HR Trends 2024: Centering Employees to Attract and Retain Talent.

Near the end of 2023, let's take a look at the trends for the coming year. What should HR prepare for in 2024 to ensure efficient organizational operations, enhance growth opportunities, and achieve greater success?

In 2024, HR continues to prioritize being employee-centric amidst various challenges such as economic downturns, conflicts, and technological advancements.

From the survey conducted by Kincentric, a consulting firm specializing in leadership and organizational management, five important HR trends for the year 2024 were identified as follows,

1.Employee-centricity: Organizations must increasingly prioritize the needs of employees to attract and retain top talent, enhancing the organization's competitiveness. This includes providing employees with autonomy in their work, adjusting the work environment to suit individual needs, and offering opportunities for employees to develop new skills, which are crucial for generating better results in their work.

2.Employee-centricity: Organizations must increasingly prioritize the needs of employees to attract and retain top talent, enhancing the organization's competitiveness. This includes providing employees with autonomy in their work, adjusting the work environment to suit individual needs, and offering opportunities for employees to develop new skills, which are crucial for generating better results in their work.

3.Skills-based workforce: The rapidly changing world of work requires organizations to adapt by placing greater emphasis on skills rather than job titles. In HR 2024, strategies may include continuous development of learning and skill enhancement systems for employees, fostering a learning-promoting organizational culture, and prioritizing skills over experience.

4.People analytics: Because the needs of employees, especially top talent, are becoming increasingly important, the use of people analytics helps organizations better understand their employees and their needs. For example, leveraging people analytics to devise recruitment and selection strategies, design training programs, and measure employee satisfaction.

5.Sustainability: Sustainability is a critical issue for both organizations and employees. Organizations must prioritize sustainability in their operations and organizational culture. For example, creating a sustainable work environment, supporting employees' work on sustainability, and promoting employee participation in sustainability activities.

In addition, there are other interesting trends for HR in 2024, such as,

• Prioritizing employee health and well-being.
• Emphasizing the employee experience.
• Focusing on diversity and inclusion.

How should organizations closely follow these HR trends to adapt to changes and create successful organizations?

HR Buddy believes that in HR 2024, organizations must prioritize employees' needs, satisfaction, and support their abilities, especially for top talent. Undoubtedly, the War of Talent will continue to intensify. In HR 2024, the focus should be on recruitment, retention, and development while making hybrid work models more efficient to align with the lifestyle of modern workers. This includes supporting and promoting sustainability, health, diversity, and inclusion efforts.

How to organize an Employee Onboarding program to maximize benefits?

Welcome and Take Care of New Employees with Onboarding.

HIGHLIGHT

Onboarding is one of the employee training and development programs aimed at assisting new employees in adjusting to their new work environment. It helps them familiarize themselves with the organization's culture, work processes, as well as their supervisors and colleagues, enabling them to adapt to the organization more quickly.

For organizations, implementing an Onboarding program allows them to find ways to facilitate learning and understanding of roles and responsibilities, thus reducing employee turnover issues.

There are various approaches to Onboarding, such as holding meetings for new employees before they start working, explaining the organization's structure and job details, hosting welcome events, and providing ongoing support and communication with supervisors.

Newcomers to the company often fail to perform adequately and leave after just a few days. Many HR departments may find these issues frustrating because they invest time and money in finding new talent, only to see them leave quickly. The reason for this is that new employees often feel unimpressed with their first day of work.

Many companies try to find employees who fit the organization both in terms of time and cost, but when they find them, they fail to take care of them properly. However, this does not mean that there are no ways to take care of them.

Today, we would like to introduce you to Onboarding.

On-boarding?

The objectives of Onboarding

It is a program that enables the responsible parties to understand the importance of caring for and developing new employees to grow alongside the organization's progress. It provides guidance on preparing employees before they start their new jobs and enables systematic and efficient operations to motivate and address employee turnover issues.

