strategies and compelling narratives to set organizations apart from the crowd to attract the right candidates. 

But the challenge doesn’t end with recruitment. Once the best talent is on board, HR must employ effective retention strategies like providing competitive compensation packages to keep them loyal amidst fierce competition. However, compensation is also not enough to make them loyal. 
This brings us to our next HR issue.

To overcome this, HR must employ innovative employer branding and narrative strategies to distinguish their organizations and draw in the ideal candidates. However, the competition doesn’t end with recruitment. Once top talent is onboard, HR needs to implement effective retention strategies that encompass more than just competitive compensation, including comprehensive benefits, growth opportunities, recognition programs, flexible work arrangements, and a positive workplace culture.

4. Employee Engagement and Burnout

Employee engagement and burnout pose significant challenges for HR challenges. 

When employees are highly engaged, they are more likely to be enthusiastic about their responsibilities, go the extra mile, and contribute their best efforts. On the other hand, low employee engagement can lead to disengaged and disinterested employees, resulting in decreased productivity, lower quality of work, and higher turnover rates. 

This challenge is aided by burnout caused by chronic work-related stress which can further lead to disengagement and reduced productivity. HR needs to implement strategies to prevent burnout and engage employees such as promoting work-life balance, providing resources for stress management, and fostering a supportive and rewarding work culture. It also involves implementing effective performance management systems, providing regular feedback, and creating avenues for employee input and involvement in decision-making processes.

5. Fostering Future Leaders’ Growth

As the workforce evolves and leadership roles become more dynamic, HR faces the task of identifying and developing individuals with the potential to lead effectively in the future. The challenges they face include: 

• Succession Planning: As experienced professionals depart, HR faces the challenge of identifying capable leaders to fill critical roles. This requires assessing individuals’ skills, competencies, and traits for leadership potential. Technical and soft skills, like critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and emotional intelligence, all must be evaluated effectively.

• Skill Gap: The rapidly evolving nature of industries and job roles often creates a mismatch between the skills possessed by the existing workforce and the skills required for future roles. HRs need to first identify the skill gaps, implement training and development programs, and make dedicated plans for upskilling or reskilling employees to meet the changing demands of the business. 

• Inefficient Resource Allocation: With skill gaps, HR needs to identify and redistribute responsibilities to ensure the right talent is in the right roles, optimizing productivity and minimizing bottlenecks. Failure to do so can result in wasted resources, decreased output, and missed growth opportunities.

• Employee Development and Career Progression: The hybrid work setup makes it necessary for HR to facilitate professional growth and development plans for a hybrid working environment. It is essential to provide virtual learning and development opportunities, mentorship programs, and career progression pathways that cater to remote employees’ needs as well. This ensures that all employees have equal access to growth opportunities and feel valued within the organization.

6. Handling Layoffs And Other HR Challenges

Handling layoffs is another complex issue for HR professionals. When organizations face economic downturns, restructuring, or changes in business strategies, HR is tasked with managing the difficult process of employee layoffs. This presents several other HR challenges that must navigate with sensitivity and expertise.

• First and foremost, HR professionals must prioritize compassion and empathy when dealing with layoffs. The emotional impact on employees who are losing their jobs can be profound.
• Another challenge is the legal and regulatory aspects associated with layoffs. HR professionals must ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations to protect both the rights of employees and the organization. This includes understanding severance packages, notice periods, and any legal obligations related to layoffs.
• Maintaining employee morale and managing the emotions of remaining employees is yet another challenge during layoffs. HR must proactively address concerns, provide reassurance, and communicate the organization’s commitment to supporting its workforce.
• In addition to layoffs, there are other HR issues at the workplace as well, like managing conflicts, addressing performance issues, and ensuring diversity and inclusion. These challenges require HR to implement effective conflict resolution strategies, performance improvement plans, and diversity initiatives. 

7. Cultivating a Positive and Engaging Work Environment

A positive work environment is crucial for employee well-being, satisfaction, and overall productivity. However, achieving and maintaining such an environment requires concerted efforts and ongoing commitment from HR.

This includes addressing issues of workplace negativity or toxicity, conflicts between employees, a lack of collaboration, or a negative organizational culture. HR professionals must proactively identify and address these issues, promoting open communication, and conflict resolution strategies, and fostering a culture of respect and appreciation.

This also includes work-life balance. Even though employees argue for remote work, Glint data suggest that 32% of employees with remote jobs are more likely to say they struggle with work-life balance. 

This again makes it challenging for HRs to create a sense of purpose and meaning within the workforce. It becomes crucial to ensure that employees understand and connect how their work contributes to the broader objectives. It also includes implementing flexible work arrangements, promoting healthy work-life integration, and providing resources for mental and physical well-being. 

Read More: Role Of HR In Employee Engagement For Remote Teams

Balancing organizational needs with individual employee needs is a delicate task for HR and requires consistent effort. 

Conclusion

The HR challenges discussed underscore the critical role of HR in driving organizational success and maintaining a thriving workforce. By addressing these challenges head-on, HR professionals can contribute to the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the organization.

To help HR voyage these challenges, HR software solutions emerge as powerful tools. They help streamline HR processes, enhance data-driven decision-making, and facilitate effective talent management strategies. 

Leveraging the right HR software you can attract, retain, and develop top talent, thereby mitigating several of the HR challenges. 

If you want to see for yourself how a tool can help, you can take a demo of Peoplebox, which offers exceptional performance management and employee engagement features. 

As we move further into 2024 and beyond, it is a must to remain adaptable, proactive, and forward-thinking to manage these HR issues in the workplace. By identifying innovative solutions, embracing emerging trends, and prioritizing the well-being and development of employees, HR can navigate these challenges well ahead of time.