Heightened demands to deliver an innovative employee experience and growing business demands require continual modernization of technology, ranging from cloud services to intelligent automation, knowledge management, social, mobile, and more. The digital revolution is changing how people engage with others and go about our day-to-day tasks. As employees, individuals carry the expectations of a seamless, tech-enabled experience to the workplace, too. The future of Human Resources (HR) will require new technologies to improve the employee experience and keep the organization competitive.
Here are some of the things to watch out for on the future of HR technology.
Specialized Tech Skills
As automation and digitalization continue to reshape job roles and skill needs, HR and learning groups will need to create increasingly agile and effective reskilling strategies for workers including training HR staff in data analysis, AI and other technology-related skills.
A 2019 study from Gartner found that only nine percent (9%) of chief human resource officers agree that their organizations are prepared for the future of work, and forty six percent (46%) of HR leaders report that their employees lack the technology skills necessary to drive future performance. The survey found it's not only HR leaders concerned with the lack of skills but employees themselves. Johnson said. \"Only 1 in 5 employees in the study felt like they have skills today to prepare them for the future. When you think about the collective anxiety that creates in the workforce, it's concerning.\"
Remote Work
Advertisment
Another trend is the growing popularity and acceptance of remote work. Many companies offer flexible work from home days as a benefit. And some, like social media giant Buffer, run an entirely remote team. The covid 19 pandemic has accelerated the rate at which companies adopt remote working. Starting 2020, many organisations resorted to remote working as a measure to reduce the risks of spreading the corona virus. Many companies now use zoom and google meet for meetings.
Consider whether your company has policies in place that support remote workers. It’s not feasible for some positions and companies, but offering remote work options comes with many benefits, including higher productivity and increased employee satisfaction.
Prescriptive and Predictive Analytics
Think about all the data you have at your fingertips when it comes to employees: recruitment, salary, performance, onboarding, training, and more. Unfortunately, all of that data is likely stored in disparate repositories in a variety of formats. But imagine the ability to aggregate and analyze that data to gain actionable insights!
With improvements in analytics programs, HR will have the ability to assess the impact that training programs have on employee retention. Management will be able to spot behaviors that indicate a long-time employee may be leaving. With insights like these, HR can act to improve the company to attain better business results and deliver a better employee engagement experience.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP)
The presence of AI doesn’t devalue human work but makes it more focused and strategic. Natural Language Processing - i.e. the language technology used in automated chatbots, it is quickly becoming one of the leading AI technologies in the HR industry. Highly advanced chatbots can automate a number of internal tasks, trainings, and communications typically performed by HR employees, thereby increasing the efficiency of HR departments as a whole.
Going forward NLP technology is poised to help Human Resources teams on a variety of fronts, by reducing administrative burdens, improving employee onboarding, increasing employee self-service options and providing efficient recruitment experiences.
Mobile-friendly Experiences
According to SelectHub, over 50% of HR leaders are prioritizing the employee experience in 2020. With more people adopting smartphones as their primary or only computer experience at home, the demand for mobile-friendly HR applications and approaches will grow. Already businesses are leveraging responsive websites and apps to attract customers who use mobile. Why not attract your target talent with mobile-friendly recruitment pages, too? While mobile-friendly experiences have an obvious appeal when it comes to recruiting, businesses are finding new ways to incorporate smartphones for building a better corporate culture and improve employee engagement.
Wearable Technology
Many companies have already embraced fitness trackers as part of corporate wellness plans; however, the future of wearable devices is still expanding when it comes to employee management. For example, Oracle is looking into ways to integrate with smartwatches to allow field workers to track their time and location. Technicians, sales reps, and other workers in the field could use smartwatches to check into a location, track working time, and stop the clock upon leaving.
Virtual Reality (VR)
As VR technology continues to become more pervasive, corporations will begin looking at these solutions as new options for creating more engaging employee experiences. The biggest opportunities lie in orientation, onboarding, and training. With the ability to simulate these scenarios, new hires can ease into their roles with a little less pressure that people endure with \"live, on-the-job training.\"
Blockchain Technology
Blockchain may sound a little confusing or you may only associate it with Bitcoin but this technology has the potential to improve data integrity and streamline payroll. On the data integrity side, Blockchain allows employees and potential hires to have full control of their own data. Neither you nor they will have to rely on third parties with possibly inaccurate historical data. Plus, you could have access to useful, valid data verified by universities and certifying bodies a big help in the hiring process. Regarding payroll, businesses with global offices will be able to reduce delays that employees face in the traditional payroll process caused by intermediary banks and third parties.
Are You Ready for the Future?
The HR department of the future will be incredibly efficient, able to provide a first-class employee experience that translates into happier team members and more satisfied clients. To stay relevant, human resources professionals should continue to study technology trends and take the time to acquaint themselves with new technology.
Nyasha D Ziwewe is a Business Consultant and Systems developer at Industrial Psychology Consultants. Email: nyasha@ipcconsultants.com. Mobile 0783462251. LinkedIn: Nyasha D Ziwewe.