The advantages of onboarding can be divided as follows,

In Thailand, the resignation rate of Thai individuals is significantly high each year. According to personal insurance data in 2017, it was found that Thais resigned from their jobs at a rate exceeding one hundred thousand per month. There are various reasons for this phenomenon, but regardless of the causes, it has detrimental effects on organizations.

By implementing Onboarding programs, organizations can find ways to help their employees learn about their roles, responsibilities, and workflow processes more quickly. This can reduce employee turnover issues.

Moreover, it enables organizations to retain employees for longer periods by providing them with a clear career path and growth opportunities within the company. Additionally, it can also reduce expenses associated with recruiting new personnel.

The objectives of Onboarding.

The purpose of Onboarding is to be a program that enables stakeholders to understand the importance of caring for and developing new employees to grow alongside the organization's progress. It involves outlining preparations for new employees before they commence work and conducting systematic and efficient processes to motivate and address employee turnover issues.

The benefits of Onboarding can be divided into.

The benefits for the organization.

In Thailand, the resignation rate of Thai people is very high each year. From personal insurance data in 2017, it was found that Thai people resign from their jobs at a rate of over 100,000 per month. The reasons for this vary, but regardless of the cause, it negatively affects organizations. By implementing On-boarding programs, organizations can find ways to help employees learn their jobs, understand their roles and responsibilities, and grasp work processes faster. This helps reduce employee turnover problems and allows organizations to retain employees for longer periods. It also helps employees see a career path for advancement within the organization. Additionally, it can reduce costs associated with recruiting new personne.

Benefits for employees.

The benefits of On-boarding for employees are that it helps new employees feel less anxious on their first day of work. Being warmly welcomed enables them to trust the team, reducing awkwardness when interacting with colleagues and new supervisors. Additionally, the development, training, and readiness preparation provided to employees, along with clear and efficient job instruction, make them feel cared for. Employees understand their roles and responsibilities better and learn about the organization's work methods and culture. This sense of belonging increases their potential and motivation to contribute effectively to the organization, fostering higher levels of engagement.

The five challenges of On-boarding are:

Before the HR department begins to look for strategies for On-boarding, they must first identify the obstacles that need to be addressed and overcome. The challenges we are going to discuss next, if you can navigate through them, will definitely enable you to create an effective On-boarding strategy.

Readiness preparation is a crucial step no matter what task you undertake at work. According to a survey conducted by one company, it was found that over 80% of new employees who performed well often engaged with the HR department even before starting their jobs at the company. On the other hand, nearly half of the employees with average performance levels had never interacted with the HR department. Furthermore, an internal survey at Google revealed that if new employees were well-prepared from their first day of work, their performance improved by 30% within the first three months. Therefore, preparing employees before they start their jobs in the company, including ensuring that necessary documents, emails, or business cards are ready, not only enhances the company's image but also reduces the anxiety of new employees. Introducing new employees to their colleagues, peers, and superiors before they start working helps them feel more familiar and comfortable, ultimately increasing their work efficiency as they feel they have some familiar faces around.

The relationship between employees is another major reason for employee turnover, especially for new employees. They may feel anxious about their relationships with their colleagues the most. To alleviate these concerns, organizations can provide programs such as buddy systems or mentors who can provide guidance to new employees. Such programs make newcomers feel supported, especially when they are unsure how to navigate their new roles or have many questions and concerns. For example, if they don't know who is involved in certain tasks or what their names are, they can ask their buddies for help. In addition to providing guidance to new employees, organizing events or fun activities is crucial for improving employee relationships. For instance, having lunch together, organizing small Friday parties, or giving small gifts to each other can all contribute to strengthening the bond between employees.

Having clear job assignments from the first day for new employees, or involving them in key projects from the beginning, is another way to foster collaboration and prioritize newcomers within the team. This helps them understand their roles and perform efficiently. It can be said that the supervisor plays the most crucial role. Supervisors should take care of new employees by engaging in conversations, asking questions, and inquiring whether the tasks align with their expectations. By doing so, new employees will know how much their current tasks align with their expectations and those of the team or organization. This helps tailor job assignments to each employee's abilities, skills, and personality.

