More than two-thirds (69%) of senior HR leaders will prioritise employee wellbeing, mental health and stress management over the next three to five years, according to research by HR document management systems and cloud-based HR software provider Aconso.
Its From manual to meaningful: unlocking HR’s potential through AI and digital transformation report, which surveyed 650 global senior HR leaders, also found that while 56% of respondents view employee wellbeing as a critical long-term consideration, 72% feel constrained by limited budgets and resources, and 41% struggle to manage their own work-life balance. A total of 43% feel unable to fully alleviate the toll of burnout and stress on employees.
The evolution of remote and hybrid work models (50%), alongside the growing diversity of the workforce (51%), were cited as making jobs harder for respondents, with 55% reporting that managing multigenerational teams has significantly increased the complexity of their workloads.
As 69% report frequently diverting resources from employee-focused programmes to address urgent change-related tasks, 72% plan to increase technology use to enhance efficiency and free up time to invest in employee experience initiatives.
A total of 99% are already integrating AI and automation into their operations, focusing on technologies to automate routine processes and investing in initiatives that improve employee wellbeing, engagement and long-term satisfaction. Three-fifths (60%) said this is a game-changer.
Ulrich Jaenicke, co-founder and chief executive officer of Aconso, said: “The findings highlight the growing recognition that a thriving workplace and sustainable business relies on supporting employees’ emotional health, fostering engagement and ensuring they feel valued. However, senior HR leaders are facing a balancing act with managing strategic and operational demands with employee initiatives.
“By adopting the right tools, HR can focus less on repetitive, mundane tasks and more on designing employee experiences that maintain a culture of care and sustainable growth for all generations, plus have more time to adapt initiatives as the workplace evolves.”