How HR Technology Complements the Employee Experience
By Vickie Ansay, Insperity
As more and more companies compete in the race for talent, business leaders continue to develop strategies, such as remote work and professional development programs to unique perks and mental health support, to attract and retain the best and brightest employees. The current labor landscape, along with an employee-driven workforce with specific desires, is encouraging companies to focus on developing a better and more comprehensive employee experience.
Every step of the way – from recruiting, hiring and onboarding to training, performance and career advancement – the company culture should be embodied, and the value of individual contributions emphasized for an optimal, consistent experience. Using HR technology as a conduit to advance these efforts is critical to achieving success for both users and enterprises. Below are four ways HR technology complements the employee experience.
Proves Critical for Remote Work
While HR technology has steadily gained traction since its origins in the 1990s, it really came into its own within the last decade. During the past 24 months, HR technology proved its worth to companies worldwide, as it became readily apparent that without HR technology companies would struggle to succeed. It paved the way for a widespread transition to remote work environments in an efficient and effective manner.
HR technology helps to streamline processes, reduce workloads, save time, improve productivity, enable communication between teams and promote connections to the company. When companies complement their operations with HR technology and tailor it to their culture, it can have a dramatic impact on employee morale, engagement, performance and productivity. It also makes companies more relevant in today’s modern business operations, especially in remote environments.
Provides Consistent Best Practices
HR technology enables consistent best practices companywide to ensure the culture shines through at every stage and all candidates/employees have the same experience. During the recruiting and hiring process there are many programs that make life easier for the company, its users and job seekers, such as effective job postings, modern applicant tracking systems, automated background checks, efficient onboarding processes, simplified benefits enrollment systems, and effective new employee training programs. There is less frustration and fewer errors as candidates navigate the waters of becoming new hires and productive employees throughout their tenure.
In addition, HR technology that accurately tracks time and attendance, PTO requests and volunteer hours saves employees/managers time and facilitates timely payroll processing. Annual compliance training is also supported by HR technology in an inviting and time efficient manner in areas such as anti-harassment, discrimination, OSHA, cyber security and more to ensure all employees receive proper training that supports a great company culture.
Supports Professional Development
Companies can support professional development through HR technology that offers access to an online library of books, seminars and training materials that help employees stay current and grow their talents and skill sets. Online performance review programs also help managers support employee growth by providing expert guidance, assisting with goal setting and recognizing accomplishments that prepare them for advancement opportunities within the company.
Performance reviews also assist with talent management initiatives across the organization and succession planning as employees leave and/or retire. HR technology helps companies place the right people in the right roles, leading to increased employee retention for long-term success.
Offers People Analytics
With HR technology that offers people analytics, leaders can leverage valuable human capital information that helps them better predict workforce changes, understand performance and make timely, data-driven decisions. It helps companies get the story behind the numbers such as helping to identify burnout before it happens by tracking overtime and understaffed locations, giving managers an opportunity to resolve situations by rearranging work schedules or adding staff.
In addition, people analytics can track employee sentiment through climate surveys, support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and provide valuable feedback to leaders for planning purposes. People analytics can have a profound effect on the employee experience because the data helps improve the environment, leading to increased employee morale and engagement and reduced turnover.
Companies that utilize HR technology to complement their operations are optimizing the employee experience throughout the talent lifecycle – from hire to retire – and positioning the company and its culture for a competitive advantage in the workplace.
Vickie Ansay is managing director of product innovation with Insperity, a leading provider of human resources and business performance solutions. For more information, please call 800-465-3800 or visit www.insperity.com.