When new employees join, they undoubtedly have much to learn, whether it's about the company culture, values, organizational structure, or various work processes. Therefore, promoting learning opportunities for employees is essential. Learning and training methods that we are familiar with typically fall into two categories.1.Off-The-Job Training (Off-JT): This type of training focuses on imparting knowledge and understanding through formal training sessions. It does not involve real job tasks but aims to support future work. Examples include workshops, seminars, or observation-based training.2.On-The-Job Training (OJT): This involves hands-on training within the job itself, where experienced employees act as mentors. Unlike Off-JT, OJT emphasizes practical learning aligned with actual job tasks. Examples include training in production processes or one-on-one coaching sessions conducted while performing tasks.

The success of On-boarding is not solely dependent on individuals or departments alone, but on everyone. If everyone in the organization collaborates, the result is that a new employee can perform well and work efficiently within the organization. Besides, effective On-boarding planning results in employees understanding the work system and quickly adapting to the organizational culture. Continuous attention and inquiries from supervisors and colleagues also help employees work and grow within the organization efficiently in the long run.

Examples of On-boarding.

We have discussed the meaning, objectives, and benefits of On-boarding. Next, let's provide examples of organizations that have implemented On-boarding.

Example 1: One large corporation has implemented On-boarding throughout the company, with the following guidelines:

The guidelines implemented throughout the company.

The HR department arranges meetings for new employees before they start working at the company.

• Explain the organizational structure and job details to new employees.
• Demonstrate the workflow step by step.
• Organize welcome receptions for new employees to get to know the team.
• After working for 1 month, set goals and objectives for the future.
• Ensure regular communication with the HR department (for the first six months after starting work).
• Attend meetings of other departments as observers.

Guidelines adapted for each department.

• Organize welcome events (e.g., lunch together or after-work gatherings).
• Consult and communicate continuously with the supervisors.
• Start with small, easy-to-understand tasks that require minimal time.
• Provide feedback to new employees.
• Provide mentors or buddies for new employees.

In summary,

On-boarding is a program that allows organizations to care for and create a positive impression on employees from their first day. With effective On-boarding, new employees can quickly adapt to the organization, understand the work, and culture, enabling them to perform and produce results faster. Both the organization and the employees benefit from this process. However, don't forget to also take care of existing employees who have been with you for a long time. Regularly nurturing them will increase engagement and help retain skilled employees within the organization for longer periods.

Employee Handbook: An essential tool for personnel that organizations should prioritize

HIGHLIGHT.

• The Employee Handbook serves as a vital database for employees, so the crucial aspect is the content and necessary information that employees should know for convenience in carrying out their duties. This is what makes the Employee Handbook valuable.
• The information included in the Employee Handbook comprises both standard data, which serves as a baseline that everyone must know and understand together, and personal-specific information that may be treated as separate private documents or updated to become personalized information in the Employee Handbook to be provided to that specific employee.
• Currently, there's a transition from printed document-based Employee Handbooks to digital system-based Employee Handbooks, which helps reduce resources, lower costs, and offer numerous benefits.

Purpose of Creating an Employee Handbook.

In every organization, there is a common objective in creating an employee handbook, which is to ensure that employees understand their roles, responsibilities, rules, and regulations clearly. However, some organizations may have additional objectives based on their specific needs. Let's take a look at the common shared objectives of creating a standardized employee handbook.

1.To provide orientation for employees and serve as a tool for welcoming new hires.

2.To acquaint employees with the organization, as well as to understand its goals, vision, and shared mission in work, providing a proper direction for collective progress

3.To enable employees to understand their position, roles, responsibilities, and duties, and to perform their tasks efficiently.

4.To inform employees about the rights they will receive from the organization.

5.To ensure that all employees are aware of the rules, regulations, and necessary policies of the organization, to be respected and adhered to correctly and collaboratively.

6.To enable the Human Resources (HR) department to effectively manage and administer human resources throughout the organization.

7.To ensure uniform standards within the organization and to establish good standards for the organization as a whole.

