Ways to Hire & Onboard Remote Workers Recruiting remote workers has shifted to become a main focus for many businesses. Prior to the pandemic, many companies had little to no best practices in place for recruiting, hiring and onboarding remote workers and had to...
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The Future of HR Technology
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 HR will require new technologies to improve the employee experience and keep the organization competitive and nimble.
Here are 6 trends that will have an impact on the future of HR technology.
1. 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.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Natural Language Processing – i.e. the language technology used in automated chatbots – 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 into 2019 and beyond, 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
- Providing efficient recruitment experiences
3. Mobile-friendly Experiences
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.
Two additional mobile-related trends to monitor include:
- HR as app builders. Human resources teams may take a page out of the L’Oréal playbook and begin to think like developers and user experience experts. L’Oréal created a “cultureboarding” app in collaboration with new employees to help newcomers learn the seven critical aspects’ of L’Oréal’s culture.
- Microlearning technology and mobile. Microlearning is picking up steam with many organizations that want to reinforce training and improve onboarding. According to Axonify, “Organizations that allow employees to train on mobile devices (personal and company-issued) see training frequency skyrocket by 42%!” As more companies embrace microlearning technology, the ability to deliver via mobile devices will increase.
4. 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.
5. 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.”
6. 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.