HR tech number of the week: HR systems: The number of HR tools that organizations deploy is growing and adding complexity to employees’ and HR leaders’ lives. What’s fueling this dramatic growth? According to Sapient Insights Group, the need to support a virtual workforce and adopt employee tracking solutions required for contact tracing or health and wellness are a few of the drivers. Read more here.
6 HR lessons from Microsoft’s CHRO: As CHRO of the software giant, Kathleen Hogan helped transform Microsoft’s culture to make it one of the biggest success stories in recent history. She’s navigated a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, ensuring the company’s 175,000 employees are safe, healthy, productive and innovative. She’s helped transition the majority of employees to working remotely. And she’s been named HRE’s 2021 HR Executive of the Year. Read more here.
Want real HR change? Look to data and analytics: Companies struggling to follow through on their pledges to deliver change for their employees have a secret weapon to get the job done: their trove of people data. HR leaders must step up and use this data to drive decision-making, ensure access to reliable insights and effect meaningful change. Plus, organizations need to rely on that data to establish goals and provide context for future direction in order to obtain leader buy-in and support. Data can also illuminate patterns and trends that require action in order to build trust with employees and address issues. Read more here. 
Brooks: Are you developing employees to succeed in hybrid, remote work? There’s a massive blind spot for too many organizations, writes expert Ben Brooks. A significant segment of employees have made it clear that they would leave their jobs if they were not offered flexible work. Seemingly overnight, hybrid models—and for some roles, remote work—have become every bit as expected by employees as health insurance benefits. Read more here.
4 ways your managers can help combat employee burnout: Video and collaboration tools have allowed employees to work remotely during the pandemic, but they also have extended business hours beyond the traditional 9 to 5 workday. This is why responsible and respectful boundaries are more important than ever. HRE spoke recently with Zoë Harte, chief people officer for freelance talent platform provider UpWork, for her insights on using buffer time between video calls, organization-wide PTO and more to ease employee stress. Read more here.