Employee Handbook

The creation of an Employee Handbook does not have a rigid content structure nor any limitations on presentation methods. However, generally, there is a common foundation of content structure and primary information. Nevertheless, the development of an Employee Handbook varies depending on each organization, which may include different details and objectives. Typically, there should be fundamental information considered as the core content structure necessary for the creation.

Company Profile & Goals.

The most important thing is basic information about the organization, which may start with the organization's history, nature of business, past successes, and so on. Additionally, another crucial aspect of organizational information is outlining the goals and direction of the organization. This may include the organization's philosophy, vision and mission, policies, and business direction.

Organization.

Everyone should be familiar with the overall organizational structure, job positions, management hierarchy, as well as their own position within the organizational structure. This is important for understanding workflow processes, work procedures, and various levels of authority in management.

Position & Responsibility.

The heart of the Employee Handbook lies in outlining the positions, roles, and responsibilities of the personnel. This serves to clearly define what each employee is hired to do and what tasks they are accountable for according to their roles. It not only serves as a framework for work but also serves as a baseline for performance evaluation. Some organizations may centralize the Employee Handbook and supplement it with separate documents in this section, while others may have a distinct Employee Handbook for each position. Additionally, digital Employee Handbooks can be tailored to individual roles and responsibilities, allowing for flexibility in detailing specific duties.

Procedure & Working Process.

Once understanding the positions, roles, and responsibilities, it's essential to comprehend the necessary work procedures. The creation of this information often depends on each position and the nature of the job. Management-oriented roles may not include this information, but operational tasks typically require it, especially regarding the use of various tools and step-by-step processes. Information related to technology and software usage may also be included in this section, such as basic software applications, login and logout procedures, as well as information on various information systems.

Working Hours, Day off, Holliday and Leave.

The information that is not directly related to job duties but is crucial for employees to know is considered essential. In terms of work hours, this may include specifying clock-in and clock-out times, lunch breaks, timekeeping procedures, and consequences for tardiness. Another important aspect is information regarding holidays, including basic public holidays and annual leave days according to the calendar, to ensure clarity on entitled days off and allow employees to plan their time off. Additionally, indispensable information includes details on various types of leave, such as sick leave, personal leave, annual leave quotas, how to request and write leave applications, as well as regulations and penalties for exceeding leave quotas.

Benefit.

Another essential basic information that should be included in the Employee Handbook is about employee benefits, especially fundamental benefits necessary for employees, as well as any special benefits offered by each organization as standard across the board. Key benefits may include healthcare benefits, social security, health insurance, various funds, savings plans, benefits that increase with tenure, post-retirement benefits, and more. However, specific benefits related to different job positions may be provided separately or communicated individually.

Special Employment & Special Money.

The salary rates for job positions may be considered as personal confidential information, but any additional special allowances should be considered as standard organization practices that should be disclosed uniformly. These may include overtime pay, out-of-town work allowances, educational qualification allowances, as well as bonus rates and standard bonus criteria set by the company.

Resignation & Dismissal.

Resignation procedures are crucial information that all employees must be aware of from their first day of work. This includes understanding the requirements, regulations, and proper procedures for resigning from the job. It encompasses notifying resignation, the timeline for processing and approval, penalties for early resignation or breach of contract (if applicable), compensation systems, and severance pay in various resignation scenarios. These details included in the Employee Handbook may provide basic knowledge, while deeper insights may need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis and further consulted with the Human Resources (HR) department.

The benefits of an Employee Handbook.

• It serves as the foundation of the organization with clear standards, enabling uniformity in practices for the organization, HR department, and employees. This fosters convenience in performing tasks and provides a framework for collective practice.
• Employees have a handbook for their work, knowing the dos and don'ts as well as the correct and clear procedures for carrying out their tasks.
• Employees are aware of the rules, regulations, and guidelines to conduct themselves and perform their duties correctly within the organization.
• Employees prepare themselves for various planning aspects to avoid impacting both their work and the organization. This includes planning for leave, healthcare arrangements, and even resignation plans.
• Saves time in individually detailing information and provides employees with continuous access to additional learning materials. Also, maintains standardized databases for each individual.

