HR Professionals must use technology to create a great employee experience for the company’s talent.

HR and payroll have become quite complex, in terms of compliance and requirements that must be met. Often, HR Professionals are not really geared up for the complexities that are now coming with legislation changes and the tax implications thereof. That means we have to make sure they understand the implications with regard to tax. Some, for example, can’t explain a tax calculation. And that requires a new skill set to be able to really be confident in what you understand from a compliance perspective.

Another challenge involves the risks that are playing out in terms of where people are working. As we’ve moved from  working in the office to a hybrid environment, which includes remote work, that has added another layer in terms of complexity, which means that HR Professionals now also need to be very aware of cyber attacks and data theft. That includes the protection of personal information and how to secure that, and ensuring that information – and sensitive information in particular – is protected.

With all of this, they get bogged down with admin and don’t really focus on the key drivers that they need to focus on, like how to make sure that they’re enabling the environment when people are working remotely.

Drive strategy

What that means in terms of driving strategy and learning and development from a remote point of view is that they don’t always have the right tools and practices to enable the environment and give staff a good experience. That adds a layer to some of the mistakes being made and, with that, their confidence is knocked professionally because they’re operating in a territory in which they feel very uncomfortable as it’s all new for them.

That leads to typical mistakes that get made from a compliance perspective. One is understanding what it takes to make sure that information is protected. It’s key to make sure that, from a compliance perspective, one is protecting information within the organization.

As HR, we are sitting on a goldmine of information, but we have to use that information to drive strategy.

Become techno savvy

Because of a lack of specialist systems, however, HR Professionals are not focusing on technology to enable the environment.

Also, in terms of just protecting the information, HR Professionals need to make sure that they are using and leveraging vendors that can help protect the information and make sure that they’re keeping in line with the latest legislation and the latest guidelines. In the absence of these technologies and software, one gets bogged down by admin and by a lack of understanding of the evolving and changing world of legislation.

What then happens is that the data insights get lost and are not used to make the right decisions strategically to attract the right talent into the organization and drive collaboration.

The key is to strategically position technology. For example, how do I use technology, and what software could I implement to make sure that I’m really enabling the environment and making sure that data is protected? That requires having the latest information when it comes to practices, legislation and compliance to make sure that you’re driving that. That requires a conversation about technology, and HR, people are inclined to not see themselves as techno savvy and don’t consider that advice as for them.

Technology can enable the environment

It’s therefore very important for them to evolve and transform, because technology provides and enables the environment so that they can ensure that they are released from admin in order to focus on the strategy, which is really driving retention, driving the culture and driving training and development.

What tends to happen is they get bogged down with transactional, day-to-day duties, instead of applying technology in those spaces to relieve them of those commitments so they can be strategically positioned to have a voice and prioritize what is important in driving the human capital agenda, which is talent acquisition – attracting and retaining talent – and making sure that they are driving the right culture.

Hybrid environment

Working in a hybrid environment requires asking how your talent engages with colleagues and how they engage with their customers. Again, technology can support them to make sure that they are visible, that they’re creating a good experience for colleagues that’s consistent all the time. In the absence of technology things can become quite cumbersome to manage such things.

It’s therefore very important that HR Professionals have a people system in the organization – a people management tool – and that they understand how that system works, because it will enable them to quickly assess information, whether they have to give feedback on the movement of staff, on the attrition of staff or give insight in terms of training.

When they have such a tool at their disposal, they have quick access, they can assess information, they can draw dashboards and draw reports to help the business make informed decisions based on the data and the insight that they are sharing.

Technology will set you free

Once all the transactional admin is removed, HR Professionals can focus on how to partner with the business to make sure that they are driving the correct human capital agenda and focusing on talent management. Right now, we’ve got a huge challenge when it comes to skills and capabilities. There are Baby Boomers that are starting to leave the organization, and there are Gen Xers coming into the environment who are techno savvy. They have higher expectations in terms of what they expect from organizations, but they also are not committed to stay in an organization for years. So you need to make sure that the environment that you’re creating is really going to drive career progression, drive growth for them and fast track their development. You can cross skill and upskill them, but if you are bogged down in admin and not focusing on talent management, focusing on retention right now, with talent being able to work remotely, it means not only are you competing with your local environment, but you’re also competing internationally, because they can work anywhere.

So, you really have to prioritise the simple things, like being attractive in terms of your benefits, your compensation, your training and the career opportunities that you’re providing, instead of looking at admin, transactions, leave and such things. If you enable the environment with technology, it means that employees will have a self-service option, they don’t have to wait for an HR Practitioner to tell them how many leave days they have, and they can simply access the system, go in, and apply for leave.

By embracing and deploying the right technology, line managers can, as leaders, manage through an automated system and engage with their colleagues to make sure they are really giving employees a great experience in terms of their day to day operations and meeting many of their needs.

HR Professionals can, in turn, make sure that the resources within the human capital function are really focused on strategy and driving the right culture to make sure that they provide the best experience for all.

Sonia Tshabalala is the People Director at Sage Africa and Middle East.