An Entirely New World of HR Technology: HR In The Flow of Work

This week I have the opportunity to speak at the PeopleMatters TechHR 2018 Conference in Delhi, and I’m going to introduce a topic I’ll be speaking about at other conferences this fall:  an entirely new world of HR technology taking place before our eyes…. one focused on HR In The Flow of Work™.

As I’ll be discussing at the conference, the world of work has changed and the world of HR technology is now catching up. Almost every technology category we currently have is being reinvented by AI, cognitive user interfaces, and focus on bringing HR technology into the flow of work.

HR In The Flow of Work

As we all know too well, the world of work is not just automated, it’s busy, chaotic, distracting, and ever-changing. We are all overwhelmed with tools and messages, we log in to new systems almost every day, and we simply do not have time for HR systems that interrupt our time to fill out forms or find the information we need. And we want meaning, purpose, and a sense of progress every day.

We need systems that are intelligent, useful, and accessible in the flow of work. This means no longer logging into the “talent management” or “learning system” but using these systems in our every day lives, accessing information on a mobile app, getting messages from Slack or another messaging system, or even communicating with the HR systems through a conversation on our phone.

And I do mean systems (plural). There will never be one HR platform in a company, and actually, the number of talent-related systems is exploding. Innovative new solutions for performance management, learning, career exploration, candidate assessment, diversity, pay equity, and well-being are now hitting the market, and these groundbreaking systems are productive, enjoyable, and valuable.

What’s really new about these tools is that they’re fun and easy to use, they provide a sense of purpose and meaning (they actually support the need to reflect, learn, thank, and communicate), and the fit into the flow of work. Vendors are laser-focused on this issue today and I’m seeing solutions more compelling than ever before. (Read more about this in the learning market here.)

I’ll detail this theme much more in the months ahead, but let me just preview with this one idea: we are in the early stages of an “Entirely New World of HR Technology,” and this will help our employees stay productive, help them stay healthy and engaged, and give us all the development, connections, and meaning we want from work.

Pretty exciting times.  More to come.

PS. If you’re in Asia this week, come see me Thursday morning in Gurgaon at the PeopleMatters TechHR conference, one of the most enjoyable and exciting HR tech conferences in Asia.