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Three Workplace Trends Every HR Tech Company Must Be Aware Of

Forbes Technology Council

A 20-year company veteran and tech leader, John Machado is UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) Chief Technology Officer.

Never before have workplace, employee and leadership needs changed so much in such a short time. The future of work is being built in real time as companies navigate office reopening and hybrid work plans.

HR technology companies have an important role to play in aiding organizations in the thick of this transformation. In order to do so successfully, they must be aware of major trends and adapt their product capabilities to meet new and ever-changing needs. 

Three workplace trends continue to be top-of-mind this year: a more holistic focus on wellness, the changing role of organizations in social issues and the need for employee buy-in. 

The New Definition Of Wellness

The events of the last year have taken a significant toll on our collective mental health. A global health crisis, economic uncertainty and social unrest have left many employees emotionally exhausted. Some may have experienced personal trauma. Supporting employees through this impact will be incredibly important for businesses, and HR tech can help.

The standard definition of wellness in HR tech involves physical health — managing health benefits and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. It must now evolve to address complex issues like grief, burnout and PTSD — problems that have been heightened for many employees over the past year. HR tech can provide people leaders with the tools they need to support employees in new ways. For example, some companies are exploring burnout predictor tools to proactively take care of employees and support their mental health before it occurs. 

One important topic on my mind is how HR tech can treat holistic wellness as an output of our technology, rather than something we merely track or incentivize. How do we make both mental and physical health core to HCM products?

The Era Of Corporate Social Responsibility 

Both employees and customers now expect companies to be involved in social issues and work toward a higher purpose. In fact, 90% of consumers and 70% of employees are demanding social responsibility from companies. This kind of engagement in the public space was previously unheard of for brands and corporate leadership, and many organizations are struggling to respond appropriately. 

Stakeholders are holding organizations accountable for having a point of view on social issues, authentically engaging in inclusion efforts and working to make the world a better place. More than half of global employees believe that CEOs should speak publicly on controversial political and social issues they care about. This has added a new level of complexity to both corporate communications and HR. 

HR and HCM tech can help with this in numerous ways. For example, employee sentiment analysis and survey tools can provide a view into the social issues employees are most passionate about. Similarly, many companies are looking for ways to easily integrate charitable donations into internal systems like payroll or expense software. 

Employee Buy-In Is More Important Than Ever 

Employees deserve and expect to be directly involved in building the “next normal” at their workplaces. That means it’s more important than ever for organizations to find effective ways to glean employee feedback. The right technology can help leaders get authentic buy-in from employees and take impactful action based on these insights. 

New employee engagement tools can help organizations take regular temperature checks across teams. HR and company leaders must be able to ask open-ended questions at scale, view feedback in real time and instantly analyze employee needs. With the workplace changing so quickly, it’s important to know what areas need to be addressed and what employees need on an ongoing basis. 

In a remote or hybrid work environment in particular, companies must integrate both qualitative and quantitative insights to understand employees’ working experience and preferences.

HR tech companies have an important opportunity to take part in and support the future of work. The issues workplaces are facing this year will shape norms around social responsibility, mental health and employee feedback for the long-term. I’m personally excited that our industry can help organizations support employees through these complex transitions and prioritize their needs through whatever comes next. 


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