The general panic of the working public when hearing of an “industrial revolution” is fair. With AI and computing power being the forefront of business everywhere the future of the workplace is uncertain. The role of Human Resources should never come second to overall trends as these two topics are intersectional. (further reading https://sabpp.co.za/the-role-of-human-resource-professionals-in-navigating-the-new-world-of-work-by-desere-kokt/ )

Businesses that follow the trends and have analysts pulling data from every corner of the internet to help predict the future and make a move forward should use this data to not only see what trends they should invest in but how they can invest in their human capital differently.

Industrial Revolutions get their bad rap from the infamous first industrial revolution, but the world is a different place now. With the understanding that human capital is the most valuable assets and no matter what changes in technology brings there will always need a for a workforce on some level; times of major shifts should be met with shifting the investment in your human capital to ensure they are best prepared for the future and in turn your company.

Shifting Investment, How Human Resources can better your position in the Industry 4.0

Your Human Resource strategy should evolve with the times if your sector is in a reshaping then you should investigate how it is being reshaped and see what value you can add to your employees in order to keep up with the trends. If your marketing function is performing well but there is a shift towards digital marketing, then you should invest in training in order to keep them up to standard.

It is the goal of Human Resources to ensure your workforce performs at its best and training is the most important investment you can make during these periods of industry shifts.

The panic and uncertainty should be met with level-headedness guided by your Human Resources Strategy and investment in training should be your first call to action in times of shift to ensure your workforce is up to date.