Walmart is moving toward automation in grocery warehouses and, in preparation, will open a supply chain academy to teach workers skills related to science, technology, engineering and math. The idea is to educate the workforce on not only warehouse operations but also "skills that you need to grow with the company professionally," logistics executive Tim Cooper says.

Consider replacing job descriptions with roles that focus on employees' talents and the company's changing needs, writes Heather Hanson Wickman. "With a role-based structure, anyone can propose a change to a role at any time by simply calling for a brief team meeting, sharing a proposal, and gaining approval," Wickman writes.

A survey from Capital One found that many employees with access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan don't participate because they believe they don't make enough to contribute. However, educating individuals about tax benefits and fees could help encourage participation, says Stuart Robertson of Capital One Advisors.

Make better use of technology in performance management by connecting HR systems with productivity tools that focus on employee development and ongoing feedback, writes Doug Dennerline. "For employees, end-of-year feedback about an issue that occurred months beforehand is too late to be useful," Dennerline writes.

Most chief financial officers focus on labor costs and downplay HR's financial effect, a Paycor survey says. "When it comes to key business issues of employee engagement, turnover and compliance, this research proves that there is a disconnect between what business leaders perceive is happening and why, and what is actually taking place and how to solve it," Paycor President Stacey Browning says.