To preserve a successful hybrid work model in 2023, HR executives will need to collaborate with IT to establish a creative and engaging work environment. However, research suggests that there is currently a “large gap” in the implementation of hybrid work technologies. How can HR departments overcome this? By investing in the right tech solutions and strategy – read on to find out.
Why Hybrid Work and HR Tech Solutions Are a Perfect Match
Return to work is one of the key challenges HR directors all across the globe are dealing with right now. HR departments must be ready to navigate the waves of change that lie ahead, whether it’s a transition from remote to hybrid to remote employment or the continuous adjustments of in-person practices to comply with new health and safety regulations. The hybrid work model is now the “new normal” in how work is carried out, and it requires the complete support of human resources.
Technology can assist businesses in managing such emerging workforce concerns while ensuring the well-being of their employees. 16% of businesses, according to Gartner’s Future of Work report, are increasingly adopting technology to monitor their employees, like a virtual clock in/clock out, tracking work PC/laptop use, and tracking staff emails or internal communications/chats.
While some businesses monitor employee productivity, many evaluate employee engagement and also well-being to get a deeper understanding of employee experience. All of this requires the intervention of HR technology, typically hosted on the cloud.
Types of Technology Needed to Support Hybrid Work
Hybrid work technology can be segmented into three categories:
- Core HR: As a component of your core HR and payroll systems, your IT stack should accommodate employee self-service necessities like time and attendance, schedule planning, compensation/benefits, and payroll-related tasks. By providing individuals with accessibility to the necessary employment-related information, these solutions may assist in streamlining operations and maximizing employee efficiency.
- Talent acquisition and management: Your workforce management software solution should include everything associated with attracting, acquiring, and retaining high-quality employees. These are the apps that ostensibly and discreetly enhance the work experience and organizational culture.
- Hybrid work tools: As you evaluate your tech stack, it is of the utmost importance to consider what can assist your employees to complete their tasks in a manner that promotes your culture and employee experience. These are tools that facilitate collaboration and communication between and within an organization. These are applications that facilitate goal and task management.
In a small to mid-sized company, covering these three essential areas is often enough to support a hybrid working ecosystem. However, if you are a large organization, you may need a more extensive checklist. Let’s look at the top HR tech tools to adopt in 2023.
HR Tech Tools You Need to Win Hybrid Work
As you reconfigure your toolkit to accommodate remote and hybrid work in the long term, here are the tools you need:
1. An AI-driven recruitment system
Geographic restrictions previously imposed by an in-office-only paradigm have been eliminated by the move to hybrid or remote working models. In several industries, the “battle for talent” has raised the pressure on recruiters, who must now cast a broader net in order to recruit much-needed talent. Recruiters can now more readily identify the finest regional sources of talent owing to AI-powered HR solutions that provide data-driven insights.
2. A virtual onboarding platform
Given its remote and hybrid characteristics, COVID laws have rendered virtual onboarding obligatory for several businesses. Additionally, these onboarding solutions build the framework for an enhanced employee experience from the beginning. By combining training resources from different departments into a unified platform, they eliminate redundancy in training materials. Not only does this make life easier for new hires, but it also drastically reduces costs.
3. Cloud-based wellness software and mobile apps
Wellness software provides individuals with easy access to organizational incentives designed to assist them in adopting and sustaining wellness objectives and work-life balance. As uncertainty takes a toll on mental health, organizations are more concerned about employee wellness, particularly during COVID, the Great Resignation, and Quiet Quitting phases. Reduced absenteeism is a consequence of improved employee health. The apps can be accessed via mobile devices, which is ideal for hybrid work.
4. A powerful HRMS for your core processes
A human resources management system (HRMS) consists of tools and software for managing HR operations throughout the employee lifecycle. This covers taxation and labor compliance as well. Due to the requirement for expanded functionality and scalability, demand for cloud-based HR solutions is growing. This is a requirement that many on-premises systems cannot fulfill. Therefore, businesses require an online HR system with payroll mechanisms for remote and hourly employees, hybrid scheduling features, capacity planning, and regulatory compliance.
(Also Read: What is Human Resource Information System (HRIS)?)
5. A remote learning module
Learning management systems (LMS) assists individuals in learning new skills, the increase of productivity, and eliminating of errors. A decent LMS enables the creation and remote distribution of course content. It will make employee registration simple, regardless of where they are situated. In addition, it monitors and analyses learner data and facilitates remote dialogue between teacher and student. In 2023, the price of staff turnover might well be staggering. LMS software assists workers in advancing their careers and acquiring new skills, thereby boosting employee engagement and employee retention.
6. Electronic signature systems
This technological approach removes the necessity for in-person signings and the associated delay, risks, and manual labor hours. One may instead utilize an e-signature solution to automate any signature and authorization procedure, taking the whole experience online. Innovative e-sign technologies make it simple to fill, sign, and approve HR documents from anywhere and on any device. Users can onboard new recruits, manage adjustments to compensation, and execute any other contractual employment processes for their remote or hybrid staff.
7. People analytics
Good software for people analytics preserves detailed records of performance, attendance, workforce expenses, and labor. It also facilitates several HR processes, such as recruitment, talent development, training, attrition, and performance management. As a consequence of COVID, the workforce landscape is constantly evolving, and people analytics may help you anticipate future challenges. Typically, people analytics dashboards will fetch data from the rest of your HR tech stack and surface insights.
8. Objectives and key results (OKR) based performance management solutions
The right technological solutions may assist employees and their supervisors in analyzing their progress toward objectives, targets, and key outcomes. By assisting you in breaking down objectives into meaningful action items that can be monitored and measured, they keep employees moving in the direction of intended results. This is beneficial for a hybrid workforce since it enables individuals to remain attentive even when they are not surrounded by coworkers.
HR Takes the Wheel in the Hybrid Work Revolution
The hybrid work revolution could result in a more diversified, engaged, and ultimately, satisfied workforce. It is already impacting cities, communities, and society as a whole. Yet it also necessitates refreshed skill sets as well as a new generation of digital technologies. This would place HR professionals in a pivotal role in this all-new hybrid-first ecosystem.
Ultimately, the goal is to shrink commute time, create better work-life balance, increase flexibility and autonomy, and give workers the freedom to choose outcomes over presenteeism. Through hybrid work, employers can truly empower their workforce. That’s why HR departments need to refurbish their tech stack with urgency if they are to support this new mode of operation – and also work closely with IT to embrace technologies like virtualization, which are primed for hybrid work.
Other Useful Resources:
Everything You Should Know about Hybrid IT
15 Ways to Manage a Hybrid Team
3 Ways Hybrid Cloud Technology can Improve Business
Embrace Virtualization Now to Find Success with a Future Hybrid Working Environment
