After you submit your expense report for the HR Tech Conference, you know the first question that’ll come out of your manager’s mouth is: “What did you learn at the conference?” We know what you’re thinking… “I should have paid more attention during the sessions.”
Whether you partied too hard or missed the conference entirely, we’re here to help! Here are our 3 takeaways on how HR Tech can help you and your company:
1) Use an integrated HR software solution to save time and maximize efficiency.
With the advent of e-mail, internet at home, and smartphones, employees feel that they work 24-7 and have no time. HR company leadership can temper the impact of this “time scarcity” through efficient systems and procedures. Andy Grove, former CEO at Intel said, “Just as you would not permit a fellow employee to steal a piece of office equipment, you shouldn’t let anyone walk away with the time of his fellow managers.” Similarly, at the “Beyond the Hype: What’s Really Important in HR Technology Today” session, Zenefits’ CEO Parker Conrad highlighted the importance of an all-in-one integrated HRIS saving the HR administrator—and employees—time.
To determine if your company has an integrated HR system, assess what your HR administrator does to complete an essential HR function (such as terminating an employee). If your HR administrator can click a button or two to remove the terminated employee from payroll and benefits and be compliant with COBRA, then you’re in good hands. But, if your administrator needs to log into separate systems for payroll, benefits, and COBRA as part of the termination process, then you may want to start researching a more integrated HR system.
2) Build engaging employee experiences grounded in B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing.
When employees are happy, they perform better and tell others. They write positive reviews on Glassdoor, and they refer customers. Mark Solow from Deloitte Consulting LLP began the session Transform Employee Engagement With Salesforce & Deloitte by rhetorically asking the question, “Who treats their employees the same as customers?” No one raised their hands. Does this surprise you?
This session provided an introduction into how company leadership can foster employee engagement by using tools from B2C marketing. For example, just as Starbucks “gamified’ the customer experience of buying coffee by notifying the customer of their progression in earning a free coffee drink, companies can “gamify” the employee experience through providing an employee a badge towards a reward or bonus when they close a deal or deliver an effective presentation.
3) Cultivate company culture by putting the reins in the hands of employees.
According to the 2015 Deloitte Human Capital Trends Survey, 87% of business leaders identified employee engagement and culture as the most important human resources challenge this year, and 66% of business leaders are updating their engagement and retention strategies. In the Where Should You Focus Your Employee Engagement Investments? Insights From Best Places to Work session, Liz McKee of Baker Donelson analogized enhancing company culture to building a car–you want to take care of it. She highlighted, “If you want it [your company] to be cared for, put [your culture] in the hands of your employees to build.”
At Zenefits, we completely agree and are kicking off the fourth quarter of 2015 with a culture committee that includes an employee representative from each department. We’re excited about this program and are continuing to explore other ways to further company culture. In fact, we’d love to learn from you. Please post a comment below, e-mail [email protected] or tweet @Zenefits to share your favorite initiative focused on building company culture.
We hope that you enjoyed our coverage of the conference and can’t wait until next year’s HR Tech in Chicago, October 4-7, 2016.
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