Leveraging HR tech to drive employee engagement in hybrid workforces

In the face of more dispersed workforces and the subsequent connection and engagement challenges, better utilisation of technology is not simply an opportunity – it is an expectation, argues one MD.

Artificial intelligence, and particularly generative AI, “is coming” to human resources departments, and such teams and professionals need to be part of the journey sooner rather than later.

That is the view of Ian Fox (pictured), the managing director in Australia and New Zealand at payroll specialist EPI-USE, who says substantive use of new and emerging technologies is now expected.

This is particularly so, he noted in conversation with HR Leader, in post-pandemic workplaces where flexible and remote arrangements are more mainstream.

“Remaining connected and engaged on a daily basis is challenging with a dispersed workforce,” he said.

“Technology that elevates the employee experience and helps keep people connected and across what their teams are achieving is essential.”

When asked about opportunities for HR teams that look to better utilise relevant tech to engage a hybrid workforce, Fox said: “Visibility of their entire workforce, workforce analytics that can provide insights on their people processes. For example, time to hire.”

Grasping such opportunities will also necessarily involve overcoming challenges, he added, namely “disparate systems that don’t link up and work together”.

To overcome this, he said, “integrating systems or moving to a one platform/best-of-suite technology provider that has seamless integrations already in place” will be essential.

Looking ahead to the new year, Fox reflected, what will be most pertinent for HR teams and professionals is to appreciate that “AI is coming” to their teams.

“Companies big or small need to jump onto the HR cloud tech journey sooner rather than later,” he said.

“It is now an expectation of employees and managers to have real-time analytics and self-service capabilities across people-related activities.”