Employers are constantly looking to HR tech to provide innovative solutions that help them meet employees where they are. And while tech can offer solutions for what HR leaders are trying to accomplish, it is not the end-all, be-all, experts warn.
According to recent data from the Josh Bersin Academy, incredibly few employers have seen any real impact on the employee experience after implementing new HCM tech solutions.
In fact, only about 11% of organizations surveyed said that, in the process of implementing an HCM tech solution, they noticed a change in the employee experience, said Jess Von Bank, head of marketing at Leapgen, during a recent #AskHRE webinar.
“It was not a surprise for me, but to see it so starkly laid out [was surprising],” she said. “Only 11% saw a difference when it came to EX. What’s the miss?”
For the 89 out of 100 employers who reported being disappointed that their HR tech didn’t meet expectations, Leapgen CEO Jason Averbook shares some considerations.
“Design [your strategy] for the employee and manager based on how they feel, then take your tech and enable them to feel that way,” he said.
Also see Connect your DEI programs to EX with these 4 strategies
More importantly, Averbook said, leaders need to know the difference between technology implementation and deployment.
“Implementation is of tech,” he said. “Deployment is of a strategy, which includes implementation.”
When it comes to HR technology, the formula to enhance employee experience is transaction plus interaction, he said, pointing to the simple example of an employee changing a home address.
Say your employee goes into the portal and searches “I’m moving” and doesn’t get any results, Averbook said. They have to then call HR only to find out they needed to search “change of address.”
“That’s HR-speak,” he said. “What kind of experience is that?”
HR must design systems for the empty chair—the employee and manager—and make it a journey versus a transaction buried in systems, he said.
And Von Bank agreed.
“Technology is an enabler,” she said. “You need people in your business to be happy. To be effective. To be safe. To belong. That’s what’s going to make your business thrive. Period.”
Click here to register for the HR Technology Conference and hear Jason Averbook’s keynote on reinventing organizational purpose for the future.