HR Supercharged: How Modern Tech is Changing Work

This article on HR Tech was originally published in May 2018. All relevant statistics and copy have been updated as of December 2020. 

Recently, we evaluated the findings of Bersin by Deloitte’s High-Impact HR research. Technology has made quite the impact on both what tools are being used in modern HR departments, as well as what features and functionality users expect. With many employees now working remotely, many organizations have had to embrace technology more than ever before. Research has shown that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses have had to adopt new technology 3 years faster than usual on a global average.

As the world becomes more and more mobile-focused, those cloud-based systems are beginning to take the form of apps and other mobile-friendly platforms. Not to mention, the potential of a system to include Artificial Intelligence and predictive analytics in sourcing, recruiting and managing people more efficiently. However, as the options grow, so too does the chance of selecting a system or process that doesn’t uphold the needs of your company. Check out these trends in modern HR and how to apply them to find a system that helps your workforce reach its potential.

Choose Great Employees Over Top Candidates

Up until recently, recruiting was fairly transactional. Now, there are more than a few technologies, tools and concepts that are challenging the traditional processes. HR departments, for instance, use applicant tracking systems to manage job ads, sort resumes, shortlist applicants, coordinate with their team/candidates and so on. The ATS also provides opportunities to build on the traditional process. With the right system, recruiting teams can create talent pipelines to fill roles quicker by not starting the vetting process over and over again each time a job opens.

Additionally, emerging advancements like predictive analytics add another dimension to recruitment decisions. The best talent systems now have talent forecasting tools to show when a role may see turnover or when to start planning for successions. We’ve also discussed the difference in hiring a great employee versus a great candidate, and the importance of knowing when you’re interviewing one over the other. There are ways to identify A Players based on data from current and past employees, and with the right system to help HR teams analyze this data, it can make the best hiring decision clearer.

HR teams are accomplishing this by integrating their performance management data back into the hiring process in order to hire more great employees. These employers can define top performers in their organizations and use those metrics and competencies to identify candidates who are similar. In fact, the method that drives ClearCompany’s Talent Management Platform has helped companies find and hire more A Players with a 90% success rate.

ClearCompany's Applicant Tracking System lets you manage the candidate experience from interview process to offer letter management. The system features seamless communication between recruiters and candidates, making sure you connect with the talent that best fits your needs. Schedule video interviews, respond to candidates via text and perform one-click background checks. Another important action to note is to get interview feedback to use for future recruiting practices. This kind of information makes setting up future recruiting tactics easier because you know what worked and what didn’t with previous candidates.

Our Performance Management System tracks performance data of current team members to use as predictive metrics for finding similarities in candidates during the hiring process. These metrics, when paired with data collected from our ATS, lay out your action plan for acquiring the key candidates in your talent pool that are most likely to make great employees like the current productivity rockstars on your team.

Optimize for Flexibility and Empowerment

There was a time when employee engagement initiatives equated to in-office game rooms and happy hours. While those elements do have a way of enchanting candidates (and employees), they aren’t what’s going to bring the best work out of your team. What leads performance is an organizational structure that guides and supports the career and development of employees explained by the 68% of workers who believe training and development is the most important workplace policy.

High-impact HR organizations are focusing less on these short-term, morale-boosting tactics, and are instead making an effort to create positive employee experiences. Employee experience is the environment created by an organization for its employees, including the physical space in which they do work, the commitment to individual health and success and the tools and technologies provided. It starts from day one and carries on throughout their employment. Areas such as new hire onboarding and training, goal alignment and learning and development programs all empower employees within their organizations. With the right software tools for these programs, HR teams and managers can engage workers to retain more A Players and build further business success.

ClearCompany's Employee Onboarding Software lets you manage the training and integration process for new hires. Communicate via mobile, manage onboarding packets and training modules on-the-go while fostering goal-setting strategies to help employees find the programs that fit their unique skills and personalities. Our Onboarding Software also creates a social environment that introduces new hires to current team members and onboarding managers right from their start day. Our Employee Onboarding Software coupled with our Performance Management System gives you goal-setting opportunities to help boost training opportunities and create roadmaps for employee improvement tracks.

