In today’s work, where employees (particularly millennials) are demanding much more of a say in how their workplaces operate, many HR systems are being built with employees in mind. This consumerization of HR technology is enabling employees to have greater power over their own company culture and development, whilst allowing HR professionals to better manage people and structure their organisations.
What Changes Will We See in 2016?
A number of things will cause the shift of influence from management to employees to continue. 10,000 baby boomers are currently retiring every day, with millennial workers succeeding them as managers. This younger demographic, which tends to value growth opportunities and work culture above all else, will dramatically change the corporate environment: flattening hierarchies, empowering underlings, and pushing for more corporate social responsibility.The work space itself will also become more informal and flexible, emphasising a more democratic environment. More telecommuting, co-working spaces, and relentless globalization are all factors driving these changes, and thus the demand for new HR technology tools.
Three New Elements of HR Tech
There are three main themes to the new HR tech scene:1. the tools will be data-driven (i.e. will collect employee data in order to inform management decisions);
2. they will be mobile-first (to ensure ease of access, as well as to emphasise the always-on nature of employee engagement);
3. and ultimately fun (otherwise no employee will choose to use them).
Feedback, or data-driven, management is a form of management that relies on constant employee input, reinforcing the democratic nature of HR. The aim is to gauge workforce sentiment, ideally in real-time, so that problems evaporate before the employees do. Engagement surveys are an example of this since they provide employers with real-time analytics on the health of their organization. Looking at various customisable factors (including salary, benefits, work-life balance, etc.) the software tracks the relationship between the satisfaction and the importance of each factor for every employee.
Mobile will likely overtake desktop as the preferred job application channel in 2016. According to Glassdoor, “if you’re a tech company recruiting tech talent but don’t have a mobile-ready careers page, you may be preventing as much as 45% of your potential talent pool from applying for your open positions.” Creating apps from your HR systems will be essential for enhancing candidate quality, as well as for employee productivity and retention. As Josh Bersin writes, “Effective mobile apps should be social, use location data, and take advantage of different services.”
Ultimately these HR tools will be used by employees themselves, and so will need a clean, intuitive user interface that is both easy to use and fun. If the tool doesn’t have these elements, employees simply won’t use them. Just like modern consumers, speed, efficiency, and engagement are all top priorities to these employees, so make sure you pick the most compelling one for your organisation!
