Investing in People is the Future of Work: HR Insight Summit 2020

The HR Insight Summit 2020Opens a new window  organized by GDS GroupOpens a new window in Arizona, USA to be held Jun. 10–12, 2020, will bring together top HR leaders from across the globe to discuss how best to maximize ROI through implementing transformative technologies. In an exclusive pre-event interview with HR Technologist, Barbie WinterbottomOpens a new window , Brian LittleOpens a new window , and Greg MuccioOpens a new window , share:

• Ways to improve business outcomes by investing in peopleOpens a new window
• Techniques to manage a global, mobile workforce inclusively
• Tips to build a successful business case to invest in HR tech, and more

Barbie Winterbottom, chief people officer, BIC Graphic

Having spent her career driving results in both startups and global Fortune 500 companies, Winterbottom is responsible for building healthy, people-centered cultures and strong diverse leadership teams.

Brian Little, vice president human resources, Intel Corporation

Little brings his passion for building teams and developing leadership strategies to his teams at Intel Corporation. He believes in enabling diversity and data to enhance the employee experience.

Greg Muccio, director talent acquisition, Southwest Airlines

With over two decades of experience in workforce development and hiring strategy, Greg is responsible for shaping and leading Southwest’s talent acquisition and employment branding teams. At the summit, he will talk about what it takes to convince candidates to choose you.

Here are some excerpts from the insightful conversation: 

HR Technologist: What is your number one tip for HR on improving outcomes by investing in people?

Barbie: Investing in our people and showing them, we care, strengthens our relationships. When Employees hear “People First” messages and they feel they are valued we deepen our connections. By asking questions like, “What can we do to improve your life” and then seeking solutions to meet those needs, we build trust. When employees trust their leaders and their organization, they care more about outcomes because they feel we are in it together. When employees care about outcomes, they perform better, they bring forward innovative ideas and they start seeking opportunities to raise the bar. This type of symbiotic relationship is how organizations lift themselves up to higher levels of performance while improving the lives of their people both inside and outside the workplace.

Brian: It is such a great time to be an HR leader and professional. Now more than ever business leaders realize the difference between thriving and withering in today’s world of change are the people you engage to solve problems for customers or stakeholders. Technology has democratized access to talent. However, technology alone is not the key enabler. It is how employees and our extended workforce (contingent, contract, etc) connect to the mission of the organization and the value proposition of contributing to the success of the business. Though technology allows companies access to new talent it also allows the talent to find a better fit for their goals and aspirations. We, as HR leaders, need to find ways to consistently connect individuals to the organization in ways that help them be at their best. 

Greg: I think people are the number one resource for any company and they are becoming scarcer.  So, investing in them and making your people feel valued are critical to any business. To improve the outcome, find ways to connect the investment to both their personal gain and the impact it has on your organization. Creating the purpose for that investment helps both engagement and sustainability for it.

Learn More: 4 Trends Shaping the Future of WorkOpens a new window

HR Technologist: What are the top 3 techniques to manage a global, mobile workforce inclusively?

Barbie: I have found it both necessary and effective to use tools to help people feel connected. Internally we rely heavily on video conferencing. Seeing your teams faces, their responses and expressions help build connections. With 70% of communication being non-verbal, it is incredibly important to have the ability to both hear and see folks when meeting. 

Recognizing people live within the traditions and social norms of their geography and cultures, it is important we recognize and celebrate what makes us unique and is important to us. Every year, we survey our employees around the globe and ask them to share with us what’s important to them. We ask them to share with us the holidays, events and celebrations they recognize, and we then share this information out with our entire population throughout the year as the holidays occur. We provide education around different holidays, how they originated, why they have meaning and who celebrates them. 

We make significant efforts to include our remote workers in company celebrations and activities. When we have costume dress-up days or theme days, we collect photos of remote workers and share them in Town Hall meetings, on our Employee Resource Hub, and in our employee newsletter.

Brian: We must remember it takes work to stay connected to a global and mobile workforce inclusively. We must avoid defaulting to email, text, or internal social media channels as our primary way of communicating. It is important to use technologies that allow virtual face to face communication on a regular basis. It also important to be prepared by keeping one on one meetings, holding development only discussions, keeping up with personal achievements and milestones for staff. Many managers fail to remember that their staff on the move should be factored in meetings and what types of communications can be utilized. Ensuring that all team members have a voice in the conversation is very important. Careful thought is needed to ensure everyone has access and a chance to contribute. Seeking input from those who are quieter is a simple technique, but it often is the least utilized.

Greg: Communicate often, I mean a lot! Vary the size and form of communication. Not everything needs to be in a long memo. Short/quick e-mails work. Phone calls, WebEx, and even texting can work well. Our CEO does a weekly voice recorded message so you can hear his voice.

Establish a cadence and consistency to communication. I like to do a Friday weekly recap to my Team. It includes a few highlights for our Team. Shout-outs to members that did something good. A look forward to the next week and then a where am I note so they know if I am in the office, traveling, or just in a lot of meetings.

