Human resources technology (known simply as HR tech) is the umbrella term used to describe hardware and software solutions that automate human resources activities. As the way we work continues to evolve, traditional paper-based systems are often inadequate. Organisations around the world need solutions to manage an increasingly deskless, shift-based and flexible workforce. HR tech vendors have responded by developing HR technologies to solve this challenge.
Workforce management software is a prime example. New HR technology facilitates easy management of mobile teams, while increasing the efficiency and productivity of your organisation. Mobile workforce management solutions streamline a range of HR processes, such as generating rosters, tracking staff work hours, and communication between team members across different times and locations. This unburdens your HR professionals from routine tasks, giving them more time and energy to spend on higher-value HR activities.
Aside from workforce management, tech vendors have designed various software solutions for the HR sector. Some other ways tech can help with HR management include:
HR teams can save time using HR payroll technology to track and pay employees' wages and taxes. Tech solutions that track time and attendance replace traditional clocking systems, reducing the risk of human error. Humanforce’s mobile app, for example, turns employees’ mobile devices into secure, contactless clocking kiosks, allowing them to run their schedules with increased autonomy while giving your HR leaders greater visibility over staff.
HR departments can use travel and expense software to record staff expenses, pay providers and reimburse employees for out-of-pocket costs. These tools also give managers and HR professionals greater insight into expenses incurred by staff.
As a key task for HR experts, talent acquisition and talent management tend to be time-consuming. HR technology companies have developed various platforms to assist throughout the candidate lifecycle, including recruitment, evaluation, and onboarding right through to offboarding.
Contemporary HR tools allow managers to continuously monitor employees' job performance. This enables fast provision of employee feedback for quality work, while rapidly identifying areas for targeted training – without this being perceived as micromanaging. Solutions with inbuilt artificial intelligence use analytics data to generate actionable insights for optimising allocation and development of your human resources.
Upskilling your current employees ensures they stay on top of changes to your systems or processes. Furthermore, PwC’s recent Future of Work report identified that career development was a key employee preference that leaders can leverage to win the talent war.
Providing quality training can enhance the employee experience and position your organisation as an employer of choice – vital if you have high demand for talent. Tools like online learning management systems allow for flexible training delivery in formats to suit a range of learning styles.
Moreover, technology continues to adapt for our changing world. As research and strategy group Gartner point out, the last 20 months have “accelerated the need for innovative technologies, and organizations need to adapt more quickly to ever-changing conditions.” They cite digitalisation as one of three priorities for CEOs to focus on in 2022.
Specifically, the HR Tech Summit notes emerging trends in HR technology include:
Innovative new solutions that enhance the user experience
Exploring ways to maintain human connections in increasingly digital workplaces
Examining how technology continues to change the employee experience in a hybrid setting.
Interestingly, these have all been key focus areas in Humanforce’s development.
Employee engagement is an acknowledged driver of business success, with Gallup research showing organisations scoring in the top quartile on employee engagement significantly outperform their counterparts in the bottom quartile.
However, traditional methods of boosting engagement don’t necessarily work if your team do shifts or remote work, as is the case with many standing workers. HR software systems with inbuilt employee engagement tools, like Humanforce’s, help solve this challenge by giving your teams a sense of unity, irrespective of workers’ hours, roles or locations. Your company will benefit from higher productivity and significant cost savings through higher employee retention rates.
Many HR experts and employers are opting for HR cloud technology over an onsite hardware installation. Not only is this cost-effective, it also enables companies to enjoy the advantages of cloud-based tech, such as the ability to sync data across devices. With data storage managed by the software provider, cloud-based HR technology usually has a high level of security.
Another leading benefit of technologies incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning is their analytics capability. By tracking and analysing metrics like no-shows, late starts or cost overruns, these tools provide actionable insights to help you make smart business decisions.
Humanforce’s solution incorporates robust workforce analytics, providing instant access to crucial data. Integrated tools allow you to generate reports around project costs, tardiness, causes of unauthorised timesheets and more, so you can make data-driven decisions aligned with your company goals.
Looking after your people takes time, but many HR teams are bogged down in mundane activities. One study by G&A Partners found HR professionals spend 73 percent of their time on administrative tasks. Automating routine HR processes can free up your HR leaders for strategic activities, such as optimisation of current systems and future workforce planning.
Clearly, HR tech is the way of the future. Forward thinking organisations are adopting human-centred solutions that place workers at the fore – like Humanforce. Our cloud-based platform is custom-built to foster collaborative workplaces that support employee satisfaction, engagement and work-life balance.
Our system offers workers mobile access to the applications they need to work, collaborate and communicate, while giving managers and leaders greater awareness and control. These add up to fewer errors, better decisions and happier staff – translating into a more efficient, productive and profitable business.
Clearly, organisations can reap numerous benefits from adopting or updating their HR tech tools. These include:
Higher visibility over shifts and rosters for managers and HR professionals
Enhanced performance management and monitoring of staff whereabouts, without micromanaging
Improving staff autonomy by allowing self-service for activities like choosing shifts
Enhanced team communication through direct messaging
Improved candidate experience, onboarding and engagement
Time savings on general admin tasks which can be invested into human communication, which increases staff happiness and sense of worth.