We talk a lot about the technology for human capital management. Amidst all the understandable hubbub, you’d think we’d find a panacea in the state of the art in technology for HCM. Today’s technology for HCM is indeed a marvel, after all, in its capabilities and in the promise it holds. It’s a promise not only for highly engaged people leaders looking to use the latest and greatest cloud software, but also for HR departments that could really just use some help in solving for basic needs.
The idea that HR departments today can succeed with the help of highly capable technology alone is tempting to believe. In a way, that’s because it’s half true. Yes, it’s a welcome relief to automate operational processes. Yes, it’s a wonder to see real-time, easily accessible, full-view information about your workforce. Important as all this is, however, you still need people and the expertise they can bring to bear to solve complex HCM-related challenges.
Says Megan Coen, vice president of HR services at isolved and my guest on this episode of the #HRTechChat video podcast, “It’s really exciting to be at a company that is looking at HR so holistically, because technology is a really critical piece of the puzzle to help businesses, but it is not the only piece. There are the people components, as well.”
Interestingly, the evidence out there seems to support the idea that most organizations are pursuing success in HR with a broad brush. In its Third-Annual HR Leaders Report, “Power Moves: What 500 HR Leaders Are Doing Now, Next,” 83 percent of respondents to isolved’s 2023 survey said their HR team is considered a strategic part of the business.
This is encouraging. Ever since I fell into HCM the better part of two decades ago, the drumbeat year in and year out has been that we must help secure a seat for HR at the table of organizational leadership.
“The HR function has really gone through such an amazing transformation, just in the time that I’ve been in the profession,” Megan says. Many HR departments have turned things around from being “a very paper focused function, a policy-focused function, into making it a strategic asset for the business.”
How has this happened? Has the mantra finally worked? Are we actually getting somewhere?
We don’t have to answer these questions conclusively. But a big part of success is probably the help of experts in change management, HCM strategy and all other things higher-level when it comes to HR. Airdrop a hungry people leader into an HR department, and that person will get somewhere with great technology. But whoever it is will get there faster, and beyond, with the help of experts from the outside looking in.
“For organizations that haven’t reached that elevated place in their HR maturity yet,” Megan said, “the most important thing that they need to keep in mind, is the change management piece.” To me, it seems to be part of a sound rationale behind why isolved calls HR outsourcing by a different name: HR augmentation.
Megan shared the story of an HR assessment she conducted in a previous role. Her recounting is better than mine, so you’ll have to listen to the recording, but here’s the gist:
The client was experiencing recruiting-related issues. Identifying that there was no application tracking system in place, she recommended one. “And that seemed like an easy win,” she said. But the client informed her that they had in fact implemented an ATS a year prior, but later pulled its deployment. Why?
As it turned out, though the organization had executive buy-in for the new ATS, the managers who were supposed to use it, didn’t. Waiting for password resets, not remembering how to get into the system, and other logistical hiccups were enough for managers at that organization to ignore the new ATS and simply email candidates, instead.
It’s easy to imagine how this might not have occurred had capable HR advisors been on hand to help at the outset. In a way unsurprising, of all the reasons respondents to isolved’s aforementioned survey gave for planning to switch HCM platforms, the highest number, 23 percent, pointed to service issues.
Megan brought a much-needed perspective to the podcast and shared additional war stories. She did a great job in laying out how isolved combines “the right blend” of technology and services, as she put it. You owe it to yourself to give this episode a view.
