The growth in HR tech over the last ten years was fueled largely by the digital transformation underway. These HR tech solutions help companies pay, hire, manage, and train people at scale while giving leaders oversight into costs, productivity, and performance.

At many small businesses, HR is taken care of by just one person or a very small team. The HR team might not have a legal department to help with compliance or an IT department to support the implementation of a new system. What many people love about working at a small business is the focus on getting work done and a direct impact on results; they’re not necessarily expecting the high-level oversight, advanced technology, and cushy benefits that many Fortune 500 companies offer.

Yet it’s exactly that high-level oversight – combined with automation of day-to-day transactions – that HR technology provides. When combined with the support of an expert partner, HR tech can transform a small business. The right tools can help HR grow into a true strategic partner and help employee relations become more transparent. When a crisis hits, HR technology gives leaders the data, tools, and support they need to make decisions quickly.

Stay Ahead of the Coming Labor Tsunami with HR Technology

As companies are planning for 2022, they are seeing new areas of growth but are, frankly, being held back by a lack of workers, especially skilled workers who will unleash the company’s ability to respond to the marketplace.  Companies are looking for leadership from Human Resources to guide them through this coming “labor tsunami” as Baby Boomers leave the workforce and pent up demand from employees to change jobs explodes.  Does HR have the right tools to be effective leaders during this time of change?

Recruiting will be Critical for Company Survival

With the advent of social media recruiting and applicant assessment, companies of all sizes can now use digital tools to target and contact qualified applicants more quickly.  This makes losing a valuable resource to a competitor less likely if routine tasks are automated and up-to-date methods including text are used to reach out to candidates.

Increasing globalization and the increased ability of employees to work from home some or all of the time means that successful recruiters must be able to reach a national or international pool of candidates and screen for the best fit for their organization.  HR must ask if the tools it has are up to these new challenges.

Training for the Future

Training is a critical component of employee engagement.  Employees know that learning new skills will make them more valuable to the company.  Training is required for companies to remain compliant with regulation.  And training is critical if a company is planning to pivot into a new area of growth that will require new skills.

HR must have the tools to deliver effective training; measure the value of training in terms of productivity and prepare to help employees acquire new skills.  The sooner these programs are in place and administered efficiently, the sooner a company will be ready to improve.

Demand for Self Service

As Millennials and Generation X continue to dominate the workforce, the ability to access resources using self service is considered the norm.  These digital natives will not tolerate outdated systems for HR and payroll functions based on paper forms and complex processes.  Employee Self Service is no longer a ‘nice to have’ for HR departments; it is critical to keeping and growing employee engagement and productivity.

Confidence in Cloud Solutions Has Grown

One of the results of the pandemic has been an explosion in the use of cloud solutions.  Companies that once might have been hesitant about communicating or storing data in the cloud have learned that cloud solutions are safe, easy to use and do not require the constant outlay of funds to server upgrades and maintenance.  Even traditional on-premise solutions have moved to hosting in the cloud by way of hosting in environments such as Cloud at Work to continue to use or expand technology currently in place on their servers.

Budgets and Year End

One reason to consider upgrading your HR technology may be that there are funds available in the budget that have not been spent and could be applied toward digital enablement. Can you take advantage of strong business showings this year to convince senior management to release funds for improvements now, rather than waiting?

Publishers Looking to Add New Functionality

Many employers are looking to make significant improvements to their systems to address these needs early in 2022. HR departments who are looking to enable their digital systems between now and the end of the year will find exciting and useful tools coming out, especially in the areas of analytics and self-service.  However, to take advantage of these changes, HR departments must plan now to initiate and fine tune their systems before the end of the year.

Many of our clients have taken advantage of Net at Work’s years of experience in advising on and deploying Human Capital Management systems for a variety of organizations large and small.  If you would like to learn more about how we have helped others to prepare for the changes ahead – and how we can help you – check these article and video links.

Farmers & Merchants Bank – Driving Results with Your HCM

Livingston County is On the Road to Success

Goodwill Keystone Area Trusts Net at Work

How HR Technology Helped Goodwill Industries of Dallas Thrive: Client Interview

How Cloud Hosting Can Help Your Company: Client Roundtable

How HR Systems Help Resorts Survive: Client Interview

Beverage Distributors Brace for HR Challenges: Client Interview

Don’t take our word for it, hear from companies like yours who Net at Work has helped to unleash their companies’ power to grow and thrive.