Employee Handbook 4.0

In an era where Thailand aims to transition towards Thailand 4.0, the Human Resources (HR) sector itself is directed towards developing its capabilities to become HR 4.0, to keep pace with the global trends. Some of the emerging and popular trends for this era include...

• Employee Digital Handbook: Employee handbooks that have been developed into digital formats, including various pre-designed file types and e-books, serve as starter kits delivered directly to each employee. This approach helps save costs in producing physical handbook volumes, allows for real-time adjustments, and facilitates easy addition of updated information.
• Employee Handbook on Cloud System:Another emerging trend is the creation of employee handbooks within cloud-based systems. These handbooks are digital in nature but reside in a centralized cloud database that can be easily shared or accessed by employees with just a password. This approach saves time and resources significantly, as HR departments can continuously update information in the centralized database, streamlining the editing process.
• Employee Handbook Application:Employee handbooks in the form of applications are becoming another easy and convenient way, not to mention modern and suitable for the new generation. This format typically blends digital information with centralized data storage in cloud systems, offering easy and versatile access, especially from various smartphones or iPads, which are convenient and efficient supplementary devices. Furthermore, the user interface designs of these applications often include interesting features related to aesthetics, modernity, and engaging content presentation.

The advantages of the Employee Handbook 4.0

• Resource saving: The Employee Handbook in digital file format helps us save resources in production, especially paper, ink, and many others.
• Budget saving: The Employee Handbook in digital format helps save production costs significantly. There are no additional expenses when increasing the quantity, unlike in printed formats. Additionally, it saves many other budget costs. 
• Permanence: Once the Employee Handbook is created in digital format, there will be no risk of loss like with physical documents or manuals. It is possible to request a new file or reprint at any time, and there is also a centralized database that is easily accessible.
• Convenience: Being in digital format brings various conveniences such as easy portability due to its lightweight nature, accessibility from anywhere in the world, and no need to spend time transporting or incur expenses for delivery.
• Editable at any time: The Employee Handbook in digital format can be easily and continuously edited, and moreover, it's fast. Unlike printed book formats that are difficult to edit or require a long time to produce new copies, digital handbooks may take just a few minutes to edit and create new information sources.
• Convenient and real-time data updates: Sometimes data is constantly changing and unpredictable. Creating the Employee Handbook in digital format allows us to update new information conveniently, in real-time, and continuously. Editing data is easy and doesn't take much time, ensuring that the handbook remains up-to-date at all times.
• Beautiful and engaging: The Employee Handbook in digital format is designed beautifully on modern technology platforms with many engaging features. It includes various ways to explain content or information more effectively, making it more engaging and easier for employees to learn and understand the content effectively.
• Space-saving storage: The Employee Handbook in digital format comes in small file sizes compared to physical books, saving storage space. Additionally, these files can be stored conveniently on cloud-based platforms, eliminating the need for physical storage space and providing centralized storage that is accessible and convenient.
• Enhancing organizational image: The Employee Handbook in digital format portrays modernity, keeping pace with the times, and offers convenience in accessing information. Utilizing modern technology adds value to the creation process and helps enhance the organization's image.

What needs to be done when hiring a new employee?

The familiar proverb 'Well begun is half done' can be applied in various situations, even in the context of onboarding new employees at the office. We all can recall our experiences on the first day of work, filled with a mix of emotions ranging from excitement to boredom. Whether it's ourselves or new colleagues, we tend to first assess the atmosphere and environment, including seating arrangements, coworkers, and supervisors, before focusing on the tasks at hand. While we may claim to prioritize work-related matters, we cannot deny that the work environment significantly impacts our performance, especially our relationships with coworkers, in some companies.

