The exponential speed at which new and disruptive technologies are appearing sometimes overwhelms us. On many occasions they are new names and concepts that everyone talks about, which promise us great changes and opportunities, but whose scope we struggle to understand and, above all, their practical application in the company.
The “why” is clear to us: we know we must accept and embrace technological revolutions, get ahead of the changes, adapt before everyone else and innovate in order to survive. But the “what for” is harder for us: identifying how a new technology could improve the life, experience and relationship with our customers or employees is something whose potential we cannot see until we see its concrete application.
We know we must accept and embrace technological revolutions, get ahead of the changes, adapt before everyone else and innovate in order to survive. But the what for is harder for usCLICK TO TWEET
4 disruptive technologies in HR: practical applications.
Today I want to share with you practical applications that help us identify what they would be key for in our organization, in all those areas related to Human Resources, Talent, Development, Recruitment, Internal Communication, Organization…
IoT & Wearables
The Internet of Things (IoT) allows physical objects (things) to carry electronic components, sensors, software… with network connectivity. This connectivity allows those objects to collect and exchange data.
Likewise, Wearables are smart devices that we carry or wear (smartwatches, GPS shoes, digital wristbands, ID badges, smart garments…). They are sensors we take with us that interact continuously with other devices in order to perform some specific function.
What for?
- Health tracking and improvement.
- Monitoring stress, sleep and productivity.
- Measuring job satisfaction.
- Remote monitoring in higher-risk environments (mining, construction…) to track heart rate, breathing… ensuring safety and immediate help if needed.
- A wristband for employees who work alone, which can be used as a discreet panic button or a check-in tool.
- ID cards to send an audio call to a call center in case of emergency.
- Smart glasses that allow workers in specific specialties to hold video conferences with other experts.
Bank of America installed a sensor on the ID badges of its call center employees to measure how they interacted socially. Based on the results, they decided to introduce a short coffee break, since productivity increased the more they interacted. With this action they improved customer satisfaction and service by 10%.
Predictions (The future of wearable devices in the workplace) point to a rise in these technologies for more agile and connected work, with safer and healthier workplaces. Likewise, it is predicted that more and more professions will be required to monitor their health with wearable devices: professional athletes, airline pilots, industrial workers…
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality (AR) allows, with special glasses paired with specific software, the vision of a physical real-world environment through a technological device. Tangible physical elements are combined with virtual elements, thereby creating a mixed reality: the user perceives a blend of the two realities.
In virtual reality (VR), the user is isolated from the material reality of the physical world in order to “immerse” themselves in a totally virtual scenario or environment.
What for?
- Recruitment processes: simulating situations with candidates in a work environment as similar as possible to the real one, to see their reactions, performance, weaknesses and strengths.
- Onboarding: virtual visits by candidates to get to know the company, the culture, the way of working, to familiarize themselves with what will be their real environment, and to interact with their new teams, colleagues, executives, and the company’s CEO.
- Improving experience and engagement: creating different environments for situations such as a celebration, a team building event, the presentation of new projects, proximity management… saving on costly rentals of specific venues and improving and innovating in communication.
- Training: simulating real work scenarios, rehearsing situations and reactions.
EY (formerly Ernst & Young) is using Virtual Reality to simulate and rehearse feedback situations from managers to teams and for development and training purposes. It was recently recognized for this innovative initiative at the Premios Expansión & Empleo a la Innovación en Recursos Humanos
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence (AI) combines logic, computing and philosophy in pursuit of behaviors considered intelligent. It is capable of analyzing data in large quantities (big data), identifying patterns and trends using algorithms and paradigms of human behavior, in order to solve problems, make predictions or perform tasks automatically, quickly and accurately.
Its potential grows exponentially when connected with IoT and Wearables, or for robotics applications, as well as in many others that I share with you below.
What for?
- Automated learning or ‘machine learning‘ for data analysis in human resources. Google is a great example of how artificial intelligence is applied in HR, with algorithms that help them proactively predict which employees are most likely to become a retention problem, or with predictive models to get ahead and predict possible problems and/or identify opportunities (“What would happen if…”). These applications allow them to act before it is too late, as well as to seek personalized solutions.
- Chatbots or Bots, programs with which it is possible to hold a conversation, request some type of information or ask for an action to be carried out. They incorporate artificial intelligence systems and therefore learn and feed back, over time, on questions and answers, and on users’ tastes and preferences. They are very useful for answering candidates’ questions during their recruitment process, helping employees with personal procedures, resolving queries, speeding up internal paperwork, etc…
- Facial recognition or fingerprint recognition to speed up access to computers, offices, rooms…without the need for passwords… or to identify moods, tracking to segment communications, personalizing shortcuts to internal tools and platforms according to profiles, interests, countries, moments…
- Digital interviews with cognitive neuroscience. Unilever includes online neuroscience games and a digital interview with the candidate in its recruitment program. Thanks to artificial intelligence, it obtains data based on their answers, keywords, body language and tone.
Blockchain
Blockchain is like a digital ledger, shared in a decentralized way, tamper-proof thanks to sophisticated cryptography systems, which allows many transactions to be automated and requires neither bonds of trust between those who use it nor anyone acting as a ‘central registry’. A technology that will make it possible to simplify many of the current HR processes in which “things” are transferred, turning them into assets.
What for?
- Facilitating recruitment processes by quickly validating a candidate’s academic and professional history using services such as BlockCerts.
- Allowing a network of contacts that leads us to a candidate to be identified and rewarded with virtual currencies.
- Contacting freelancers and paying them with a proprietary currency, simplifying invoices and supplier management.
- Smart employment contracts, validating data in an automated way, or activating and deactivating an employee’s contract.
- Applying blockchain to international payrolls, speeding up transactions.
We are in the era of transformation, but it makes no sense without a purpose, without an aim, without a “what for”. As I told you recently: “less “bits” and more “mindset”. We are not facing a technological challenge; the technology is already here and it will allow us to do unimaginable things that until now were impossible.
Let us think of technology as an enabler, as an opportunity to become an agile, connected, innovative company that is attractive to work for.
Shall we begin?
originally published on mujeresconsejeras
