The human resources department is the lifeblood of a company. Everything from hiring new employees and getting people paid to document disputes and improving company culture runs through your HR department.
With so many important functions on the shoulders of HR, do you really think a pen-and-paper system is sufficient?
The labor pool is changing. Gen Z now makes up about 27% of the total workforce. Additionally, there has been exponential growth in the software and digital tools available to HR teams. In fact, the global HR software market was valued at $16.43 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2% through 2030.
This means HR departments need to hire staff members who have a pulse on technology trends. The future of HR requires team members who can quickly learn and leverage new systems and who understand how to put data to use in everyday decision making.
Hiring a tech-savvy HR employee will not only revolutionize the way your company keeps track of important documents, but they can also leverage tech in ways that will open your company up to improved recruitment processes, better employee engagement, and time-saving efficiencies.
When interviewing HR job applicants, it’s important that they have a working knowledge of HR technologies including:
Without a basic understanding of these important HR technologies, your next hire may require more training, costing your company time and money.
Here are six ways your next HR hire can utilize tech solutions to make your company stronger, more agile, and more profitable:
Long gone are the days when you put an ad in the classified section of the newspaper, brought in a few local applicants, and handed the new hire a giant stack of documents to sign before beginning work.
Today, hiring needs to be faster and more focused, but you need an HR department with technical expertise to get you there.
There are lots of great apps available for the purposes of placing your job listing in front of qualified people and sorting applications so that the cream of the crop rises to the top.
Additionally, digital communication tools allow you to expand your scope geographically while avoiding the costly and time-consuming step of bringing in someone from a great distance who’s not the right fit.
Then there’s the document problem—and it’s not just for new hires. HR is inundated with paper, but it doesn’t have to be.
Using cloud-based document management programs to manage your employee files allows you to save time, space, and money. Everything is in one place, and the right software can make searching for the document you need very easy. These programs also maximize security and automate compliance with document retention regulations.
Implementing digital platforms and tools in the right way across your company can do wonders for business efficiency—one of the primary goals of a good HR department.
Understanding how to roll out and utilize employee chat programs (Slack, Teams, Zoom) can build team camaraderie and make communication easier. And programs like Amazon Alexa are becoming vital parts of the modern workplace, allowing employees to avoid busy work and hold a conference call with one simple voice request.
If your HR department isn’t staying up-to-date with employee engagement apps and cloud-based tools that can help document and analyze employee performance, then your company may have less to offer top talent.
A key responsibility of HR departments at forward-thinking companies is conceiving and executing wellness programs. Generally, these programs increase productivity, lower healthcare costs, and give employees an incentive to stay fit.
Some of the best wellness programs involve tech solutions. They might have an app or gamification that increases employee engagement. These programs are often customizable for your company and the specific benefits it offers. Either way, having a tech-savvy HR employee in charge will make rolling out and keeping track of wellness programs easier.
Tech solutions allow your company to get creative with how you structure your “office.” No longer do employment hubs need to be contained within four walls, as remote employees can video-conference in regularly.
HR managers and employees need to be comfortable using video conferencing and other recruiting technology if they plan to expand where their employees are located. And hiring remote workers can also save companies big when it comes to overhead costs.
Being tech savvy allows your human resources team to put the “H” back in “HR.” By spending less time manually creating and organizing employee documents, they can focus on engaging employees, driving motivation, and implementing technology that moves your business forward.
In summary, HR professionals must be more than just people experts. They need to be tech-savvy problem-solvers who can adapt, innovate, and lead through technology. Hiring individuals who understand and embrace digital tools will help your HR department work smarter, not harder—boosting efficiency, engagement, and strategic value. As HR tech continues to evolve, your next great hire should be ready to evolve with it.
For additional insights on selecting the right HR document management technology, watch the webinar recording of “Unlocking Efficiency: Tackling HR Records Consolidation Challenges.”
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