The Tech Hyping Up Hybrid Teams

Emerging tools and platforms HR professionals can utilize to optimize their workplace

Strategic human resources (HR) tech investments are skyrocketing and with good reason: it makes good business sense. 

A smart selection of HR technology can make businesses more efficient and profitable. Whether your goals are to improve talent acquisition and retention, build culture, facilitate learning and development, or increase transparency in the hybrid workplace, deploying great technology is a powerful way people operations teams can unlock potential in the business. 

To help leaders make cost-effective decisions that move the needle, here are some HR solutions that can drive results with your team. 

Attracting and Retaining Top Talent: Simplify the Hiring Process

The cost of attracting, training, and retaining top talent is significant, and the cost of losing those people is staggering. Turnover costs U.S. businesses over $1 trillion annually, and employers need to spend several months of salary to find and train their replacements. Fortunately, HR tech has introduced powerful tools that streamline recruiting, provide a good candidate and hiring manager experience, and get teams staffed out with the resources they need faster.

Having a solid applicant tracking system (ATS) is key to effective recruiting. When determining the right service, it is important that the technology is intuitive, integrates easily with other systems, and has culture-building features that support critical diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and remove bias from the hiring process. Your ATS also needs to be easy for hiring managers and finance teams to operate as they review candidates, leave feedback, and facilitate the offer and approval process. 

Collaboration Technology & Culture: Create a Workplace with a Purpose

In the hybrid workplace era, we need to “earn the commute.” Post pandemic, “offices will be necessary for three functions: to be social, to learn and to learn intergenerationally, and to disagree, argue, and work out tough stuff,” according to Julia Hobsbawm, Founder of the Nowhere Office Project, who presented her research at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos.

Creating connected and collaborative cultures will be key to drawing employees into offices in the future.

Here are 3 kinds of tools that can revolutionize the way your teams work together:

1. Collaboration Apps 

When looking into collaboration apps, it is essential you look for a platform that integrates seamlessly with other work tools. This combined with key features like projection coordination, task assignment, etc., can allow your team to optimize its performance and project management. 

2. Instant Messaging Platforms

While there are many messaging apps and platforms to choose from, companies need to find one that fits their needs. From the ease of use to allowing for secure external communications, the list of features across vendors is endless. Some companies are also using instant messaging platforms as an innovative, cost-effective solution to facilitate communities like the CMO Coffee Talk community bringing together B2B marketing leaders.

3. Workplace Management Software

Trying to get the most out of your office and connecting the people in it can be a tricky task in a hybrid workplace. One solution that can assist companies is workplace management software. With this software in place, companies can properly plan their space, allow employees to reserve rooms and desks, manage visitors, and more. Some platforms also give employees access to see which one of their colleagues is coming to the office, offering more visibility and chances to collaborate. 

Learning and Development Technology: Empower Employees for Success

Learning and development technology is vital to retaining top talent and can pay dividends toward retention targets, especially for Gen Y and Z workforces who want employers to invest in their development. With these investments, organizations can bridge skill gaps, improve workplace performance, and increase employee loyalty for long-term return on investment.

When shaping your company’s skill-building landscape, look for programs with personalized learning paths. All employees’ strengths are different, and a successful program should adjust to this. Another component to consider is how the skill-building tools are furthering your company’s purpose. Look for platforms that go beyond the minimum requirements and instead create a culture of learning in your space. 

Create Transparency in the Workplace: Trust and Openness

Transparency is a cornerstone of a healthy work culture and one of the best ways to empower employees. One of the most vital areas where team members appreciate transparency is in their payroll, benefits, and performance management system. 

Look for an HR and payroll solution that makes it easier for employees to access information about their pay, benefits, time off, and other HR-related data. Some tools to seek out includes those with features for managers, such as employee scheduling and time tracking. This increased transparency can help employees feel more valued and engaged, leading to greater job satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

The Future of Work: Embrace Technology's Potential

As someone who has built my career on challenging the status quo in the name of progress, I am excited that the future of work is being shaped by HR technology. Embracing cost-effective HR tech tools is helping businesses not only address but also solve our biggest workplace challenges.

With the global human resource management market size expected to reach 56.15 billion USD by 2030, the right question to ask is not, “Can you afford to invest in this tech, but how can you not?”

Lexi Jones, SPHR, serves as Chief People Officer at OfficeSpace, where she leads the people operations team and is responsible for advancing the company's talent lifecycle, driving company culture, and enhancing employee experience. With over two decades of experience in building global teams, Lexi has worked with SecureLink, Campus Advantage, WellAware.us, and HTC. Lexi holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin, in addition to a variety of professional certifications.