HR Technology in the Post SHRM18 Era

 The Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference has concluded. HR Professionals are in equal parts exhausted and inspired as they digest knowledge and seek to share it in their native space.

Having attended 8 SHRM Annual Conferences in the last decade, I'm always impressed with the evolution of networking and knowledge sharing that continues to build out the HR tool belt.

First time attendees always share with me their amazement with the Exhibitor Hall; a physical representation of the crowded Human Capital Management space. With so many resources at hand, one might have to consider if a return from Chicago has left HR Professionals more overwhelmed than inspired... ?

Having spent 10 years at street level as a Human Capital Management advisor, I can tell you that employees, their managers and HR Leaders alike are yearning for a few simple consistencies:

Consolidation
You've got Payroll Software and CRM's and Performance Management Software and Employee Recognition Software and Recruiting Software and On-boarding Platforms and clouds and SaaS and landing pages and API's and SSO's and SAMLs..... where does it all end?

The goal going into 2019 is finding a central landing page where all employees can access all of the aforementioned "platforms" without having to close screens or enter a thousand passwords.

Automation
Putting everything in an accessible spot isn't enough. There needs to be a comprehensive way to integrate all HCM technology in a contiguous manner.

Many vendors say they have automated technology that are pulled together by a number of different system disruptions.

BEWARE fake integration!  

Scale
Every technical vendor in the HR Space has a standard (read: off-the-shelf) technical suite and a customized (read: expensive) technical suite.


Once systems are centrally located and talk to each other, they need to be flexible.

Are the systems you are using adaptable to their audience?
Can individuals from different departments (or parts of the world) interact with one another?
Can employee results be socialized?

Step 1: Create a consolidated access page
Step 2: Develop a system for recognizing results in every area of Employee Development
Step 3: Funnel these systems into your Employee Value Proposition

If these technical fundamentals seems simple.... great!

Inventory, Consolidate, Measure & Reward!

Your employees want to climb the ladder, all they need are the keys to unlock the rungs.

- David Kovacovich  

Building The Foundation

What Keeps You Up at Night?

This question was once posed to corporate executives in an effort to understand their critical business concerns.

It's also a very human question.

Do you wake up at 3am to stare at the ceiling, your head pounding with concern over the day behind or ahead?

We all do....

What if I told you that the aforementioned concern is the primary fuel needed to make every day a little better?

When was the last time you sat up in bed pondering the amazing elements of your life and all you've done to earn them? Everyone else is waiting in the wings to throw punches at you, why buy their boxing gloves?

Stop beating up on yourself for what you haven't done and start celebrating what you have.

Life is tough.... we're called upon to work and raise good kids and take care of our parents (in the same way they did for us) and to manage our finances and to be responsible and to care for others while keeping the boat in the water.... it's a lot.

If you allow your critics a second of your time, You Are Doomed!

Next time you wake up at 3am, filled with worry, remember that little league championship you won or the time you went fishing with your dad or that concert that changed your life or... at least.... that time a friend made you laugh. You can start there.

It sucks waking up in a hotel room in silence with your mind creating a bunch of noise, it's easier to sleep with a loved one near by.

 

So, Then.....

Find somebody to love or at least surround yourself with people who make you feel good. Stop hanging around with people who leave you worried after every conversation. Of course, we should learn from our past mistakes but learning should be the objective.

People will line up around the block to criticize you, far fewer will come to your aid when you need help. Complaining never solved anything. Putting your life on-hold to help someone requires effort without the certainty of reward.

People who feel good do great things.

What do you need to feel good?

We affiliate strategy with the critical practice of self-evaluation. I'd like to think it's better to plan by remembering that which you do well.

Have You Forgotten What You Do Well?

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave