Webinar Recap: HR Technology vs. Real-world Challenges

It was no surprise to us that our webinar “Leveraging HR Technology to Meet Real-world Challenges” brought some great, real ideas to the table.

We brought in HR thought leader Robin Schooling to talk about these ideas because she’s been there. She’s had to bridge that disconnect between where an HR technology solution may end and where the real solution begins. With LBi Software President Richard Teed, we heard someone with decades of experience in the HR technology industry talk about the challenges of meeting the needs of HR pros. Lastly, the guidance and moderation of Laurie Ruettimann helped balance the two perspectives to give some powerful insights.

The big takeaways from the webinar for us were:

• Without any thought, HR technology is just a tool. It won’t make you smarter, and it won’t necessarily make you consider how to do something differently. And for all the efficiencies that this technology can bring, we still need thoughtful people behind it.
• Easy access to information empowers employees to help themselves. Make it easier on employees by giving them consumer-like access to their HR answers. For example, LBi HR HelpDesk encourages your employees to get answers to their questions in seconds.
• Gaps still exist between HR tech solutions and real-world issues. For those expecting a technology silver bullet, you’ll be sorely disappointed by what we have to say. There’s a gap between reality and expectations and it’s not going away anytime soon.
• The right tools helps you know more about your employees. Monitor your employees’ social network discussions and activities. Applications like LBi HR HelpDesk give you that ability, but you should also consider the legal issues associated with it.

There are some smart questions that HR technology can help us answer. But it got us thinking about a question we had for our audience that we didn’t have time to ask:

What are some of the key questions that you’re looking for HR technology to answer for your organization?

We covered 11 questions in our webinar (and we thought they’re really smart questions to ask), but we wanted to ask you what your priorities are. Were there questions in the presentation that really resonated with you? Are there other topics that we didn’t cover that are top of mind? Maybe more important, how are you exploring new questions that you hope HR technology can help answer going forward?

Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

We hope you enjoyed our webinar. If you missed it or want to re-watch a portion of it, the good news is you can still get a recording of it. If you’d like the slides, they’re available as well.