Experiment with Relevant Tools

Often, when we think of what pleases workers, we see expensive benefits and perks. Those can be difference makers, but tools and technologies can be big drivers of employee frustration. Consider the tools, both physical and digital, that your employees use on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Are they easy to use? Do they cause confusion? Take a performance management system, for example. Employees rely on performance tools to monitor productivity and plan for reviews. If this system fails to be customizable enough to meet the needs and unique review schedules of the organization, managers might be caught unprepared for a meeting and could lose the opportunity to reward employees for their accomplishments.

These seemingly small elements can carry huge repercussions in the satisfaction of your workforce. You might just find that in your quest to have the newest, shiniest technology, you’ve neglected the very functionality that your team desires most. Be sure to monitor turnover and performance to ensure you’re meeting the needs of your team. Increase collaboration and advocate for transparency to maintain open communication for roll out successes and failures, as well as increase the chances your employees share their ideas and insights on emerging trends. Additionally, explore integrated HR systems that work together seamlessly. In many cases HR teams have access to great tech but the tools don’t communicate to one another. An integrated system will ensure those pieces speak well without compromising functionality and efficiency.

ClearCompany's Performance Management System makes continuous feedback simple – managers can easily give and receive feedback then automatically pull all of that information for performance review purposes. Continuously track performance with consistent goal and project updates. Use peer and 360 reviews to get as much feedback as possible to use for goal tracking and alignment. Integrate real-time feedback as a communications tool and use it to start setting team performance goals to increase collaboration.

Also, use performance data and feedback to not only plan for reviews, but also to set engagement activities. The best part about ClearCompany’s complete Talent Management Platform is that all of our systems easily integrate with one another. Multifunctional technology, like our performance management system, creates a dynamic, competitive advantage for your work culture.

Transition Away From Hierarchy Structure, Focus on Team-Building

Success comes from all of the people within an organization, not just from its leaders. Through this idea, businesses are shifting away from the “top down” focus where upper management runs the whole show one hundred percent of the time. This “team mindset” has sprouted entire programs within organizations that revolve around employee development like succession planning, talent development and goal-setting tracks. The idea is that strengthening teams will ensure the survival of the company. In other words, the more dynamic the company teams are, the more successful the firm will be in the long run.

Consistent feedback, attainable goals and engagement tactics – these elements are part of the recipe to making a dynamic team. The key takeaway here is to keep development goals at the forefront of the process. Make sure any goals you set with employees have clear due dates assigned to them. Establishing tangible benchmarks for goals gives them depth and helps employees improve time-management skills on top of the skills they’re already strengthening. Promote collaboration by cross-training teams to foster an innovative work environment for your teams.

Another note to make when developing employees is to avoid burnout. 95% of HR leaders admit employee burnout is sabotaging workforce retention, while only 42% of employees say their employer does a good job of retaining talented employees. Incorporate strategies to prevent employee burnout, i.e. create opportunities to increase employee engagement. Host events, create fun team-building activities and include employees in the process – get their ideas, input and feedback.

ClearCompany's Talent Operating System manages the talent life cycle from the first stages of hiring to the many facets of the performance improvement process. Keep everyone on the same page with goal alignment software to manage projects, meetings and tasks. Organize engagement ideas with employees through Talent OS’s seamless document management functions. Send kudos to employees for their hard word and projects well done, or just let them know you appreciate everything they do in their position.

Is Your System Providing What You Need?

Having so many tech options for the modern HR department is both a benefit and a burden. Don’t let the possibilities become a distraction. Focus on the tools your team uses and the potential holes in processes. Invite specific departments and employee advocates to take part in the selection and implementation process. Always keep your basic needs at the root of all decisions. If you know you need a new tech or tool, start your research with ClearCompany’s Talent Management System. Our complete talent management platform has everything you need to hire, retain and engage more A Players.