Human Resources, or HR, is an essential department that’s responsible for everything related to employees. Their role has evolved over time, and has shifted to a more human-centric approach, focusing on creating a positive workplace culture and developing employees’ skills and knowledge.
Digital signage lets HR professionals streamline their processes and communicate with employees more efficiently. This blog article will explore the role of HR, its evolution and how it can leverage digital signage to improve employee engagement.
What is HR?
The term “Human Resources” is still the most commonly used label to refer to departments responsible for managing an organization’s workforce. However, in recent years there’s been a growing trend of using alternative terms like “Talent Management” or “People Operations” to reflect the shift toward a more human-centric approach to managing workers. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to stick with the more popular term “Human Resources” or HR.
What does HR do?
According to Coursera, HR’s primary activities include recruitment, administration, compensation and benefits, training and development, and employee relations and performance management. In short, an HR department is responsible for all things worker-related, and they manage the entire employee lifecycle. Some of the most common objectives for HR professionals are:
Attract and retain top talent: HR professionals develop strategies that will attract the best and brightest to their organization. They also strive to create a workplace culture that’s positive and motivating, so that employees want to stay with the company.
Develop and manage the workforce: HR develops and implements programs that help employees develop their skills and knowledge. They also participate in all aspects of managing a workforce, including hiring, firing and performance management.
Comply with employment laws and regulations: HR ensures that the company complies with all applicable employment laws and regulations. This includes laws on discrimination, harassment, wages and hours.
Provide employee relations services: HR professionals provide a variety of services to employees, such as counseling, conflict resolution and salary negotiation.
Manage employee benefits: HR is responsible for developing and managing the company’s employee benefits programs, such as health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off.
Measure and improve HR performance: HR professionals continuously measure the effectiveness of their programs and initiatives. They also identify areas where HR can improve and make recommendations for change.
These are just some of the top-level objectives of HR. The specific goals of an HR department will depend on the size and type of business. Some do much more than what’s listed here, while others concentrate their efforts on fewer, but more targeted, operations. Of course, objectives and priorities will shift over time.
How has HR evolved?
Human Resources has evolved significantly over time in response to changing business needs, economic factors and societal changes. Here are some of the key ways HR has evolved:
Administrative to Strategic: HR has shifted from an administrative function responsible for processing paperwork and managing benefits to a strategic function that helps drive organizational performance by attracting, developing and retaining top talent.
Compliance to Culture: HR has evolved from a compliance-focused function (making sure a company is in compliance with labor laws) to a culture-focused function that emphasizes employee engagement, well-being and overall organizational culture.
Employer- to Employee-Centric: HR has shifted from an employer-centric to an employee-centric approach, recognizing the importance of employee experience, career development and work-life balance in attracting and retaining top talent.
Reactive to Proactive: HR has moved from a reactive approach to a proactive approach, with HR professionals using data analytics and other tools to anticipate and address workforce challenges before they become problems.
Local to Global: As businesses have become more global, HR has evolved to manage a more diverse and dispersed workforce, often with different cultural and legal requirements.
Traditional to Digital: With the advent of new technologies, HR has embraced digital tools to streamline processes, improve data management and enhance employee communication.
Overall, HR has grown from a back-office function to a strategic partner that helps organizations succeed by managing and developing their most valuable asset – their people.
How HR can use digital signage
Digital signage is a proven employee communications tool that HR professionals can use to inform and engage their workforces. Here are some specific examples of digital signage content that HR can use to address popular topics:
Company culture: Content that reinforces company culture might include photos or videos of company events, employee testimonials or quotes from company leaders about the organization’s values and mission.
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion): Digital signs can show information about upcoming diversity events, networking opportunities and initiatives to promote a more inclusive workplace. It might also include statistics on the diversity of the workforce and examples of successful diversity programs.
Health and wellness: Onscreen messaging can include tips for staying healthy at work, reminders to take breaks and stretch, or information about healthy food options in the cafeteria. It might also include information about upcoming wellness events and how to access support services.
Training and professional development: Promote upcoming training sessions, workshops, or online courses and certifications. You might also include success stories from employees who’ve taken advantage of professional development opportunities and information about career advancement paths within the company.
Job openings: Spotlight current job openings, information about the application process and details about the team that’s hiring. You could also include employee testimonials about what it’s like to work within that team or at that specific location.
Salary and benefits: Show information about the company’s compensation and benefits packages, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. Highlight employee discounts or other perks of working at the company.
These are just a few examples of the types of digital signage content that HR can use to educate employees about various topics. Anything that can be communicated visually can be put on screens, and you can show more messages more often than you can with email, newsletters or intranets.
Tips for communicating HR topics on digital signage
HR can use digital signs to communicate essential information by creating visual content that’s attractive and concise. Remember to update your content regularly, so employees receive timely updates. Here are some tips to make HR communications on digital signage more successful:
Identify the key information: Determine what information is important from both the employer and employee perspective. Address topics that matter to your audience and be sure it’s communicated clearly. Keeping messages short and directing viewers to a webpage or intranet for more information is better than crowding screens with lots of text.
Design eye-catching displays: Create visually appealing content designs that capture employees’ attention and communicate information effectively. Use bright colors, bold fonts and dynamic graphics to make the displays stand out. Simplify complex concepts with data visualizations and short-form videos.
Choose the right locations: Place digital signage displays in high-traffic areas such as break rooms, kitchens, locker rooms and other common areas where employees are likely to congregate. This will ensure that employees see the information displayed and remain informed.
Encourage employee engagement: Encourage employee engagement by incorporating interactive elements into the displays. For example, HR can use polls, quizzes and surveys to gather employee feedback and opinions. Using touchscreens or QR codes lets employees interact with your messages in real time.
Measure success: Remember that all communications should be crafted to encourage dialogue and participation. Use analytics and metrics to measure the success of your messaging, and adjust as needed over time.
By following these steps, HR can use digital signage to communicate essential employee information in a dynamic and engaging way. Campaigns can build interest, and reminders on screens can ensure that people don’t forget all of the support they have available to them. Using digital signage helps HR professionals reinforce a positive workplace culture and enhance the employee lifecycle.