From the above perspective, looking at the long term, the possible outcomes within the organization with these new employees could be as follows,

• Takes longer to become agile in performing tasks.
• Requires more time to build relationships with colleagues.
• Achieves job goals according to the supervisor's expectations, but not aligned with the company's needs. Working as a team becomes difficult.
• Bias/politics may arise within the organization.
• Employees are unaware of their own importance and are unable to perceive progress in their work.

 Orientation

• The orientation program lasts a short period, typically half a day or one to two days, depending on the designed activities.
• The target group consists of new employees, including executives, who have just joined the organization.
• The main responsible party is the HR department, with senior executives and department heads participating in the new employee orientation.
• Speakers are predominantly HR professionals and department heads who provide necessary organizational knowledge and understanding to new employees.
• HR professionals are responsible for designing orientation activities, coordinating with department heads to facilitate new employees' familiarization with the organization's operations.
• Emphasis is placed on classroom training to impart organizational knowledge to employees and guide them through a tour of the main departments.

 The Onboarding Program is therefore one of the important processes related to the concept of HRD (Human Resource Development), which focuses on improving employees' performance, especially new employees and personnel who have just been promoted.

5 Techniques for Motivating and Retaining Employees with an Onboarding Program,

The Onboarding Program is a process aimed at nurturing and developing new employees to work efficiently, dedicate themselves to the organization, and grow alongside its progress. Additionally, it helps new employees adapt to their colleagues and the organizational culture more quickly.

The Benefits of Onboarding Program

The implementation of Onboarding Programs varies across organizations. However, today we have an idea to create an Onboarding Program using H&G Learning to help with it.

• Taking care of new employees closely and comprehensively.
• Enhancing the work proficiency of new employees.
• New employees quickly adapt to the organizational culture.
• Reducing time and steps in job training.
• Reducing employee turnover rate.

1.Say Hi, Newcomer

Warmly welcoming new employees to reduce nervousness and excitement, the H&G Learning system features a Talkboard function, providing a space for new employees to introduce themselves and open opportunities for colleagues to get to know each other. This could include simple greetings, brief self-introductions—name, role—or using easy questions such as favorite foods, movie genres, or TV series preferences. These simple questions serve as a starting point for building good relationships within the organization.

2.Orientation

Orientation is what makes new employees familiarize themselves with the organization, learn rules and regulations, corporate culture, as well as their own roles and responsibilities. However, not all information provided during orientation can be retained by employees 100%. Therefore, having important information accessible to employees allows them to re-check the information whenever needed. In systems like H&G Learning, there is a function to store vital information such as Vision-Mission-Values, company information, work procedures, and roles and responsibilities. This information can be stored in various formats including videos, PDFs, images, or text. Importantly, the goal of orientation is not just to provide this information to employees but also to ensure that they understand it. In the H&G Learning system, there is a testing function that allows you to assess individual employees' understanding.

3.Training

Training is another crucial part regardless of whether new employees have prior work experience or how skilled they are. New employees need to be trained, and the nature of the training depends on their positions and job characteristics. H&G Learning serves as a great tool for providing effective job training to new employees. Organizations can create training courses or write work procedures in the system, which not only serve as a teaching tool but also allow new employees to learn and review anytime they need. This method helps new employees become self-sufficient faster. Moreover, there are over 250 courses available to fill in skill gaps for new employees without limitations.

4.Follow-up & Testing

After the training, it is essential to assess the knowledge and understanding of new employees, along with evaluating their performance in real work situations. This helps identify areas where additional training or explanation may be needed. H&G Learning itself has testing functions that allow you to assess the understanding of individual employees. Additionally, you can track the learning progress of employees using the system.

5.Mentor

Of course, new employees should have mentors who can provide work-related advice. However, in reality, mentors themselves have responsibilities to fulfill. Some may not always be available to offer immediate guidance. The Talkboard function in H&G Learning provides a space where new employees can ask questions or seek advice from other colleagues.

"Effective personnel contribute to improved work performance and company advancement. The HR department plays a crucial role in sourcing such competent individuals. To find suitable candidates, HR must conduct research, strategize, and plan recruitment processes. Effective communication and negotiation skills are also essential to motivate candidates to join the company."