Conversation, networking and learning held sway at ADP Meeting of the Minds 2016 last week. More than 1,400 attendees gathered in the Washington, D.C. area to see how they can refine the processes they use to acquire, develop and retain talent, as well as how they can improve the user experience for their employees. Per my last post, nearly 200 educational sessions, delivered under the theme “Build Your Capital,” also informed their efforts to make HR a strategic contributor to the success of the companies they represent.
Let me share some more highlights from the conference.
For the second year, we hosted a daylong Executive Strategy Summit, which was attended by more than 100 human resources, talent and finance C-suite executives. We discussed business issues, such as how leadership strategies are changing in the face of dramatic shifts in the workplace, how to infuse innovation into business models, and how to execute on business strategies and transformations. We’re grateful that these executives also gave us feedback and strategic insights into their businesses, which will help ADP to continue to drive HCM innovation to support their HR needs.
Among the sessions we conducted concurrently, we shared with attendees some insights from the 2016 ADP Research Institute Evolution of Work study, a global look at 2,000 employees and employers across 13 countries. That research showed a few key trends: The workplace is evolving faster than ever before; there are five key themes driving global workplace change (workplace flexibility, access to real-time learning, increased autonomy, a sense of stability, and the ability to work on personally meaningful projects); and changes are perceived positively but concerns remain, while openness to workplace changes vary by region.
Ahu Yildirmaz, head of the ADP Research Institute, shares findings from the 2016 ADP Research Institute Evolution of Work study.
Shifting HR leaders’ focus from paperwork to people was the message of the onboarding solution session, which discussed the needs of employees and new hires, hiring managers and HR practitioners. Engaging new employees with an effective onboarding strategy can help them feel comfortable, connected and prepared to hit the ground running in their new roles. We made these suggestions: Listen to employee feedback on your onboarding process; ensure onboarding is designed for managers and employees, and design onboarding for a digital and mobile world.
Fifteen sessions explored our clients’ experience with and the capabilities and benefits of ADP Vantage HCM, covering its integration with payroll, benefits, talent and workforce management. We’re really encouraged by the response from clients to this solution and continue to support that by expanding its availability into more countries. We also continue to reimagine the user experience to make benefits enrollment similar to the experience people have when they order something online.
In addition to feedback from our clients, it’s always encouraging to see positive observations from our analyst community, such as this tweet from Constellation Research Analyst Holger Mueller:
So, what’s next for ADP clients? One session addressed that question for 130 attendees by sharing our efforts to develop innovative HCM solutions that address key trends we call the “5 Cs.” They are:
- The impact of cloud computing, with more than one million ADP users already being serviced from the cloud;
- Consumerism and the proliferation of mobile devices. Employees expect mobile access to benefits solutions and those services that address the “moments that matter” in their lives;
- Clarity of the service provider’s role and vendor consolidation. Our clients are seeking a holistic vendor experience from sales engagement to support after implementation.
- Chatter (social media uses and capabilities). Social media and mobile devices saturate the workplace and alter how hiring managers and employees are interacting with their jobs.
- Change. Citing findings from ADP Research Institute Evolution of Work study, we discussed how technology shifts are increasing the complexity companies are encountering in the workplace.
You can learn more about the ADP Meeting of the Minds 2016 conference and see video highlights from previous conferences on ADP’s website.
We always appreciate the ability to interact with our clients. This annual conference focused on human capital management opportunities as an invaluable combination of constructive client insights, thought leadership “best practices” and industry networking.
Check it out and maybe I’ll see you next year!