HR Tech: Solid trend or passing fad?
Think before you implement
In a time where technology is considered the competitive edge in business and is used as an enabler in attracting and retaining top talent in the market, it is important to remember that your business goals and strategy come first. Almost everywhere you look these days, you will find companies making the mistake of thinking that bigger and shinier is what is important, but it is vital that we keep technology implementations in line with business imperatives.
Human Resources (HR) is on the edge of a technological revolution that is going to completely reinvent the way the industry works and what it is able to deliver. We need to charter our course wisely. “The future is no longer what it used to be,” says talentCRU Managing Executive, Lerato Semenya. “So right now, we are crafting new stories, we are responsible for being able to change the face of absolutely every single industry. Some industries have undergone the changes already, and now HR is at that precipice, where we need to act – our list of unknowns is that much shorter because we can now learn from other industries.”
A whole new world
Semenya highlights that new technologies are cropping up every day that change the way we work and live, the way we attract talent and the way we manage the talent we already have. Navigating this new world of work can be challenging with an ever-competitive labour market, increasing skills gaps and emphasis on preparing our workforces for positions that don’t even exist yet. This is where HR has a pivotal role to play.
The HR industry as a whole is looking to technology to solve the issues our organisations are facing as we embark on one of the most disruptive journeys the industry has seen in a long time. The future is not coming, it is here. “The key for us to be able to maximise on the usage of technology is around being able to apply ourselves to different sets of circumstances that we can recognize, we have seen them before. A good example of this is IT,” Semenya explains. “IT has had to reinvent so many times, and its influence on other industries is slowly spanning. HR right now finds itself at the point where it can maximise at what it needs to do, based on technological advancements.”
Separating fact from fiction
The ability to distinguish the difference between trends that are here to stay and fads that are sure to pass is going to be vital when navigating all the technology implementation options available. The problem is that trends and fads often have very similar beginnings, so it requires a bit of investigating. We have to ask ourselves; does it solve a particular problem? Is it more efficient?
The key identifier for a trend is that it will always solve a need, an issue or a problem. When looking to implement, your starting point must be the need within your business. Then you find the technology that best solves that need. “Are we using technology enough? Certainly not,” Semenya notes. “There is so much that we can stand to benefit. If you take a look at some of the myths and some of the technology fads that are happening right now, it becomes imperative that we demystify exactly what that means. Remember the key is to keep it related to our business imperatives.”
Semenya adds that another way to identify trends is to look at the growth trajectory. Is it slowly evolving? Fads tend to come up quickly and disappear just as fast. A trend will evolve slowly over time with many course corrections, changes and new additions along the way.
Timing is key
Sometimes it is a good idea to sit back for a moment and watch the market to see how quickly new technology is adopted and how many other companies are participating before making a move. “It is important that we do not chastise ourselves when we don’t know, because if we knew better, we would absolutely do better. I have a deep commitment to learning because that’s the only way to get it right. Learn from others so that you can figure out a way to do it better” she says.
For example, she explains that if we are looking to attract and retain talent, grow and develop people to give them meaningful employment, it means that all our technology needs to be able to help us deliver to that. “It is not just about the biggest and the brightest, it is about being able to take those kinds of technology advancements, whether or not they seem related to what it is that we’re trying to solve, while also maintaining our true north in terms of being able to deliver to our business requirements. This is what’s important to HR right now” she concludes.
While we work towards creating workplaces that inspire a symbiotic relationship between man and machine – to create a workforce fit to compete in a digital world, it is important to keep your people at the heart of the decisions you make.
About Adcorp
Across the Group we have a number of end-to-end workplace solutions solving a wide range of business challenges. We search, place, develop, train and manage people for temporary and permanent job opportunities. Our recruitment processes are renowned for their integrity, effectiveness, and the calibre of candidate experience. We also supply people resources on an outsourced basis and manage people intensive processes on behalf of our clients. Our mission is to build workplaces and careers of the future by transforming the places we work in. We do this by connecting potential.