While the past year has brought considerable challenges to the HR function, there is one silver lining: Innovation in HR tech is abounding.
Despite the disruptions of the pandemic, the HR tech market has continued to thrive—with many new entrants tailoring solutions to the unique HR needs that have arisen in recent months, says Steve Boese, chair of the HR Technology Conference, which will be held in Las Vegas in the fall.
Steve Boese
“The HR technology start-up space has been extremely vibrant for years, and the pandemic, it seems to me, has not really slowed the pace of innovation very much if at all,” Boese says. “Newer, more agile tech companies can often provide important and immediate benefits to help organizations react quickly to a changing environment.”
Boese will share several of the most innovative solutions during a Spotlight Session at this month’s Spring HR Tech, a free and virtual event. Boese and conference organizers reviewed about 75 start-ups, conducting demos and meetings with about 30 of them, to ultimately select six standout start-ups that will demo during the conference session. The session, Six Emerging HR Tech Startups to Put on Your Radar Now, will begin at 2 p.m. Friday, March 19.
“These six showcased innovation, relevancy, impact and leading-edge technology for HR organizations that we felt represented a great selection of the best in new thinking in HR technology,” Boese says.
See also: Submit your Rising Star today
Although the start-ups address a range of issues facing HR, their work is being uniquely driven by recent events.
“As you would expect, the impact of the events of 2020—the pandemic and the social justice movement in particular—are definitely influencing the technology developments we are seeing,” he says. “So, areas like mental health and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion and even support for offboarding employees are three specific areas that will be showcased in the session.”
The participating companies are:
UnMind: a technology solution employers can use to support their overall mental health programs and strategies
FutureFit AI: a new approach to separations, offering people a more supportive and personalized experience as they transition to their next role
We Are Hourly: a set of tools to help both organizations and candidates navigate the hiring process for hourly roles
Predictive Hire: a fully digital software solution for volume recruitment
Eskalera: a platform that drives employee inclusion through training, reflection and connection
Work Shield: a tool that manages employers’ reporting, investigation and resolution of workplace harassment and discrimination issues in their entirety