One of the biggest areas businesses are investing in right now is HR tech – a shift accelerated by employers redesigning how and where teams work, and the increasing demand for efficiency, innovation, and agility in workforce management.
With Gartner research revealing HR tech is the top investment priority for HR leaders, alongside Qualtrics research revealing 82 per cent of industry leaders expect their HR budgets to increase, spending is likely to increase further.
HR teams are now firmly at the centre of strategic operations, and technology is transforming the way we work.
By working together, HR and technology teams can use technology to improve employee experiences, drive innovation, and meet business goals.
For many professionals on both sides, the relationship between HR and technology teams is a continuously evolving dynamic.
Those who have established collaborative relationships are well-positioned to meet the needs of organisations that are increasingly focused on the employee experience and are looking to leverage the value of new generative AI capabilities.
As leaders look to strengthen the business impact of their investment in HR tech, there are five key areas to prioritise:
1. Prioritise change management
Modern ways of working – whether it’s enabling teams to collaborate remotely or using new technologies – represents a new way of working for most organisations.
To ensure these investments are successful requires a strategic focus on change management – and HR and technology teams need to lead from the front by enabling teams and conveying the business impact.
2. Link investments to business outcomes
At a time when many organisations are becoming more data-driven, employee experience metrics are powerful indicators of organisational performance.
With the right systems and capabilities, HR and technology teams can link their investments to a range of value drivers, from reduced turnover and increased time to hire through to risk mitigation, brand integrity, innovation, and customer experience.
The extensive impact of HR programs on business outcomes demonstrates the significant impact of these investments and cultivates a greater understanding among leadership teams to help drive action on what matters most.
3. Understand what employees really want
It’s obvious, but workplace technology is fundamental to business outcomes.
However, research shows there is a gap in how technology teams rate the technology experience they provide compared to the employees receiving it.
This means using employee feedback to design the technology experiences employees want and need (not just the experiences leaders think teams need) is essential.
If done well, this can also help improve employee well-being by preventing burnout.
4. Start small and scale
At Qualtrics, we see the most impactful investments in HR tech often start small, demonstrate value, and then scale over time.
Given these types of investments represent new ways of operating, starting small helps reduce initial resistance from teams while simultaneously helping build the business case for employee experience programs.
5. Align behind a common goal
Qualtrics research shows aligning teams within HR and shared service functions behind a common vision or strategy has a big impact on employee experience programs.
The relationship between HR and technology teams is a great example of this.
An exciting step forward
The rapidly evolving world of HR tech, plus the outsized influence that technology, systems, and processes have on employee experiences means collaborative partnerships between HR and technology teams are no longer a nice-to-have.
It represents an exciting step forward, and by aligning behind the five steps outlined above HR and technology teams can align confidently and effectively align themselves with strategic, significant, and sustainable business growth.
This content has been written by a topic area expert and is not a sponsored post or advertisement.
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