With ever-changing advances in technology, our everyday lives both at home and at work are impacted by digital transformation as more and more of the things we do become fully or partially automated. This is especially so in the world of HR. With that in mind, here are our top 5 digital HR trends we think all businesses should embrace. But first, let’s look at what digital HR is.
What is digital HR?
On a basic level, digital HR is the use of technology to streamline HR processes. For example, moving away from paper-based forms for booking holidays to using workflows through self-serve HR software. However, as the website Digital Directions points out, technology is just the start and companies need to look at the matter more holistically.
They explain, “Digital transformation is not just about adopting new technology, however. It’s also about changing the way that businesses operate. This means that businesses need to be willing to change their organizational structures and the way they work to take advantage of new technologies. For HR professionals, this means that businesses need to be willing to change the way they recruit, train, and manage employees. They also need to be open to new ways of measuring employee performance”.
Our top 5 digital HR trends
Social Media
According to statistics shared by Cyber Crew, there are 53 million active social media users in the UK. 98% of these users access social media on their mobile devices and on average, users spend 110 minutes on social media every day. With that in mind many companies have turned to social media as part of their marketing strategy and HR departments are also exploiting social media to help them to recruit.
Research from Content Stadium shows that 96% of in-house recruiters use social media as a communication channel for recruitment and 64% have social media accounts dedicated to recruitment. With companies struggling to recruit across many sectors, the digital HR trend of using social media to promote vacancies will continue to grow and companies who aren’t using this channel are likely to be left behind.
Mobile and Remote Working Technology
Mobile and remote working is here to stay. Companies therefore need to ensure that technology is available to staff to ensure that everything they can do whilst in the office, can also be done at home or remotely. HR departments are at the centre of ensuring that remote working delivers for staff. Technology needs to be embraced so that staff can collaborate, communicate, and perform productively.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
One of the biggest digital HR trends at the moment is AI. Many people think of AI as something sinister that will lead to the rise of robots and humans being replaced. In reality, it is not as scary as this and by embracing AI, a company can enhance its HR offer to staff. AI can be used to automatically deal with job applications and screen CVs. It can also be introduced in various ways to support employee engagement and development and some companies are using AI technology to create chatbots that can automatically answer HR-related questions.
Learning and Development
Technology has transformed training and you no longer need to sit in a room and be talked at on a training course to learn. E-learning allows employers to build bespoke learning packages for employees. This means that learning and development meet individual needs, can be accessed at a time and place that is convenient for the employee, and progress can be easily tracked and reported on. Digital e-learning also caters to a range of different learning styles with the inclusion of video and audio which will benefit employees as traditional learning does not suit everyone.
HR Software and Self-Service
HR software has been around for several years in various guises, but over time software has developed rapidly. Many HR administration tasks are now digitised and employees can self-serve on the majority of transactional HR tasks. HR software and self-service save time and increase the efficiency of not only HR staff but the whole workforce. This area of digital HR will no doubt continue to evolve as companies strive to shift the focus of HR from being largely administrative to having a more commercial focus and being a driver of change and transformation.
How can HRX help?
Our HRX software will assist your business in bringing about digital transformation through its automation of HR administration and the fact that employees can access it no matter where they are and at a time that suits them. HRX embraces self-service and remote working and helps to take away the pain of routine HR administration. To get on trend and see what HRX can do for your business, sign up for our free 30-day trial and start your digital transformation journey, or get in touch with us today.
