Human Resources teams around the country are embracing new technology to help recruit and retain employees, and manage their employment benefit services.
Similar to other departments such as Marketing and Sales; whom have rapidly adopted new software technology to grow their brands and lead generation efforts (e.g. Sales Force, Hubspot, NetSuite…etc), HR departments are catching up as new technology is proven to create operating efficiencies and streamline processes.
From big data analysis, cloud recruiting software, innovative HRIS platforms, to social media – technology is transforming the way HR departments run their business. Entrepreneur magazine writes in A New Wave of HR Technology is Disrupting the Market that companies like Zenefits, Expensify, and Gild are a few of the new entrants disrupting HR categories such as benefits, employee reimbursements, and recruiting.
Workforce.com writes in “Smaller Companies on an HR Tech Buying Spree” that this focus on HR technology is being “driven by innovations in cloud-based software, which are giving small companies access to enterprise-level HR software at much lower price points.”
Outside of digital technology, Human Resources departments are taking a leading role in defining the physical workplace environment, such as open office design, furniture selection, and other tactics to create a more comfortable space – like adding popular amenities like snacks, video game lounges, and on-site fitness facilities. Many of these improvements are actually there to help boost productivity (well, maybe not video game lounges) along with employee satisfaction. In The Importance of an Office Layout, HR expert and writer Jill Leviticus notes that “it’s important to consider whether your employees will benefit from an open plan before you redesign your office” since different types of employees may prefer different types of working environments.
One of the technologies used in open floor plan offices is direct-field sound masking, which can be easily retrofitted in an office, and helps to protect speech privacy and reduce office noise distractions by making nearby human speech less intelligible. HR managers often recommend direct-field sound masking to their facility teams as a virtually invisible tool to help create a comfortable, employee friendly, work environment that can boost productivity. Installed in private offices (such as the VP HR, CFO…etc.) and conference rooms, sound masking also helps protects speech privacy, so private meetings stay private.
To learn more about direct-field sound masking visit Cambridge Sound Management at booth 2708 at the HR Technology Conference October 18-21, 2015 in Las Vegas. Or schedule a personal demo with a sound masking expert.
– David Sholkovitz