4 Major HR Tech Trends to Keep Up With in 2015

Mobile is Stepping Up to Apps

Companies will be stepping up their game in the push for mobile…everything. The bar has been raised, and instead of mobile versions of a site or system, organizations will be rolling out mobile apps. Apps are easier on the eyes, simpler to navigate and generally more efficient. Here’s what HR thought leader, Josh Bersin has to say about the change:

“Vendors have to look at usage mechanics, user interface, and design of mobile apps. In a mobile device we “tap and swipe” rather than “click and type” – so if your HR system is not designed well for mobile, look carefully for a vendor that has made that investment.”

Push for Paperless

In recruiting and HR we have gotten far too comfortable with our paperwork, spreadsheets, file folders and signature chases. Today (actually, this technology was available quite a while ago) there is just no reason not to go paperless. Beyond the cost saving and environmentally friendly aspects, paperless HRM is better organized, easier to search and easier to collect and use data from. Check out how organizations have already started to embrace paperless human resources management:

78% have internal green communication programs to reduce paper usage.

72% use online HR communications.

58% have internal communication programs that offer employees tips and information on being environmentally friendly.

57% use online summary plan descriptions.

The LMS Market Continues to Boom

Following our nation’s financial upswing, employers are continuing to push learning and development in the workplace. Considered one of the most discretionary spends in business, employers are now in a place where they can offer training as a competitive advantage in business as well as a strong employee incentive and retention tool.

Another leading factor in the continuing popularity of investing in corporate training is the very real skill gap. Research has revealed over 70% of organizations cite “capability gaps” as one of their top five challenges. Organizations are continuing to struggle to find the talent they need, so they’ve turned heavily toward hiring for trainability and soft skills, and then investing in training for those necessary hard skills. It’s a hiring shift that seems to be picking up a lot of steam, so we project the training boom is going to keep right on booming.

Switch to Single Vendor Solutions

Until now, HR technology solutions have come out in disjointed segments, further siloing each department and every step of the talent lifecycle. Imagine a world where you don’t have to worry about integration, upgrades messing everything up and figuring out how to make sense of separate sets of workforce data. We predict a strong shift toward trading all of these segmented technologies in for a single vendor solution.

The major vendors are offering centralized, fully integrated technologies for recruitment, performance management, talent management and compensation along with core human resources management applications. Organizations are getting improved core functionality, and the ability to connect all data and metrics points in order to get to those high-impact analytics they need to stay ahead.

We know there are plenty more human resources management tech trends to add to this list, but these are the several we’re most excited about as we enter the new year. This $15 billion dollar software market is a constantly evolving entity, and we always want to be at the forefront of it. From the big dogs to great tech startups, there is always something new and improved around the corner.