Sandra Campopiano: The new role of HR in the age of digital transformation

Sandra is also a board advisor in HR and organisational development for Sertech Exchange, an international technology company.

Here, we sit down with her to discuss how technology has transformed the HR industry in recent years, how it can help boost workplace engagement and why it’s crucial for companies to embrace this shift.

Employee engagement is a trending topic right now. Why is it an aspect that many organisations still struggle to tackle?

Big data companies like Gallup and Aon Hewitt who have measured employee engagement over decades report that in aggregate this number has at best remained static.

There may be many reasons for this: organisations working on the wrong things, the workforce changing with high turnover, communication or training strategies not being effective, or a mismatch between company values and leadership style.

The significant point is that any measure of engagement only reflects the mood of the organisation at a moment in time. With organisations being dynamic, living systems, measuring engagement on an annual or biannual cycle is not enough. In my opinion, it is important to regularly check engagement at both organisational and departmental level to get a better measure of progress. As with all things, the earlier you know, the more you can do.

In addition, I do believe that in any organisation, good leaders are the “conduit for the good and a filter for the bad”.  Having engagement information readily available helps them understand the influence of their behaviour on others.

For organizations that don’t have the resources to take stock of engagement more frequently, this is where HR tech will help reduce costs significantly.

How has workplace technology changed the way HR managers approach hiring, training and retaining employees?

I would say the impact of workplace technology has been dramatic on the profession.

I can remember when job adverts were placed in the press and days were spent reviewing CVs and interviewing candidates. Training was conducted either to address health and safety legislation or on a ‘feel good’ basis. We did not really understand the War for Talent or the changes in society such that we will all be spending more years at work with several careers during our working lives. The HR function was then very much in the back office as a highly administrative role with lots of paper involved!

HR is a very different profession today. The advent of machine learning and artificial intelligence means that HR leaders can be true business partners using data to inform decision-making. Plus, with digitised tools cutting out inefficient processes, they now have time to be on the ground with staff and focus on building organisational culture and capability.

Many companies are hesitant to introduce tech tools because they fear technology dehumanises workplace culture and limits team interactions. What are your thoughts on this?

I would argue quite the opposite. One of the biggest issues for organisations today is to build trust, belonging and loyalty from day one – and technology plays a huge role in that.

For example, it’s recognised that new recruits decide whether they stay or leave an organisation within the first three months of employment. For industries with a highly dispersed workforce – such as hospitality, logistics or manufacturing – attrition can be as high as 100%+.

Using HR tech for induction purposes addresses these issues with effective and speedy onboarding that assures all mandatory policies are covered. This opens up room for managers to focus on building the relationship with new hires to help build an early sense of belonging.

HR tech also helps speed up the hiring process and can take out any bias to ensure the diversity of talent that is so critical for innovation.  Taking over upstream administration processes leaves managers to focus on the interview itself – evaluating and selecting the best fit for the organisational culture.

Because of these reasons, it is my view that HR tech is incredibly valuable because it can help managers handle the ‘must do’s’ in recruitment, training, and ultimately engagement. With the wide-ranging list of responsibilities that managers are expected to cover, HR tech allows them to focus on building a relationship with people quickly, taking away much administration.

70% of millennials said they would consider leaving a company that lacked fast technology. Why is important to attract and retain millennial employees right now?

Millennials account for nearly half of the employees in the world already – in some companies, they already constitute the majority of the workforce. One key attribute of this generation is that they’ve been working with technology from a very young age and use it as a core part of their daily life. Because of this, they not only desire it in the workplace, but have grown to expect it. Organisations who seek to recruit and retain millennials need to have technology as a strong part of their work culture, particularly in the core areas of communications, training, mentoring and operations.

On top of this, the future of work is changing fundamentally with the increase in AI technologies. Some say that 30% of the roles today will disappear in the next 5-10 years and new roles will be developed requiring digital skills.

I propose, therefore, that it is not just millennials who crave the use of technology at work. It is the responsibility of all organisations to take every opportunity to develop the digital skills of all generations at work so that the workforce is in a better position to confidently embrace the future.

When looking for the right workplace tools to introduce to their organisation, what key features would you advise companies to look out for?

I would say prioritise the workplace tools that help you support and build your culture and capability.  Look for cost effective mobile first tools that are GDPR-compliant, can integrate easily with your enterprise systems, and are customisable in-house.