JANUARY 2023HR TECH OUTLOOK9ability to leverage the data that those siloed solutions house. Implication: Stand-alone tech solutions, and the limitations they create, are tipping the scales toward suites that deliver workflow solutions in an integrated environment. We are surrounded by Data but Starved for Insights.Of the many `gifts' the pandemic gave us, our leaders have a new appreciation, and need, for workforce analytics. Our choice to select best-in-class HR tools to address HR needs in a siloed approach is now a significant inhibitor to generating insights. And in more than a few cases, the tools we have selected are not even best in class. They are more like the best we could afford to address our current needs in our current environment. Never one to miss an opportunity, venture capitalists are responding by channeling funds into HR tech startups "at an unprecedented pace."Implication: We are primed for something new, and we are vulnerable too.If You Don't Know Where You're Going, Any Road Will Do.The flood of new solutions and new capabilities within established solutions is only going to grow. We are responding to our leaders' demands for better workforce data that will guide us down a path to improve the employee experience and enjoy the expected windfalls of that work. As we do, HR occupies a critical seat as influencer/decision maker. That means we had better have a good understanding of the problems we are trying to solve for all our users. If not, we are vulnerable to the siren song of the tech sales teams who want us to buy what their tool promises to deliver. As part of our 2023 New Year's resolutions, we should consider documenting the issues we are having with the blend of tech we are using today ­ including documenting the current user experience for each category of user. Think "User Personas." Moreover, no one user should have an overwhelming influence. The best solutions are often derived through a team of rivals. The needs of our users and leaders in IT, Finance, HR, Payroll, and always of course, our total workforce of individuals will be different. By investing time to document the problems we face today, define user personas, and outline what we need our new tech to deliver tomorrow, we create the best chance for satisfaction on the other side. Implication: We must approach the work of selecting HR tech solutions with a mindful plan in a collaborative environment.We have met the Enemy, and He is us.Data about our people is generated by and for transactions that have historically been owned by HR. That data has the potential to deliver tremendous value to the organizations we support. Our leaders are pushing without apology for us to deliver that value. In the face of newly invigorated tech sales teams, we must be sure we do not stop our pre-selection homework after we have documented our current state and defined our user personas. We must also investigate our prospective tech providers. We need to know what their core product/service is. Know their history. Many providers are riding the VC funding wave, scrambling to deliver more and better solutions within their core, as well as bolting on additional capabilities so that they can capture more of the funds earmarked by our organizations. HR tech providers ­ like any company ­ have a few things they are good at. As customers ask for more from the companies we are already partnered with, they adapt by building, buying, or establishing third-party relationships to give us what we want. Explore and understand what that means within the solution you are considering. I learned through a few painful experiences that the sales team is often not forthcoming with those details. That is why a collaborative approach can be so beneficial. If we had only had an IT technical expert in the room with us, that subject matter expert would have had the chance to cut through the sales clutter with pointed questions about method and integration.Implication: If you do not do your homework, and you fail to approach HR tech selection with a team of rivals, you increase the odds that what you select will not meet expectations.Talent acquisition and people analytics are taking center stage in our post-pandemic world. Those areas are not the exclusive domain of HR professionals. Our efforts to cope during the pandemic taught us that we need each other. Moreover, as we craft our next steps, filling the needs of our leaders, our organizations, and our employees, we need to follow a mindful, robust plan with a diverse team if we are going to deliver our best. Talent acquisition and people analytics are taking center stage in our post-pandemic world. Those areas are not the exclusive domain of HR professionals. Our efforts to cope during the pandemic taught us that we need each other
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