Getting and Staying Employed in HR - Cognizant's 21 HR Jobs of the future

The Cognizant Center for the Future of Work - along with the Future Workplace and its network of leading CHROs - have combined their knowledge to put together their list of 21 HR Jobs of the Future. COVID-19 has altered the course of our industry forever. The outbreak has led to a large-scale reshuffling of priorities and accelerated the adoption of AI, automation, elearning, digitalisation, tech solutions, and remote or virtual workflows. Predictions of what jobs will be most-needed have also shifted, with some entirely new roles emerging too.

“The common thread among all these jobs is making good – at long last – on HR’s promise to connect people and business strategy to the new, exciting and lasting frontiers of the future of work,” say Cognizant researchers, “all while amplifying what the greatest asset of any business (people) does best: be human.”

As Cognizant researchers highlight, “this is HR’s moment of truth to lead the organization in navigating the future of work and prepare workers for the next decade.”

21 HR hobs of the future color-coded by their level of tech-centricity

Some interesting roles from this list

• Chief Purpose Planner or the Workplace Environmental Architect, who will “use his or her expertise in architecture, human-centered design, wellness and public health to carry out the company’s mandate to create a healthy and nurturing workplace environment. With the growth of the digital economy, our “always-on” way of working, the stresses in managing work-life integration, and now dealing with the coronavirus,” well-being is evermore important, says Cognizant.
• Algorithm Bias Auditor: As more and more work is conducted virtually, HR will need to step in at every level to ensure trust and security remains intact between colleagues who are working remotely. “The proliferation of a “culture of data” increases that requirement, amplifying the need to create “human-in-the-loop” systems to ensure there is fairness, explainability and accountability within the senior leadership of HR,” they say.
• Human Bias Officer will work to foster a sense of inclusivity and belonging in the workplace, ensuring all employees are treated fairly.
• WFH Coordinator and the VR immersion counselors. Already, we’re living in a profoundly altered world, one that requires entirely new modes of thinking about operations. This out-with-the-old mentality will lead to a number of Future HR roles. Professionals who can think on their feet, come up with creative solutions and innovate around the usual work arrangements and keep employees engaged, performing and motivated, will be in high-demand. “In a post-coronavirus world,” Cognizant points out, “everything that can go virtual, will go virtual, from meetings to training workers.”
• Human Network Analysts “are expected to emerge” along with the HR Data Detective, channeling “their inner Sherlock” to “focus especially on trends with the greatest impact on business or HR goals.” Furthermore, the Uni4Life Coordinator will use software that tracks data on how employees learn best then utilise algorithms to match them to courses. Gathering and using data ethically, securely and efficiently is going to form the bedrock of the vast majority of these Future HR roles. With large amounts of the working day conducted online, it will be easier than ever to gather this data. As Cognizant points out, the “highest attention to ethical best practices is essential” in order to avoid “suffering from a “Big Brother” burden” i.e. too much intervention and employee surveillance.
• Human-Machine Teaming Manager. As Cognizant says, “more and more technology pervades the work we do inside and especially outside of the HR function. And yet humans – and the notion of “essential workers” – have never been more integral to business than today.” In other words, the future of work depends on humans and machines working in lockstep. This job will be central to this movement, devising “an interaction system through which humans and machines mutually communicate their capabilities, goals and intentions.”
• Lifelong learning: While training, skilling and professional development have always been crucial, this area has taken on a new resonance under COVID as people grapple with a disrupted world and look at how to remain competitive in an economic downtown. At number 7, for example, the Uni4Life Coordinator will work with Cognizant’s innovative Uni4Life technology to structure a journey of lifelong learning tailored specifically for individual, relevant needs. Further along, the Second-Act Coaches will help workers define their values, refine their CVs and make the transition into a different kind of working environment.

The world is standing on the precipice of great change and disruptions in the upcoming decade, and as People & Work professionals, those in HR have a whole suite of important parts to play in this unprecedented new landscape. Read the complete article in People Matters.

At People Matters, we see this silver lining as the most exciting time for HR to pivot to the new and transform to be "antifragile" - That is why we choose AdaptableHR as our theme for People Matters TechHR this year in August and September 2020. Join us for the event and be part of the future!

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