Saturday, February 8, 2025

People driving Tech or Tech driving People: Defining new-age HR trends

What’s the most important part of a successful enterprise? Is it the leadership, the overall mission, and vision, or the processes and end products that enable it to stand out amongst its competition? It could also be defined in terms of the overall profits and market share, right? All of these are definite success parameters, but what binds them all together, is the people.

Organizational culture is the make or break point for any business, no matter on what scale it operates. We could be looking at an early-age startup or a multinational conglomerate with a global presence. What drives them both is how engaged their workforce is, and not just projection charts and sales numbers.

In today’s world of fast-paced, ever-evolving trends and unmatched challenges, it becomes rather important to integrate novel ideas, better processes, and evolved decision-making every step of the way. All of this is done to create a wholesome, cumulative work culture that not only drives employee performance but also aids productivity. And the catalyst that propels this growth forward is, you guessed, it, technology!

This entire decade could be defined as the era of true digital transformation! Integrating technology within legacy processes across a company’s multiple departments, though, is not an easy task, especially when we consider Human Resources (HR).

We have seen the massive role that technology has played in keeping businesses afloat quite a fair bit in the last two years or so. The infamous impact of the pandemic still looms, but we can definitely say that we are so much better equipped to deal with the uncertainty that once seemed impossible to let go of. We have our HR departments to thank for that – their thorough attention and understanding of building virtual cultures during this time has been exceptional!

But it is also the HR department that struggled the most to make this happen. Today’s time needs more than that understanding, as hybrid workplaces come to the forefront. The long-standing debate of whether it is people that drive technological advancement within an enterprise or the other way round seems a bit redundant today.

None of them can exist in isolation from the other, and the answer, thus, very clearly, is that an integration between the two is what brings in the most impact. Ideally, this integration would be seamless, but we’re far from an ideal world, especially as newer technologies evolve rapidly. The HR department is pivotal to building an organization, and here are a few trends in HR technology that are enabling them to do better every day:  

Dynamic Recruitment Processes

In the absence of in-person meetings during the pandemic, hiring and retention took a great hit almost everywhere, no matter how big or small companies were. (The screen fatigue is real.) Having a dynamic, flexible hiring policy has become supremely important today, for not only HR but also entire industries.

The approach towards dynamism drives better learning and retention methods within teams, and the more nourishing this atmosphere is, the better people are able to adapt. It is crucial for HR departments to use tools, systems, and processes that enable this culture. It’s an intensive investment to make, but sure to reap definite results!

Readiness to Learn And Grow

Company morales hit an all-time low in 2020, and that had a critical effect on their overall efficiency. A shift towards a digitally-led enterprise needs adaptability from both sides – the employees should be willing to learn and explore, and the HR department should be ready to put in their time and effort to make this possible.

Digital upskilling, online courses, and microlearning programs are a good way of ensuring that this happens across the company, especially for new hires and junior roles. This also enables HR to build preparedness, as they are more connected with the workforce.

Focused Training and Development

The HR department acts as the employee’s point of contact for any training and development activities, and fortunately, with technology at the centre of most of these developments, it is easier to integrate them into upskilling programs now.

Training material can be accessed easily, real-time feedback can be given and problem areas can be highlighted all through a screen! A combination of custom software, machine learning, and artificial intelligence-based tools (chatbots being the most common) and specific solutions approaches can turn the learning curve around only in a few weeks if done right!

Rewarding Digital Culture

Creating recognition and solidarity in work culture is critical to overall employee satisfaction, both for individuals as well as teams. How does HR do this? Through periodic rewards and activities that boost morale. With technology in the picture, this entire process has become much more seamless than before.

There are multiple applications and software that can keep track of employee performance, and things like e-vouchers and digital shopping on e-commerce have aided this tremendously! Instant R&R programs can now be implemented with the touch of a button, and real-time rewards are shown to renew trust and faith within the organization.

HR Analytics

Data-driven HR solutions can now track and monitor employee data that enables real-time visibility into pre-existing processes, and even management styles. This is a huge opportunity for company leaders and HR heads to revamp appraisal processes in line with the changing trends of their industries, and this ability to analyze vast amounts of data at once has brought with it not just visibility but also incremental improvements. The added benefit of the saved time and money could then be used better in improving the welfare of employees within the organization.

We have come a long way since the start of the pandemic, and have a long way to go still. Challenges and adversities inadvertently open the door to new possibilities. Technology-based HR solutions have created a booming opportunity in the tech services market. However, such integrations have definitely made life easier and are worth looking into and talking about!

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Anupam Kulkarni
Anupam Kulkarni
Anupam Kulkarni, CEO & Co-Founder, iauro Systems. He is a strong advocate of inculcating the design thinking approach and story-telling to every aspect of life, he tries to fuel the design-centric approach for technology delivery at iauro.