Expand your reach, it is very easy to ask questions, solicit input, and ask for help on a key assignment to those closest to you in proximity. You must be diligent in reaching out to others to keep them connected and to feel included.

Learn More: Future of Work: 10 Key Trends for the Next 10 YearsOpens a new window

HR Technologist: How can HR managers build a successful business case to invest in HR tech that facilitates diversity and inclusion?

Barbie: Understanding your culture, your people and all the ways in which prejudice and bias show up in the workplace is the starting off point for determining what, if any tech can help facilitate diversity & inclusion within your organization. I believe starting at the very front end of your process, is a smart way to begin laying the groundwork from robust D&I. Asking yourself and your teams questions like, “What recruitment marketing messages are we sending? How thoughtful are we being in developing our imagery and verbiage? Is our selection process providing equal opportunity for all candidates? Are we intentionally seeking diverse platforms and communicates?” Ensuring the job posting verbiage is gender-neutral and not slanted is incredibly important. There are technology solutions out there to help with many of these aspects of the hiring process, and to me, that’s where a company should start.

Brian: Organizations that rely on traditional methods of communication and connectivity may not operate at the speed of business. Technology allows leaders to tap into a broader population of staff or extended resources. Giving more team members, more information, in a transparent way allows more contribution. Our tools help us diagnose employee matters more effectively and see trends that perhaps we wouldn’t see through our typical observations. The return on investment starts with the belief that if you hire great people who are diverse in many ways why wouldn’t we invest in their ability to contribute? Technology improves our access to diverse talent and it also helps us find ways to engage our staff more effectively.

Greg: It is about getting to a series of yes answers to basic questions:

1. Is D&I important to your organization and why? If the answer is yes, then how are you doing? If you are not where you want to be than you move to the next set of questions.
2. The next is about getting agreement on what the issues are. What is the root cause, barriers, and roadblocks to reaching you goal? The yes you are wanting to get to be can a tool/technology help with the issues identified? If yes, move to the next one.
3. How will this technology help? What can it do that you can’t already do? How does help make decisions, etc? If yes, move to the next.
4. Is the size of the impact meaningful? How far will it move the needle for you? Is it worth the investment? Hoping for a yes here.
5. Lastly, show how you will measure success and the impact of the technology.

HR Technologist: What’s your take on the use of AI in HR tech?

Barbie: As I have been quoted before saying, and will repeat again, I love technology and respect what it can do at the same time I recognize what it cannot do. We all know the HR space has lagged a bit in having robust technology solutions, and now it seems space has exploded with more tech solutions than I have ever seen before. You can find a tech offering for absolutely every possible issue or concern you may have. Technology cannot fix culture and technology cannot replace leaders. My concern with some tech offerings is the promise to solve your culture struggles and leadership gaps, and we all know that simply will not happen. Adding tech into a broken culture, a broken process or poor leadership space will only further dilute and confuse the issues. Where I see AI benefitting the HR space is in the tactical areas of supporting employee questions around Total Rewards, Employee Relations, and policy, perhaps through chat functions to allow these teams to focus on solutions rather than responding to a multitude of the same questions day in and day out. I can also see a benefit in using AI to analyze data and find themes and underlying issues we may not see at first pass. I hesitate to go too deeply into AI within the people space until we really understand the long-term implications of how these tools help or hurt the culture of an organization. I have seen tech do wonders in improving connectivity and I have seen tech drive huge chasms within organizations. I always believe it’s best to map out exactly what you are trying to solve, ensure your organization has the people infrastructure, culture and leadership to support the initiative and then select the technology to help bring the solution to life. Unfortunately, I have seen for too many HR leaders select a tech solution based on an excellent sales pitch without the structures in place and it simply becomes anther failed HR initiative and waste of time, money and credibility.

Brian: AI, as it relates to HR, is here to stay. As the cost for AI goes down and the use cases become more apparent more HR leaders will use AI for problem-solving. Utilizing the robotics for gathering, sorting and maintaining data or managing processes is becoming more common. This will lead to AI tools that assist beyond problem diagnosis. AI tools will begin to suggest solutions for implementation. This will help HR speed up and contribute more to the success of organizations. AI tools will not replace human judgment in the shorter term, but they will make us smarter and allow us to concentrate on problems that are the most important.

Greg: It is a double-edged sword for sure. I am not a fan of using it to make hiring decisions. I think way too much can go wrong including the commoditizing of recruiting and Recruiters. The value is in eliminating highly administrative and routine actions and interactions with HR. Thus, freeing up your Team to spend more time with candidates or employees that need it and on other actions that bring a higher ROI. Creating space for candidates and employees to self-serve and get common questions answered quickly.

Learn More: People Analytics: Building a Data-driven HR functionOpens a new window

Interested in attending the HR Insight Summit on Jun. 10-12, 2020 at Arizona, USA? Hear Barbie Winterbottom, Brian Little, and Greg Muccio speak live about investing in people and managing diversity in the workplace, at the summit. You can apply hereOpens a new window to register and book your spot today.

Found these views interesting? Follow us on TwitterOpens a new window , Facebook Opens a new window and LinkedInOpens a new window to get the latest updates from the world of HR tech.