The Ever-Changing World of HR Tech: Distinct Challenges for HR Professionals

The HR Tech industry has come a long way in the last ten years. It’s no longer only comprised of complicated, top down, feature heavy systems for large enterprises. Global HR technology spending is now at $40 billion a year, and companies of all sizes want a piece of the pie. This has also had a large impact on recruiting, as the workforce now has very different and wide ranging expectations of what “work” looks like, even when compared to 5-10 years ago. As the economy continues to grow, new systems are being introduced to recruit, engage, and maintain talent, and also control how people communicate and are managed. That’s exciting from a business standpoint; but from a PR perspective, it presents a new challenge for brands looking to stand out in an ultra-competitive environment.

The good news? As the industry continues to grow and new types of workers enter and exit the workforce, the opportunity to educate companies about the complex and ever-changing world of HR Tech is at an all-time high. In particular, the media is showing a tremendous appetite to learn more about the modern workforce in 2019 – from niche publications and analysts within the HR/workforce space, to mainstream business and consumer media. These audiences are hungry for case studies, data, and trends impacting everyone from Gen Z to Baby Boomers, startups to established companies, and more. Companies that can deliver this type of thought leadership on a regular basis can better position themselves as category leaders in the press, and win new customers by establishing themselves as a trusted advisor to companies as they navigate the future of work.

Trend to weigh in on: more jobs than people to fill them

For the first time in at least 20 years, there are now more job openings than there are people looking for work, which has really tightened the war for talent. The media is looking for companies to weigh in on every aspect of the hiring process – whether it’s automating recruiting, making the application process easier for candidates, onboarding and developing your team, effectively retaining employees, and more. Placing contributed articles in industry publications is an excellent way to share your message exactly as you intend, like we were able to do with this piece for our client Caliper on what to look for in a new hire.

Evolving job titles is another topic that has been widely covered in the media. Many companies are coming up with catchier job titles to attract younger talent, stripping away some of the more standard titles for more “fun” ones such as “Sales Ninja” or “Customer Happiness Officer.” We capitalized on the rebranding of job titles in this Wall Street Journal piece, offering insight on how younger workers want to define themselves and take ownership of their new roles starting with the title.

Trend to weigh in on: a new generation of workers demands meaningful work and work-life balance

Meaningful work is a major priority when it comes to millennials – they don’t want to work just anywhere. This generation is looking for work that affects the company’s bottom line, has social responsibility and offers flexibility. 53% of employees say a role that allows them to have greater work-life balance and better personal well-being is “very important” to them, and meaningful work is the single largest contributor to a positive employee experience (27%).

Employees are much more likely to be engaged if their organization has a similar mission and values to their own. Having a well defined company culture also goes a long way when it comes to keeping employees happy.

With this new generation of workers and tight labor market, the fascination with workplace culture continues – how to build it, how to sustain it, and how to get it just right. And it’s not just for corporate teams; job seekers are equally interested in tips around how to determine the right cultural fit, which our client CultureIQ recently weighed in on for this NBC piece.

Trend to weigh in on: the future of work is in flux

The future of work will look a lot different in ten years, and there are some key trends playing a role in shaping it – including AI, a skills based economy, consumer privacy, and big data. Offering case studies, data, and predictions around this topic can help give companies the insights they need to build a future-proof workplace. We recently helped our client Braidio do just that by heading up a survey of 1,000 American office workers, designed to expose their preferences for methods of learning, collaboration, and the technologies they think will have the greatest impact in the next five years. Surveys are a great way for businesses to find compelling data points that create their own story in the media. Our survey in particular reinforced some key predictions around workplace productivity, the remote workforce, and more. Press is very interested in receiving raw data on such a popular topic, which really amplified our coverage and played right into our strategy.

As HR Tech continues to evolve, building an agile workplace remains ever important for companies to succeed. If you’ve got the insights to help this audience put the right corporate culture and infrastructure in place…share them. A smart and steady thought leadership program is the best way to earn the trust of the market, and stand out among a sea of HR Tech brands in the years to come.

Resound recently sponsored a Stacklist event, Recruiting & Culture: Building a Startup Team, with panel members from CultureIQ, Betterment, Movable Ink, and Greenhouse. Here are some of the key takeaways from the event that you can use to build your next dream team.

To discuss how our team can make some noise for your HR, recruiting, or workplace brand, please e-mail rich@resoundmarketing.com.