HR Tech 2022 – The Blog Post
Upfront Disclaimer – As always with brentcolescott.com, these are my own thoughts and opinions. They do not represent those of any organization with which I may be affiliated. Whew, now that that’s done, let’s dig in!
It’s Friday morning and I’m waiting for my flight back home after a week in Las Vegas at this year’s HR Tech Conference. Still processing so much that happened. I’ll try to break this down into some categories to consolidate my thoughts. If there could be one overarching theme to the conference and the week, it was all about People. While being a Technology Conference, in many ways this was more focused on how these systems support, enhance and benefit People. Beyond the conference, this was a week in which many people were able to get together for the first time ever or the first time in nearly three years. There’s lots to unpack, so let’s dive in!
A Reunion of Sorts
Over the last year I had the opportunity to build out a new team. I’ve been privileged to work with four amazing individuals; but up to this week, I have only known them as a one-dimensional person on the screen. No longer! It’s hard to believe but after 15 months of working together, this week was the first time I met my team in person—except for just one. While Teams and Zoom can achieve a considerable amount of collaboration, it just can’t replace those moments when teams truly come together over a meal or by spending quality time together. Let’s just say… I’m energized and feel more connected now than ever.
Beyond meeting my team this week, I also reconnected with many friends and colleagues that I haven’t seen in person since 2020. The team at SumTotal truly feels like a family and this was one heck of a reunion after nearly three years! Already looking forward to getting back together again soon.
Meet the New Family
So, unless you’ve been on a desert island for the past few months, you’re probably aware that SumTotal was recently acquired by Cornerstone. HR Tech presented an opportunity for us to meet our new family so soon after the completion of the sale; and it was great! Longtime competitors, we are now on the same team. The respect for each other in the competitive arena made our new connection all the sweeter. In many ways it felt more like a homecoming. There was plenty of cross traffic between our booth and the Cornerstone booth. So, to our new family at Cornerstone, thank you for the warm welcome – Cheers!
HR Tech Expo
I spent the bulk of the week in the SumTotal booth but was able to walk about the Expo and take in all the sights. I like to look for common themes in the branding from the companies who are exhibiting. If I could summarize everything I saw in one statement, it would be this… Employees now hold the upper hand. The themes vary, but all point to the fact that employers/businesses need to attract, find, and keep employees.
Depending upon the stage (attract / find / keep), you would see vendors promoting Talent Acquisition, Development, Wellness, AI (artificial intelligence) and Payroll systems. “Employee Experience” was pervasive throughout signage for any system that employees would utilize within an organization. While aligning with the theme that employees have the upper hand, this also marks a shift in how HR views technology. For many years, HR focused on back-office functionality for their priorities; however, now we are seeing the shift to which they must acquire systems that are more centered on the Employee Experience. The days of telling or forcing employees to suffer through bad interfaces are over.
One last observation from the floor would be this, in many ways the Expo was insular—meaning that there seemed to be more visits from other providers interested in partnerships and alliances versus the typical consumer/buyer. On the surface, this may correlate with lower audience numbers than in previous events. Regardless, it was great to experience the event for the first time in three years.
HR Tech Conference
While unable to attend sessions during the week, I did have numerous conversations with my team and others who attended them. In my search for an overarching session theme, I feel it comes down to this, re-evaluating Human Resource Technology in a post-pandemic world. I recently spoke on the topic of “People / Process / Technology” at the Tech HR Conference in India last month. You can also read about this in my blog from last year (yes, I’m that far ahead of the curve here at brentcolescott.com). 😉
Essentially, my point is all three components need to be reevaluated due to how much has changed in the past three years. People have a new “center” in their lives, and it’s not work. This has resulted in more flex time, hybrid work or even deciding not to work at all. Businesses are now scrambling to find, keep or replace workers. Hybrid / Remote Work has also created an enormous need to revisit the processes of how work gets done.
Employees that are no longer co-located and often remote have placed a greater emphasis on moving to all things digital. This in turn has forced many to reevaluate their technology (HR Systems) from a different perspective. Several of the sessions including Josh Bersin’s opening keynote spoke to much of this disruption but also the need to review their approaches to: People / Process / Technology.
The Bottom Line
This year’s event showcased the point that HR Technology is more essential to the success of a business/organization now than ever before. We’ve debated the importance of “Human Capital” for years, but the concept of People being “Capital” is quickly changing. What I saw from all aspects was a greater appreciation of the people that really do drive the success of any product or service generated. Without people, nothing happens. It’s about time that this concept has arrived. Those organizations that appreciate their employees and look out for them in good times and bad will see more success. Overall, there was more “HUMAN” on display this year than Technology; and that’s a trend I can get behind. Hope everyone had a safe return home from Las Vegas. Cheers!