Best HR Tech 2019

A report by Grand View Research projects the global human resource management industry to reach $30 billion by 2015 and technology will be a major contributing factor to this growth. 

Gone are the days when the role of an HR executive involved only gathering resumes of potential candidates and going through each and every piece of paper manually to sift the best from the pile. Today’s HR executives and teams are tech-savvy, open to innovative ways of operating, take into account the overall development of employees, possess broader skill sets and create dynamic organizational work cultures. 

But this kind of transformation in the HR sector didn’t happen overnight. Often, enterprises were advancing and innovating other aspects of working and leaving HR behind. But HR departments caught up. They now play a vital role in shaping an enterprise right from the point of recruiting its workforce. Research estimates that by 2020, more than 40% of the workforce will be contingent and that HR has the opportunity to create new experiences to invigorate teams and productivity.

Technology is playing a huge role in HR advancements. In this article, we look at the best HR tech trends for 2019.

Use of data or “datafication”

An article in Forbes explains how big data and personalization are fast catching up in the talent acquisition space. Big data is used in recruitment, training, performance evaluation and employee development. Google, Xerox, and IBM have used data for different HR processes. Google: to retain its customer service staff; Xerox: to evaluate the right number of candidates to interview for a job; and IBM: to analyze what makes a good salesperson at the company. Data allows HR departments to access and assess the aspects and factors that were earlier unthinkable. This emerging trend has innumerable and exciting possibilities for organizations. 

Wellness and fitness apps for employees

Today’s HR is concerned about an employee’s overall wellness and development. Wellness and fitness have become a huge part of HR practices. Here’s the example of Cisco, a company that believes in expanding employee wellness to employee well being. The company has taken several measures to personalize wellness programmes for employees by using technology. Here, employees can schedule doctors’ appointments electronically, access lab results online, monitor and keep an eye on their kids when at work through screens, and use apps and fitness trackers to stay physically fit. Online courses that help employees in personal well-being are another way in which Cisco uses online tech for employee wellness.

HR departments now use wearable fitness technology, data sources, and software to deliver important insights and knowledge into wellness programmes. Brands like Fitbit, Apple, Jawbone, and Misfit, are common names among corporate employees.

Tech-based hiring

Artificial intelligence, algorithm, data, and analytics – these are terms and systems now used across organizational processes, HR included. The benefits of these tech solutions in the hiring process:

• It improves candidate experience
• It reduces bias
• It helps to focus on the human element

AI-powered chatbots have been catching up since 2018. Recruiters have been using chatbots to engage with candidates and answer their queries. At the same time, the chatbots collect data about the candidates, which can be applied to other processes, analysis or research of the HR departments.

Then there’s the use of tech to draft the best job advert. Based on data and AI, technology is used to analyze job adverts that work for a specific type of jobs, making the process of job adverts more fruitful. 

A large number of companies are striving to make their recruitment processes free of bias. Tech is now becoming a part of this process. Beginning from job adverts writing with the help of technology to use bias neutral language to root out bias, to tools that make job applicants anonymous by removing their names, gender, religion, region and other information that might cause bias from their resumes – recruiters are using various tools and tech that are proving to be innovative solutions to age-old recruitment problems.

Hiring process such as background screenings of candidates, too, utilize tech to access online data to scrutinize candidates. Algorithms and data help in verifying employment records, address proofs and criminal checks. Moreover, data is being used to assess the risks and threats associated with candidates.

As tech keeps penetrating deeper into HR practices and management, this article share a few things that will be critical for HR departments:  recognize new jobs and skills needed to work with AI and tech, include learning opportunities for key job roles in the HR department, enhance skills in the HR department to understand how technology and artificial intelligence can be used across the employee life cycle. So, is your HR department ready?