tech tools making work easier this year

3 tech tools making work easier this year

March 17, 2021 5:30 AM

Remote work is here to stay, which means companies are left to find new and innovative ways to make everyday tasks WFH-friendly.

The HR technology market has moved beyond payroll and employee administration to include “work tech” that will help employers recruit, reskill and engage their workforce, according to the annual HR technology market report by Josh Bersin, founder and CEO of advisory firm Bersin & Associates.

Technology has shifted to address a myriad of needs related to the health, well-being and productivity of their people, the report found. Businesses are relying on new technology to ensure the survival and growth of their operations, but are struggling to manage the sheer volume of tools available to them.

“A lot of [companies] have talked to us about the need for automation,” says Maggie Hulce, senior vice president at Indeed. “Now, the challenge is that recruiters already have so many tools that they have to deal with.”

Implementing the right kind of technology can help consolidate the process. In order to alleviate a number of workplace stressors, companies should broaden their selection of offerings to include systems for communications, surveys, case and knowledge management, as well as easy ways to build new workflows, chatbots and portals, the report said.

To plan for employees working remotely into the new year and beyond, employers are looking to implement more digital solutions to close the virtual divide. Here the top three ways investing in more tech could make working from home easier:

Use of AI to diversify hiring

Although recruiting is top priority for organizations, nearly a third of companies’ new hires don’t work out despite extensive testing, assessment and job fit analysis, according to the report. Leveraging data, algorithms and social sensing tools can make recruitment more effective.

AI can now identify patterns of bias and discrimination and help shine a light on issues previously skimmed over, the report found. Hiring teams are using AI and social tools to better attract, identify and recruit minority candidates in all areas of business.

Tools that help upskill and reskill

Investing in good tech tools can help organizations up their retention rate and keep workers employed.

As many as 10 million employees lost their jobs during the pandemic, according to the Labor Department. Many of those employees were replaced by new technology, according to a survey by MindEdge Learning, a Massachusetts-based education company. To keep employees on the cutting edge of new workplace technologies, employers need to invest in professional development.

The most popular forums for upskilling include internal training and retraining programs and online courses, the survey says.

Tools that help engage workers and create better experiences

The number of employees suffering from burnout is climbing during the pandemic, due to added workloads, fewer in-person interactions and less breaks, according to a survey from Blind. Without the proper investment in tools that keep workers engaged, companies could begin to lose their employee base.

Forty percent of employers plan to implement new ways of working and 37% will use new technology and collaboration tools to meet their goals, according to a survey by insurance company Gallagher. Employers should be utilizing technology in a way that will personalize the employee experience and establish a clear content strategy that will help simplify the amount of information being shared with employees, says Ben Reynolds, global managing director of employee communications at Gallagher.