Human resources and Industry 4.0: an exploratory study in the Brazilian business context

Purpose The present study aimed to evaluate how Brazilian companies from different sectors are developing human resources practices in the context of Industry 4.0 and which of these practices allows better differentiate of companies. Design/methodology/approach After a systematic literature review to identify the most important human resources practices in the context of Industry 4.0, a survey with professionals from human resources area of companies operating in Brazil was carried out. Data analysis was performed through frequency evaluation and CRITIC method (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation). CRITIC method was used to identify the practices that best differentiate the studied companies. Findings The analysed companies are in different evolutionary stages regarding how human resources management practices are adapting to the Industry 4.0 context. Few companies have presented reliable results to better support the transition process. Practices related to evaluating employee performance in this context, estimating the needs of financial resources and time for the training required by Industry 4.0 and establishing systems to recognise talents among employees who already work for the company are the practices that best differentiate companies. Originality/value There are few studies on this topic for Brazilian context. The information presented in this article can be useful for professionals and researchers.