Unlocking the Most Out of a Digital HR Transformation
Here’s how embracing new digital tools can help HR and employees adapt to the ever-changing work environment.
The pandemic surged the need for digital transformation. This ongoing trend has taken over all fields and has quickly reached the HR space. What exactly are the benefits? Brian Anders, director of human resources at WorkSmart Systems, opens up on ways new technologies are revolutionizing HR departments.
The concept of a digital transformation, which is described as an organization-wide adoption of innovative technologies to improve internal processes and customer satisfaction, has taken on a new meaning in light of the hybrid working world. This technological revolution is overtaking industries across the board and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.
It usually took businesses years — even decades for some — to change their day-to-day operations. However, the pandemic has caused the acquisition of technology to double, even triple, in the past three years. There are several benefits to adopting modern technologies, including the ability to streamline everyday operations and workflows along with increasing the agility of different human resource (HR) procedures. For example, after a digital transformation occurs, antiquated processes are no longer a hassle, often freeing time for the workforce to focus on more important tasks.
While there are many reasons why accepting digital transformation can benefit a company, there are numerous professionals who struggle with the possibility of adoption failure. According to McKinsey’s research, one main reason companies struggle — or even fail — during the digital transformation process is generally due to misalignment in work culture or human error.
Some HR professionals may be nervous about accepting new technology into their departments. But thanks to new services, AI integrations, and management tools, organizational HR oversight is stronger than ever. Organizations must adopt innovative HR tools soon and successfully. Let’s explore a few critical steps for onboarding this new tech properly and discuss how businesses can achieve a smooth digital transformation.
Promote and Unlock the Advantages of New Tech
Amid the Great Resignation, companies must achieve a competitive edge to stay ahead and compete in a fast-paced market. The world has acclimated to rapid and continual digital changes, and if business leaders shirk new techs like AI, advanced analytics, and machine learning (ML), they risk falling behind. Necessary tech updates can appeal to both younger generations entering the workforce and tenured employees who crave an expedited, improved workflow. And according to a recent study by PwC, around 60% of C-suite executives agree that digital transformation is crucial for driving growth, making it mission-critical to evaluate declining legacy processes.
Integrating new technology boosts competitive advantage, fortifies transparency and streamlines essential functions such as benefits software through personalization and automation. Forgoing legacy systems allows for an enhanced user experience and ultimately benefits the bottom line.
How does modernizing HR processes affect employees? Moreso, how should HR leaders promote beneficial new tech? Digital transformation places employees in the front seat of their work experience and enables them to embrace initiatives like Learning and Development (L&D). In today’s hybrid work environment, gathering groups for in-person L&D sessions isn’t always an option. With digitally transformed HR processes, L&D and onboarding can be asynchronous and personalized for work cohorts. With the right software, HR’s oversight stays steady while an employee or team cohort can choose their path and pace to fit their needs. This helps increase employee engagement and productivity while harnessing personal growth.
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Plan Your Transformation
Any significant change will seem daunting. Guiding an HR department through a digital transformation is no different. The first step is to research possible tools. Doing thorough research is a critical step, as this digital transformation will affect the HR department and the organization as a whole.
Once a toolkit or solution has been selected, someone must be designated to lead the charge of implementation. The best person to oversee the adoption of new technology will likely be the head or a member of the HR department, as these individuals are intimately familiar with outdated workflows that need to be addressed. Due to their position, an HR professional can also create a more detailed strategy roadmap. The roadmap is essential to set the tone and expectations while keeping growth on the right track.
To circumvent adoption failure, HR professionals will need to take time to communicate the value of the new technologies to their employees. The best way to do this is to construct a concrete adoption plan prior to rollout. This plan needs to answer the following questions:
- Why is (company) making the change?
- How will this technology impact my work day?
- What makes this technology better than others that may be similar?
Other questions specific to an industry may also arise. Business leaders must be prepared to help employees understand the transition and adjust accordingly. Although it’s difficult to know the exact questions that will be asked, taking the time to understand employees and their day-to-day operations will help leaders intuit what problems may present themselves.
If everything goes to plan, the acceptance of the digital transformation should be smooth and lead to positive cultural change in the workplace. While there will be many employees who are quick to adapt, there will also be a group of employees who are slower to grasp new integrations. One way to help alleviate the stress is to offer an outlet for feedback. This outlet can be as simple as an email sent to the HR department or employee access to an outside platform that accepts anonymous feedback for the leadership team. The same HR professionals who lead the company into its digital transformation should be the same ones who address the feedback.
Now that the digital transformation has taken place, HR professionals should keep collecting feedback and data to help streamline better implementations in the future. This feedback will help determine what’s working, and what’s not. When overseeing the changes, leaders must anticipate a possible shift in work culture and be prepared to guide employees through this transition with ample communication and resources. Offering additional training for slower adapters and an outlet for questions can help them adjust quicker.
The results of a digital transformation in HR are only as successful as the process’s rollout, making executive preparation critical. Organizations that apply the discussed strategies and plans will prosper as the digital shift continues.
How do you think HR can successfully uplift and support their employees and culture? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
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