HR in 2030: Expert perspectives on the future of HR published by Sage

• Diverse workstyles like hybrid and variable working (e.g., a four-day week) are likely to be the norm 
• Agile HR: People teams will adopt agile methodologies, in a similar way to that deployed by software engineering to experiment and test new strategies and policies
• Predictive analytics will become routine, as HR professionals feel more confident using future looking actionable insights to inform business decision-making
• The great admin liberation: HR teams will free up over a third of their time to redesign and rearchitect the worksphere, as they tap into the power of advanced automation, AI, and the Internet of Things
• Diversity, equity and inclusion: future-focused organizations will benefit from broadening the definition of DEI beyond considerations such as gender identity, ethnicity and people with disabilities, to include diversity of personality, emotional intelligence, wider experiences, more appetite for risk, the ability to adapt, as well as thinking differently and neurodiversity 

About the report 

Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, has released the ‘HR in 2030’report. This explores the future of HR, and what people progressive companies need to know to get ahead in the changing world of work. The qualitative research report includes insights from 17 HR and People experts across the globe and identifies the five top trends that HR leaders need to know to get ahead. 

Experts featured in the report 

Sage spoke to a range of progressive HR leaders, analysts, academics, authors, and recognized experts from around the world, including:

• Josh Bersin, world-renowned HR analyst
• Deborah Wilkes, author of ‘Empowering HR’
• Ben Eubanks, HR analyst and host of the HR podcast ‘We’re only human’  
• Mofoluwaso Ilevbare, Head of HR, Procter & Gamble 
• Rowena Carter, Director of People and Culture at Four Seasons Hotels
• Ray Wang, Founder and Chairman, Constellation Research 
• Mel Norris-Green, Research Advisor, CIPD

Available for interview  

• April Marcot, Head of People and Culture at Talent  
• Dave Milner, Founder of HR Curator 
• Angela O’Connor, CEO of the HR Lounge 
• Ben Eubanks, HR analyst and host of the HR podcast ‘We’re only human’  
• Linda Holbeche, C-Director of the Holbeche Partnership

On background: Sage statistics on how HR’s evolving

Source: Sage’s HR in the moment research report series – ‘Changing expectations of HR’ and ‘Impact through insights’

• Increased HR value: 72% of HR leaders believe the pandemic has helped them demonstrate their value and increased understanding of HR’s role
• HR’s transformation: 87% of the c-suite say the pandemic has accelerated changes in HR, but 53% feel these changes are only temporary
• More people-focused: 60% of employees have noticed a change in HR’s role, such as being more involved in driving change and people-related decisions 
• Aligned objectives: 81% of the c-suite feel HR’s priorities are aligned with that of the overall business, but 59% of the c-suite don’t feel HR is playing a leading role across these priorities
• HR and People analytics: 94% of business leaders say they have access to some form of People data from HR, but 62% of HR leaders say they’re not able to use data to spot trends and make decisions, and 68% of the c-suite say they’re not heavily reliant on HR data
• Digital and business transformation: 59% of the c-suite and 58% of HR leaders believe HR is doing even more work driving digital transformation today then before the pandemic
• The role of HR tech: 83% of HR leaders say HR tech has enabled more flexibility to changing priorities

On background: Top quotes

“The days of touchy feely, ‘human relations’ centred HR are fleeting [By 2030], if you’re not helping drive profits, you’re going to end up at a loss.”

- Matt Charney, Head of Industry Marketing at SmartRecruiters

“We knew the world of work had to change; the pandemic has made the business case and built a strong momentum. HR have a more powerful platform than ever before.”

- Deborah Wilkes, author of ‘Empowering HR’

“Every company must innovate its HR and leadership practices because the way we manage people is changing faster than ever. You, as an HR professional, have to figure out what to do about all these things – and also be a good economist, anthropologist, and politician as well.”

- Josh Bersin, CEO of The Josh Bersin Company

“Areas such as purpose, values, responsible business and sustainability are really writing the agenda for many senior HR leaders.”

- Mel Norris-Green, Research Adviser at CIPD

“As the next generation enters the workforce, they will push businesses beyond their comfort zone. They will expect businesses to take a more serious attitude toward equality, diversity and inclusion, and to be more flexible and adaptable to change.”

- April Marcot, Head of People and Culture at Talent

“HR will be about managing skills and competencies of both humans and machines. Many capabilities will be tracked by artificial intelligence. The role of HR will become more strategic as we see a greater degree of automation for compliance, legal, and regulation.”

- Ray Wang, Founder and Chairman of Constellation Research

“HR will be at the heart of the company, using analytics and business forecasting to focus strategic workforce decisions.”

- Angela O’Connor, CEO and Founder of The HR Lounge

“Senior HR leaders need to be disruptive so that the HR function is future-ready and ‘on the front foot’ during challenging times. That means a leader who is agile, digitally savvy, and inclusive – so that they can take HR colleagues and executive stakeholders with them.”

- Dave Millner, Founder and Consulting Partner of HR Curator

About Sage

Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow.  By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.