Integrate or Die: Improving the world of hr technology

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Steve and Jordan talk with Mary Poppen about links between HR technology, employee experience, and customer experience. Prior to her role as President of the Employee Experience Division of HRIZONs, Mary led customer experience functions in several prominent HR technology companies and wrote a book about customer and employee experience called “Goodbye Churn, Hello Growth!” . Some things we cover:

+ The challenge of experience management being something that everyone is responsible for but that few people are held accountable for.

+ Why companies need more centralized, cross-functional, continuous, integrated employee and customer experience management platforms.

+ Reasons companies struggle when building experience management technology platforms and functions

We also hear Jordan talk about dark, scary temperature-controlled closets and learn that Steve was once in the CIA (not that CIA)

Steve and Jordan talk with Ben Granger using technology to understand and influence employee attitudes, engagement and commitment. The Chief Workplace Psychologist at Qualtrics, Ben is a pioneer and leading expert in the use of technology and data to understand and act on employee experience, perceptions, and attitudes. We go much deeper into the true purpose of employee listening technology and the fact that the way in which organizations operationalize employee matters a great deal. Some things we cover:

+ Why trust is at the heart of the employee experience

+ The difference between employee listening and monitoring. The former build trust and the latter often does the opposite. 

+ Employee listening is about honest conversations. When we conflate this with evaluation listening data becomes corrupted

We also learn what nutria rats are and what nutria rats have to do with employee listening.

  Steve and Jordan talk with Paul Rubenstein about how to effectively collect and utilize workforce data to drive business results. Paul is the Chief Customer Officer for Vizier and has built a career based on a passion for using science and data to make better decisions about talent. Some of the things we cover:

+ Why data validity has and continues to be a fundamental challenge to the field of HR analytics

+ The importance of looking at data from the perspective of people who do not work in HR

+ What HR can learn from finance when it comes to making effective use of data

Steve and Jordan also learn what it means to be a “passenger princess”. 

Steve and Jordan talk with Thomas Otter about the current state and future growth of the HR technology market. Thomas is a General Partner at Acadian Ventures, a company the funds the growth of HR technology companies. During his career he has held almost every type of job in HR technology one could have including leading product management for one of the largest HR technology companies on the planet. Some things we cover:

+ Workforce analytics and why HR should be making it more of a priority

+ The underestimated impact that AI will have on work and how people are managed

+ Why team building and team dynamics is an area in need of technological innovation

We also learn that the very first HR technology system in England was created in 1951. Guess what function it served? And Steve is told what would really happen if psychologists ruled the world.

 Steve and Jordan talk with Sam Passman about using technology to support talent management activities such goal setting, coaching, performance management, and career development. Sam is VP Product Management at SAP SuccessFactors and has played a central role in building some of the most widely used learning and talent technology solutions in the market. Some things we cover:

+ Shifting talent management from an organizational driven to employee driven activity

+ How AI is changing how companies and employees do talent management

+ The importance of creating transparency in talent management practices

We also discuss musicals and almost break out into song, but thankfully come to our senses.

 Steve and Jordan talk with Maria Colacurcio about using technology to reduce pay inequity based on gender bias and other non-job relevant employee characteristics. Maria is CEO for Syndio where she helps companies identify, understand, and correct situations where employees are being paid unfairly relative to their skills and contributions. Some things we cover:

+ Equitable pay does not mean equal pay and why it is hard to ensure people are paid fairly

+ The impact performance management has on achieving pay equity

+ Moving from pay for negotiation to pay for performance

We also explore whether changing the lighting changes the conversation.

Steve and Jordan talk with Adam Greenberg about using technology to manage employee shift schedules. Adam is President and CEO of MakeShift and is a leading figure in using technology to reimagine how companies manage employee’s time. Some things we cover:

+ Why scheduling is far more complicated than people realize

+ How methods used to manage work schedules impact employee morale and team building

+ The diverse data used for workforce scheduling from weather forecasts to employee skills

We also go down memory lane when Jordan reveals he had a Diner’s Club card and Steve talks about the movie “Clockwise”.

Steve and Jordan talk with Bryce Winkelman about using technology to understand people’s current capabilities and future potential. Bryce is Chief Revenue Officer for SeekOut where he guides development of technology to support development and utilization of employee skills. His previous roles include building a company that went from a small start up to a company that became so large it resulted in creating an entirely new category of HR technology. Some things we cover:

+ Why leaders must use technology if they want to understand their workforce at a deep level

+ Expanding employee insights by going beyond traditional sources of workforce data

+ The positive outcomes that result from increasing internal employee mobility

We also pose the question of what would happen if generative AI started asking generative AI to create articles about increasing the use of generative AI, and has this already happened?

Steve and Jordan talk with Imran Sajid about the under-appreciated impact payroll technology has on organizational performance and employee experience. Imran is the Global HR and Payroll Technology Executive at EPI-USE and has spent a career deploying, developing and educating people on the use of complex global payroll solutions. Some things we cover:

+ The challenges of building technology where 99.99% accuracy is considered a total failure.

+ How providing employees insight and control over how they are paid affects their lives

+ Why seemingly small changes to pay practices can create massive logistical issues

Jordan is also forced to concede to Steve that the topic of payroll is actually very interesting.  

Steve and Jordan talk with Jenny Dearborn about using technology to support employee learning. Jenny is the Chief People Officer for BTS and has had a career focused on using technology to improve employee development. She also wrote the book Data Drivenon using workforce data to improve sales performance. Some things we cover:

+ Why traditional learning technology often fails to improve employee skills and performance

+ The value and limitations of using employee assessment tools to support development

+ Building learning programs that business leaders will value as being effective and relevant

We also learn to never ask a question unless you know what you will do with the answer

Steve and Jordan talk with Michael Grimm about design and use of technology that enables companies to effectively visualize and interpret workforce data. Michael is the founder of Ingentis, where he has helped hundreds of companies use technology to integrate, interpret and act on workforce, financial and operations data from multiple sources. Some things we cover:

+ The transformational power associated with being able to see data in a meaningful way

+ The value of using technology that is designed to work across different HR platforms

+ Why people are one of the biggest barriers to getting good data

We also learn the Latin word for genius and Steve tells a story about heated car seats. 

Steve and Jordan talk with Mike Fitzsimmons about using technology to measure and improve quality of hire. Mike is the CEO of Crosschq and is focused on helping  companies improve their hiring intelligence through the use of data. Some things we cover:

+ The transformative impact created by accurately measuring the quality of hiring decisions

+ Factors impacting new hire performance that have nothing to do with the employee

+ The challenges to measuring and improving quality of hire at a holistic level

We also ponder why people persist in doing things that are clearly not working as intended.