{"id":8289,"date":"2020-11-16T07:50:18","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T07:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sage-people-scraping-gb.local\/?p=1240"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:02:58","slug":"hr-tech-trends-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hr-tech-trends-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"HR tech trends to watch in 2021: 5 expert tips on how to get ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHR tech trends to watch in 2021: 5 expert tips on how to get ahead\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tJessica Leyshon<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Can you believe it\u2019s already nearly the new year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, 2020 didn\u2019t pan out quite the way we were expecting but it\u2019s time for HR to look to the future once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is, there\u2019s plenty to look forward to, especially when it comes to the future of HR technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find out what\u2019s on the horizon, we reached out to a panel of five future-thinking HR experts to get their views so you, as HR and People leaders, can get ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what they told us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Request a free, live demo of Sage People and discover how it can help your organisation attract the best people, retain your key talent and increase productivity<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Delivering experiences remotely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After a tumultuous 2020, Ben Eubanks, Principal Analyst at Lighthouse Research and Advisory in the US, believes the remote employee experience will shoot to the top of every HR leader\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCompanies must be able to deliver experiences remotely,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With many companies looking to work virtually for the long-term, the future for HR tech will be to \u201cdeliver experiences remotely that engage workers to bring their best selves to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better still, Eubanks believes improved employee engagement technology could have a positive impact on diversity and inclusion, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am seeing an incredible growth in diversity tech,\u201d he says, \u201cfrom tools to support more inclusive hiring and engagement to analytics and everything in between.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, when it comes to investing in technology, it\u2019ll be vital to include employee experience in the broader picture \u2013 meaning it\u2019s more important than ever for HR to be involved in the tech selection process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Tech platforms helping HR to do even more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HR played a vital role in steadying the ship during coronavirus (COVID-19). It\u2019s likely that HR and People teams will take on an even bigger role in driving their organization forward in 2021 and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Robert Hicks, Group HR Director of UK-based Reward Gateway, HR leaders will need to be prepared to \u201cdo more with less time, money and resources\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the problems Hicks foresees is that HR will have to juggle both the expectations of the business and its employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told us that while on the one hand businesses will want HR to reduce costs, at the same time employees will increasingly be asking for new technology to help them do their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question then becomes: how can HR satisfy both sides?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution, as Hicks sees it, is to invest in collaboration technology that integrates a greater number of processes into one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More specifically, he believes HR leaders should invest in \u201cemployee engagement and experience platforms that can serve as the one place employees go to connect with their company and feel recognised and supported\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hicks believes this seamless integration could help HR to save both time and money, by integrating more processes into one place and helping to create a single version of the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free guide, HR in the moment: Changing expectations and perceptions of HR<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Artificial intelligence saving HR departments time and money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While it has long been tipped to disrupt the HR sector, this is the year Angela Maiers, CEO and Founder of Choose2Matter in the US, finally sees artificial intelligence (AI) making a big impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI is now an essential part of our daily lives and will continue to drastically improve the capacities of HR in 2021 and beyond,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom AI software that is able to expedite the screening process to technologies that promise to make more sophisticated matches and recruiters,\u201d the business case for AI, she says, is clear: time and cost-savings across the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial intelligence may seem worlds away but it\u2019s already slowly creeping into the HR worksphere \u2013 meaning now is the time for teams to upgrade their skillsets in order to harness this technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Shifting to asynchronous communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Jon Ingham, Director of the UK\u2019s Strategic HR Academy: \u201cThere needs to be a shift to asynchronous communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many others, Ingham believes the return to physical workplaces will be slow, and that the effects of the pandemic will change working culture permanently. The future, therefore, is one in which the workplace works on a digital-first model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe most important tech HR should be focused on,\u201d he believes, \u201ccontinues to be the digital workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this, Ingham foresees a move towards asynchronous communication \u2013 a style of communication that does not warrant instant responses, and which facilitates employees to manage their workloads more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free guide, HR in the moment: Changing expectations and perceptions of HR<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

5. On-demand pay becoming the new norm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lisa Sterling, CEO and Founder of R3-Engage, a US-based HR consultancy, believes the financial impact felt by many employees throughout 2020 will lead them towards seeking faster access to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe concept of a payday every two weeks is antiquated and outdated,\u201d she claims, adding that a shift towards a more flexible payment culture will become a \u201cgame-changer\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In preparation for this trend, Sterling urges HR tech vendors to make the most of a \u201chuge opportunity to create far greater flexibility\u201d in 2021, by implementing what she calls a system of \u201con-demand pay\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this needn\u2019t necessarily mean daily paydays, it could lead to a system in which employees are able to request payments with a higher degree of flexibility \u2013 for instance, taking advance payments as and when they need them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR in 2021 and beyond<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that 2021 \u2013 and the next few years that follow \u2013 will be huge for HR and People teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, by knowing the big trends on the horizon, you can hit the ground running and help your team to make great strides, despite whatever the future has in store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to attract the best people, retain your key talent and increase productivity? Request a free, live demo of Sage People and discover how it can help you achieve your goals.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRequest a free demo<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We reached out to a panel of global HR leaders to hear about some of the big trends set to disrupt the industry in 2021. Find out what they told us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1118,"featured_media":5980,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,114],"tags":[240,159],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[69,71],"imagine_tag":[92,217,96,218],"coauthors":[397],"class_list":["post-8289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","category-trends-insights","tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses","tag-midsized-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Jessica Leyshon","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-619403886.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes","96":"Medium businesses","218":"Top HR resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/5980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=8289"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}