What a year! 2015 has brought many amazing developments and new solutions to the HR Tech space. 2016 promises to continue the march to new ways to do business and manage HR processes through technology.
Let’s not fool ourselves, however, when it comes to tech, HR is playing catch-up. It was only this year, suggests the 2015-2016 HR Systems Survey by consulting firm Sierra-Cedar, that companies actually spent more on cloud-based human resources management systems (HRMS) than on-premises software.
There’s a great opportunity in 2016 to be ahead of the curb as tech adoption continues to catch up and overtake other departmental spends. HR pros and Marketing teams within the HR space have access to some awesome new tools. Here’s some of the best technologies as listed in the HR Tech Conference Top 15.
So what to expect in 2016? Here are some of my best guesses about HR tech and communication innovations in the next 12 months:
Lively Job Market and the Need for Tech Savvy Pros
There’s a lot of talk about the job marketing opening up next year as employees, and particularly Millennials, take advantage of more demand for their services. One can expect, therefore, to see a big increase in need for applicant tracking systems (ATS) and onboarding systems as companies scramble to be ready for a bigger, more impactful churn and look for ways to retain top talent.
Retaining Top Talent Through Better Metrics
Employee engagement strategies and tools is critical as low unemployment rates nationwide and demand for highly skilled workers in industries such as tech are leading more people to consider making a switch. But few companies have used data analytics to measure engagement, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by HR tech vendors. Events like the Talent Analytics Toronto are getting big coverage for the lessons they are sharing as companies look to quiockly get a hndle of the macro information which can help improve employee engagement, performance and loyalty.
Across the US and Canada, investment in HR analytics generally doubled in 2015 and will continue to do so next year.
The Future Is Now! Social and Mobile Recruiting
Welcome to the future fellow HR and Marketing technology enthusiasts! Social and Mobile Recruiting is the new norm. To find and recruit the best candidates companies and Talent Management pros must today be active, authentic and compelling through such platforms as Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn as well as job boards.
Recruitment Processes Become More Social as Employer Branding Goes to the Fore
Companies will have a challenge to attract the best candidates in 2016. Engaging the job market will be a big combined HR and Marketing exercise. Watch out for great engagement through social channels and proliferation of automation tools which will allow users to set up an ATS to generate auto-replies to applicants and and providing timely feedback on they how they did in job interviews.
2016 promises to be a big year for HR Technologies and how those within the space market their employer brand. Loomking for ideas about ways to engage with the HR community and grow your brand? Contact me today.