HR tech is a big opportunity for HR leaders and a gateway to informed business decision making say, experts.

A report by Zurich Insurance in partnership with Oxford University on the future of work highlighted the fact that employers are conscious and aware of the importance of employee wellbeing. But the Achilles' heel in their case is that they do not know how to define the parameters of what construes the different dimensions of employee wellbeing. 

That’s where technology comes into play. The role of HR tech is to fill the gaps for the CHROs and C-Suite leaders so that technology can work for them and they are guided to take decisions that give them results.

To put things in perspective

A leading global company in the FMGC and healthcare space leveraged the power of HR tech to create an app that helped the organisation to cut down health risk factors of its employees by 2.7 % which in turn translated into measurable employee productivity and had a tangible impact on the company’s bottom line. 

Needless to mention that a great degree of mental and physical well-being at work resulted in an enhanced level of employee satisfaction. 

Taking a broad view of what construes employee well-being and consequently creating a committed system to support and equip employees with the right resources was a part of the framework while enabling employees to keep a tab on their progress. Well, the organisation in question is none other than Johnson and Johnson.

Take another case, where a women employee in a leadership position is working remotely alongside managing the household chores. 

How does she get access to relevant policy documents and progress reports at the nth hour just before a scheduled meeting? Well, integrating a chatbot functionality on the workstation helps to save the day and consequently make employee meetings more productive. 

The HR function is riddled with a number of administrative tasks, therefore technology letting leaders focus on strategic functions can prove like a much-needed respite for them.

Delving briefly on the benefits of HR Tech, Sayeed Anjum, Co-founder and CTO, greytHR says, “HR tech can revolutionize the way we address HR challenges by streamlining processes, improving data accuracy, and enabling faster and more informed decision-making. With the right HR tech tools, HR managers can automate routine tasks such as recruiting, onboarding, and performance management, freeing up time to focus on more strategic initiatives. A large part of this gain in productivity is by means of employee-self service through mobile apps and web employee portals.”

“From identifying and tracking key metrics such as employee engagement, retention, and productivity, HR tech has the potential to transform HR from a reactive, administrative function to a proactive, strategic partner in driving business success, the only initial hurdle will be the resistance to change that comes with adopting advancement in technology”, he adds.

Change management is key

Just like how Johnson and Johnson used data to its advantage through an app, mastering HR tech lies in mastering metrics and measurement. That is where the ability, agility and adaptability to make the transition will make the difference for an HR manager.

Calling technology a big opportunity for HR professionals, Amit Malik, President WadzPay South Asia & Pacific says that technology needs to be understood at a HR leadership level.

"A lot of HR leaders may not like it but even today the technology call is taken by the CTO and not by the CPO or the CHRO. I think the transition needs to happen. The HR function needs to own the call that it takes from a tech standpoint", he says in a previous interaction with BW People.

HR tech cannot replace human touch

People are central to organizational success. HR managers have a big role to play in developing employees and building the right culture. 

Technology will enable the HR teams to answer the questions and human resources as a function will become more successful in the process. But the human touch will go hand in hand with technology.

At the end of the day, technology brings the much-needed element of convenience for a senior leader juggling between back-to-back meetings and strategic projects. As Bhavya Misra, Director & Head of HR - India, Lenovo, says, the ultimate decision-making lies with the manager. "The role of leadership is far more important when you have all the data points available to you," she adds.

As they say, technology cannot replace human creativity and the intrinsic ability to make judgements. While critics point out the dangerous repercussions of a time when AI and tech learn to write their own code, senior leaders like Narayana Murthy have called the advancement in tech and AI another phase in the advancement of technology and shown more conviction in the flexibility of the mind to adapt to any situation and make technology work to its advantage.