Here’s a synopsis of the HR Tech Spring Warm up in London by our iProCon UK SAP HCM consultant Marc Davies:
As a SAP HR professional, I was excited to participate in the HR Tech 2013 conference in London. Though I consider myself aware of many of the issues and challenges facing the HR industry as we progress through this decade, it was an inspiring and thought-provoking environment in which to discuss the direction in which the industry as a whole is moving, and how it is coping with these hurdles. The focus of the conference broached the topic of three areas where an understanding of the IT industry’s technologies can bring in a revolutionary approach to HR processes and infrastructure.
- Cloud: The Cloud may be a relatively new concept in HR, but to many users – especially younger generations – it is already a known and ubiquitous part of their online lives. HR as a whole has been slow to move towards this new technology due to the cost and time involved in maturing ideas, evolving processes and implementing new infrastructure. What can a fresh look at these ideas bring to an organisation? Can a company leverage the existing familiarity that its workforce already possesses with Cloud technologies (e.g. Facebook, Amazon) to streamline and integrate its processes (especially ESS/MSS, but also internal HR) and deliver more value for less cost?
- Big data analytics: Many HR organisations are sitting on a wealth of data. While data privacy laws may cause some to view this as a liability, it is also an asset – in the literal sense that it can produce value for both the organisation and its employees through the deployment of proper analytics. What are the challenges and opportunities that this data offers? Can this data be leveraged to help your business not only ask bigger questions but ask smarter ones, as well? How can you utilise modern data reporting to ensure you have the right people solving the right problems in your organisation?
- Social media: This new evolution of communication is one that more traditional professionals may see as a risk of being a time-waster and a productivity drain in their organisations. But is this the right attitude to adopt? If we look forward five to ten years, how will the expectations and habits of the employee workforce have evolved? Can these technologies and attitudes be deployed towards creating a more positive work environment and an infrastructure that increases collaboration and engagement?
All these questions are big questions for any organisation, and the answers that will be derived for each company will vary depending on their particular circumstances and context. They may not even be of immediate priority to many organisations in the next year or so. Nonetheless, I strongly believe that they will be of greater import in the long term, and I look forward to having stimulating conversations with our partners and clients on these topics!
