HR TECHNOLOGY TRENDS CHANGING THE HR STORY by Aman Attree

HR TECHNOLOGY TRENDS CHANGING THE HR STORY by Aman Attree

Today, disruption is the new normal. Whatever you can do, can be replicated. And if you want to change to stay in the game, it better be fast. Because, somebody, somewhere, is changing as well, and if they do it faster, chances are that your business case for change may not be viable after all. Technology is a great enabler in helping organizations manages this transformation. It becomes increasingly relevant as we look at enterprises with scale. Organizations are fast moving to a cloud based environment to address their needs. This implies that they are getting nimbler and efficient than in the past.

Organization structures are no longer static. There needs to be constant realignment with market realities. What works best for our customers is how we need to be structured, whether it is hierarchy based, flat or something in between. The mantra is to be willing to change with disruption. Designations and levels are incidental as we create value for our customers, and for ourselves.

As resources get scarce, particularly people, it is imperative that organizations adopt innovative ways to acquire them. Talent acquisition is no longer limited to the traditional channels. There is an increased involvement of digital in the way it is being undertaken. We have seen examples of organizations ramping up significantly in a short span, purely riding on the digital platform. Social networks and cognitive tools are increasingly being adapted to source candidates.

Learning has become a continuous process, and this may not necessarily be driven by the organization. Employees, more and more need to take initiative and, if needed, go for self-learning options. Due to disruption, skills are becoming increasingly redundant in shorter spans of time. For the generation Z, it becomes all the more important, as they will have to be involved in careers that are much diverse than what the previous generations have seen. Because of this rapid pace of change, point in time employee engagement surveys is increasingly losing their relevance. If I want to know the pulse of my organization, I want it now, so that I can act on concerns before it is too late. Organizations need platforms that can enable them to do just that.

Organizations, and hence, the suppliers, have to ensure that their system of record and system of engagement keep up with the times and be more efficient than what they traditionally are. What is also important is what we do with the vast amount of data that is being generated. Unless we find better ways to leverage and analyse this data, it does not serve any purpose residing on our servers. We have to ask questions like – can we use this data to predict future patterns? Can we use it to see if there are hidden and subtle hints at improving our organization and giving it that edge?

Leadership pipeline needs to be frequently assessed and worked on. What we think as key leadership skills for a business, may need to be reviewed in the context of changing markets. Thus, leadership interventions need to be a regular line item in the budget.

This brings us to a hygiene but most important aspect – the salary and benefits that we provide. It is no longer about just benchmarking with peer group and market. Employees observe and hence seek more and more innovation in the benefits being offered by their organization. And above all, they expect transparency in dealings related to their work evaluation and career progression. It can no longer be brushed under the carpet; people need to know the ‘why?’ Technology can play a bigger role in communicating and helping address queries, right from
the time employees set their goals to the time that their performance is evaluated.

And finally, I would like to strongly emphasize the power of networks. We need to create platforms that facilitate interaction between the industry groups, policy makers as well as platforms for employees, both past and present, to connect and stay in touch.

Thus, adoption and usage of technology is more about survival and staying relevant in today’s world, than about replacing humans with machines. Non-technology sectors need to create and increase more & more technology oriented jobs to stay competitive. There is a constant need to change and change with the pace of technology to remain in business. Use technology as an important tool to train your manpower for future skills, adapt to the ever changing technological environment with scale, quality and speed.

It comes with a price and its high time we start adapting to these changes and must invest in our people, in skilling them for the future technology needs.

BY Aman Attree