If you’ve ever wondered what the formula is for a successful business, well here it is: you need the right people supported by the right technology. Without either, even the most successful organizations will battle to succeed in today’s competitive market. From a HR perspective the value of this formula has grown exponentially as new technologies have disrupted the HR space and presented HR with opportunities to drive innovation, creativity, collaboration and productivity.
Disruption has become the norm for organizations and its cascading effects can be seen in how HR is starting to operate. However, before we take a look at how HR disruption is affecting our formula we need to remember that HR is a management responsibility and management must take full ownership. Unfortunately, the issue lies in the fact that many SME managers and business owners are not well versed in the scope of HR and as a result, costly and timely mistakes are made. In many cases the focus of HR is predominantly transactional to ensure compliance. Fortunately with the influx of technological disruptions, SME’s can evolve beyond HR compliance and focus on driving people development and key business objectives.
Be supported by the right technology
Having the right HR technologies in place allows SME’s to focus on strategic initiatives that drive key business objectives rather than focussing on mundane HR processes. Here are the top 3 technological HR trends that SME’s should explore:
- Mobile platforms that engage their employees: Consider a mobile platform such as Hi5 that assists companies in engaging with staff using recognition and peer reviews as well as dashboards that provides simple, regular and easy to digest insight on how your employees are doing, so you can take swift action while there is still time allowing you focus on your companies growth without the hassle of HR administration.
- Use HR technology and step-away from heavy orientated HR processes and implement tools such as The Greenest Office that provide tools for staff to schedule work and to track time and attendance; available and used sick days that are based on company-defined business rules.
- SME’s need to move towards integrating learning content from disparate sources: There is such a multitude of learning options available out there for employees SME’s do not need to stick with a suite of programmes from one learning provider but rather source from an array of on-the go mobile and face-to-face products. This will not only prove to be cost-effective but flexible as well.
SME’s MUST jump aboard the HR disruption wagon and invest in these technological advancements, as they provide insight into how to engage and develop their people. Thus, SME’s should be using these disruptions to find, serve and develop their employees in ways that didn’t exist before. This means SME’s need to shift to a digital-driven and human-enabled model that focusses on people development.
You need to develop your people to get the right people
Employee development is crucial and SME’s should focus on 3 core areas:
- Empowering employees: by boosting confidence and increasing job satisfaction as a result employee motivation and morale are increased, reducing employee turnover.
- Increasing people productivity: and as a result positively influence the bottom line and meet business objectives.
- Developing future skills: ensure employees are up-to-date with current on the job-related trends and skills and thus ensuring adequate human resources for future business requirements.
Though potential drawbacks may stare you in the face it is important to remember they are minimal. However, developing your people is a major benefit to both the company as a whole and the individual employees that make the cost and time a beneficial long-term investment. SME’s need to embrace HR disruption as this will encourage employee innovation and drive new strength to strategies, products and methods. Secondly, by implementing real-time technologies SME’s will save valuable time that can be focussed on developing people, bottom line benefits and business objectives.
Embrace HR disruption and look at the future to implement people orientated solutions.
Written by Alexia Cox (PhD), Director of Merging Minds