The top technology objectives in the domain of Human Resource for 2023 will be building internal talent marketplaces, maximising investments in current systems, facilitating hybrid work, and increasing the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
There will be commonalities in how HR leaders use existing and emerging technologies in an uncertain economic environment, even though talent conditions varies greatly by industry, with some businesses continuing to lay off workers while others increasing compensation and benefits to attract and retain workers amid persistent labour shortages.
- ROI Optimization for Current Technology Stacks
As HR technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it can be tempting for HR leaders to jump at the opportunity to invest in the latest and greatest platform or software. However, savvy HR leaders know that in the current times of economic uncertainty, it's important to prioritize optimizing their current technology ecosystems before making any major investments. By taking the time to assess and optimize their existing tools and systems, HR leaders can ensure that they are getting the most out of their investments and avoid the costly mistakes of investing in new technology that may not fully integrate with their current systems. This approach can lead to greater efficiency, better data management, and improved overall performance.
- Internal Talent Marketplaces Remain a popular choice
Internal talent marketplaces are quickly becoming a staple in modern day HR function. These digital platforms offer a centralized hub for connecting employees with a variety of internal job opportunities, side projects, and learning resources. With the ability to match workers with new opportunities and mentors, these marketplaces offer a more efficient and cost-effective way to develop and retain top talent within an organization. As we move into 2023, experts predict that these platforms will continue to gain traction as HR leaders recognize the benefits of leveraging internal talent and investing in employee development. Overall, internal talent marketplaces offer a powerful solution for boosting employee engagement, improving retention rates, and ultimately driving business success.
- Expanding Emerging (and Ignored) Technology
As we enter 2023, HR leaders are looking to deploy a range of emerging and historically underutilized technologies to enhance the employee experience, improve recruitment results, and identify skills gaps in the workforce. With a fragmented technology landscape, many HR departments are turning to orchestrators and overlays to streamline and unify digital aspects of the employee experience. Employee portals, knowledge management tools, and case management tools are also expected to provide more relief to HR business partners and people leaders. Additionally, nascent AI-based tools that help identify existing skills in the workforce will be adopted by more organizations, allowing HR leaders to close skills gaps that drag down company performance. With the rise of skills ontology software and related tools, companies will be able to take a full accounting of the skills and capabilities of their employees, informing decisions around redeployment and layoffs. By leveraging these new technologies, HR leaders can focus on the highest-value and most-strategic activities, ultimately driving business success.
- Technology backing to amplify Hybrid Work
As hybrid work becomes a permanent fixture in more organizations, technology will play an increasingly larger role in optimising this model. One challenge to overcome is proximity bias, and HR teams will need to focus on training managers to manage performance by results. Productivity tracking will evolve to be more results-based assessments, and benchmarking tools will be used to track productivity and performance of hybrid workers. However, excessive employee tracking can erode worker trust. HR leaders interested in tracking productivity should prioritize more-meaningful metrics, including the quality and quantity of employee output. As we move into 2023, there will be a greater emphasis on new methods to track productivity and performance, including measuring employee sentiment and tracking the use of office spaces or training tools. By leveraging technology in a thoughtful and meaningful way, HR leaders can ensure the success of hybrid work while maintaining trust and engagement among employees.
- Influence of New Applications of AI Grow
In 2023, HR departments will continue to leverage AI to improve their operations and make data-driven decisions. AI will be used to enhance recruiting, identify skills gaps, analyse engagement survey data and provide employees with quick and accurate answers to their frequently asked questions. HR leaders will view workforce data as a strategic asset to guide key business and talent decisions, such as up skilling, scheduling, and staffing. By using AI to analyse worker data beyond traditional demographic and performance metrics, HR can gain a deeper understanding of their employees and make more informed decisions. The use of AI will help HR do more with less and drive better outcomes for the organization and its employees.
- Increasing Management Capabilities and Reducing Workloads
As the business landscape continues to evolve, HR leaders are increasingly turning to technology solutions to help managers build the skills and resilience necessary to navigate these challenging times. One of the key areas of focus in 2023 is expected to be management training, with companies investing in online coaching and learning platforms to provide managers with the tools they need to keep employees engaged and motivated in remote work environments. HR leaders will also turn to AI and other automated tools to help front-line managers automate repetitive tasks like managing payroll and labour, enabling them to focus on more strategic activities like understanding employees' unique needs and identifying areas for improvement. As the labour market continues to tighten, retaining front-line managers will be a top priority for HR leaders in the year ahead.
- The Evolving Employee Experience: From HR Strategy to Company-Wide Priority
The employee experience has become a critical factor in the success of a business, and experts predict that in 2023, more leaders will prioritize it as a broad strategic objective, moving it beyond its traditional HR silo. This means aligning technology systems with key tenets of an employee experience strategy and integrating it into other business functions like IT, operations, finance, and facilities. HR leaders will leverage new technologies focused on the individual employee experience to increase access to data, upskill talent to work beyond traditional boundaries, and provide enhanced learning and development opportunities. As employee experience becomes a business strategy, not just an HR strategy, companies can expect to see a positive impact on their bottom line, brand reputation, and overall productivity.
- Revolutionizing the Future of Recruitment
As the competition for top talent remains fierce, recruiters will turn to evolving AI tools to make candidate screening and interview scheduling more efficient. In addition, HR and talent acquisition leaders will prioritize improving top-of-the-funnel recruiting processes, focusing on creating a better candidate experience and maximizing the efficiency of job advertisement budgets.
Programmatic job advertising that strategically targets the right candidates will be valuable in 2023, particularly in uncertain economic times. Recruiters should also use authentic, employee-generated videos to engage with candidates and communicate company values, employee stories, and the hiring process. Videos can be used in job ads, on career sites, in candidate emails, and throughout the hiring process.
Recruiters should apply for a job on their own career site via a mobile device to experience the process from the candidate's perspective, and make changes to ensure the process takes less than five minutes. By leveraging these tools and tactics, recruiters can attract and retain top talent in a highly competitive recruiting landscape.
- Personalized, Data-driven and Immersive: The Future of Learning and Development in 2023
In 2023, Learning and Development (L&D) teams will focus on three key areas, according to industry experts. First, they will work to create more personalized and adaptive learning experiences that meet employees' needs at scale. Second, they will seek out software tools that make it easier to derive actionable insights from the learning data they collect. Third, L&D functions will continue to invest in or upgrade virtual reality (VR) technology. This technology will allow employees to practice new skills and behaviours in a safe, simulated environment.
L&D functions might look into introducing data science and business intelligence tools within their teams which can be used to determine skill gaps and opportunities where L&D can help businesses meet their goals. The focus on analytics, personalized learning, and VR will help L&D functions deliver targeted and effective training to employees, leading to improved workforce development and business outcomes.