Being digital in thought, word, and deed

Supporting the HR organizational structure includes having the right HR technology in place—so it makes sense that automating HR service delivery was identified by 39 percent of HR leaders in our, The future of HR: From flux to flow survey, as one of the most important issues of focus.¹ Likewise, delivering digital technology into HR beyond the core HR system of record was a priority for 39 percent, and re-designing labor supply and demand (e.g., through automation) was a priority for 17 percent.²

Our survey also found that of the technology that has been implemented in recent years, productivity was the top outcome for 34 percent, followed by work-life balance for 28 percent.³ Looking ahead, our respondents still think productivity will prevail (49 percent), and again followed by work-life balance (21 percent).⁴

HR has a core role to play in the entire technology strategy of the organization and how employees engage with it, as technology impacts how and where people work, their communication with peers, access to career opportunities, and more. Yet, our Pathfinders are not just implementing technology platforms for everyday benefits but are leveraging those platforms to create unique solutions to business and people challenges, and to ensure that their people can get into a “flow.”

To activate the mind shift and evolve, HR should include experiences as a formal part of their taxonomy, in addition to the traditional processes and service catalogs. This new human-centered design and experience focus also needs to shift how HR thinks about their operating model, capabilities, and technology investments.