The conference saw participation of biggest HR Tech giants and had almost 1200 delegates, 400 participating companies and about 25 demo & Knowledge sessions from global experts

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The Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) 4^thHR Technology Conference concluded successfully today at Hyderabad organized in partnership with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). HR Tech is the fastest growing HR conference where a powerful confluence of people, businesses and technology take place on a common platform to transform HR practices according to the latest trends in technology.

The concluding day began with a keynote address on ‘AI Technologies and Future of Work – Impact on HR’ delivered by Jeffrey L. Schwartz, Partner, Deloitte Consulting LLP; US Leader, Future of Work. He shared about the rise of AI Technologies and its impact on Human Resources.

A new product by Mettl – ‘Mettl Dark Personality Inventory (MDPI)’ that seeks to measure negative personality constructs and help identify individuals who have core personality features that predispose them to engage in anti-social behaviors was also launched. This product, through personality diagnostics, will contribute to ensuring better safety at workplaces.

A research/survey report on ‘The HR Tech Landscape Asia’ by Sierra Cedar, notably the first such study in Asia, was also launched. The survey looks at the roadmaps organizations navigate and decisions they make regarding HR technology adoption, integration, processes, people and provides practical data on emerging as well as innovative technology trends and helps organizations understand how they can capitalize on those trends.

Another report on ‘Employee Tax benefits by the numbers’ was also launched at the event. Zeta, along with Global research firm Nielsen, conducted this first-of-its-kind study on Employee Benefits in India - reaching out to nearly 200 employers and 1200 employees across industries- to ascertain how  organisations fare at employee benefits policies, where is the industry as a whole moving, what employees prefer and how benefits are shaping up in the future. 

Several concurrent session were also held to discuss important topics such as, ‘Future of Learning platforms’, ‘Intelligent technologies for a competitive edge’, Confluence of HR technology and Analytics Design’ and ‘Design thinking in HR technology’ among others. These focused sessions on some of the most pressing topics facing the industry today set the stage for the development and adoption of the latest technological innovations in the field of HR. 

A unique highlight from the day’s event was a special session on ‘Music in a tech era’ presented by Sunita Bhuiyan Practitioner: Wellness, Leadership & Change through music. A trained Human Resource Professional with over two decades of work experience, Sunita is a recipient of the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Music and a rare performer and facilitator who blends skill and nuanced understanding of music with spunk on stage.

Industry experts and thought leaders such as Varun Rathi, Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer, Happay  - HR Tech Insights | Re-imagining Employee Expenses & Reimbursements in Indian Landscape, Ramesh Gopalkrishna, Market Development Lead – APAC Workplace by Facebook – Building a Digital Culture,  BP Biddappa, Executive Director HR, Hindustan Unilever Ltd; John Antos Vice President - Strategy & Marketing, APAC, ADP and Amit Tripathi Head of Delivery, Invento Robotics, took the stage to share their personal insights and viewpoints on the future of workplaces.

The conference concluded on a thought provoking note with the “SHRM Big Debate – The future of HR in a tech driven world! Is there or isn’t there? Moderated by Pankaj Bansal, Co-founder and CEO, PeopleStrong, the debate saw Mamta Vegunta, Director HR, Invesco India, Shraddhanjali Rao, Vice President – HR SAP India, Yash Mahadik, Former CHRO, Sun Pharma; HR Transformation Expert on one side and Suman Eadunuri, MD & Country Head, Pegasystems, Vaibhav Goel Head - HR Platform 2.0, Reliance Industries Limited and Anand Shankar Partner - Human Capital, Consulting, Deloitte India, engaged in an enlightening debate on the future of HR.

Ms. Achal Khanna, CEO, SHRM India said, “The level of participation and the quality of discourse throughout the two-day conference highlights why staying on top of the latest in HR tech developments is crucial for companies to not only remain competitive but also to survive. HR, like any other aspects of work, need to change with the times and I am sure each participant has gained significant takeaways from this conference that will help them professionally, knowledge that will help organisations thrive in this highly technologically evolved environment.”

“Every year we see an increase in participation and wider representation of organisations among the delegates, and as we strive to deliver better and deeper insights while also stimulating the discussion and exchange of ideas amongst the participants, the true success of this conference will come from the understanding and adoption of the latest technology in HR management across organisations,’ she added.