It’s a very exciting time in HR Technology. In fact, a June 2014 article by Aliah Wright on SHRM.org, indicates an increase in both company interest and spending for HR Technology. The article goes on to state that 30% of respondents in a Towers Watson study say they will spend a substantial amount of HR spending on technology. Finally, after years of resisting the technological movement, companies are starting to realize the efficiencies and value that come with investing in the right technology.
The three areas of greatest concern according to :
- Data and Analytics
- Mobile Optimization and Capabilities
- Saas
In my opinion, we are seeing a highly saturated market where you will find tried and maybe not-so-true players in the ATS arena that are holding steady; followed by lots of marginally improved replicas or in some cases “knockoffs”. Full scope talent management systems are intriguing to businesses who no longer have the gumption to try to make separate systems speak to one another in an effort to have fully integrated systems and accurate outputs. Yet still, we have our pick of aggregators, video interviewing platforms, assessment platforms and the list goes on and on.
How does the HR practitioner make sense of all of this?
The first step is understanding what problem you want the technology to solve. The second step is understanding that technology is unlikely to solve all of your inefficiency issues. Inefficiency is first resolved by having sound processes and practices, no system can replace that. Third, once you have considered your HR Technology needs, you need to adequately research and identify appropriate vendors.
Don’t just think about your needs right now, but anticipate how you see the company growing five or even ten years down the line. This will also mean that you will have to pay attention to the bandwidth and scalability of potential systems; a common pitfall of buyers.
There are tools to suit almost every company need. The hard part is taking the time to do the research to find the diamonds in the ruff.
That said…
Those that have been following me for sometime know that every September I celebrate my blog anniversary with a month-long HR Technology series. I do this every year to commemorate my first post which was on called ” To Automate or Not To Automate…That Is The Question”. This year I have coined my series ” I am Revolutionizing HR”. I am highlighting 1-2 HR Technology start-ups per week to open your eyes to vendors that are uniquely solving HR problems.
In doing the research to find what is out there, I was extremely impressed to find vendors solving HR issues in a practical and unique way. None of them are replicas or knockoffs, but they all have a sincere desire to help the everyday HR practitioner work more efficiently.
The first HR Technology start-up will be showcased on Monday, September 8th. Please stay tuned the entire month to get the scoop on some innovative and cool players on the HR Technology scene.
I hope you find each of them helpful.