Why technology is an imperative, not an opportunity, for HR

HR departments often suffer from underinvestment in technology, with the purchase of new systems prioritised to corporate functions where commercial payback is perceived as more immediately tangible. But times have changed.

That's according to David Hargrave, Director at Willis Towers Watson, who is urging HR to shift their mindsets from seeing technology as an opportunity to seeing it as a commercial imperative.

"HR must embrace change and meet the expectations of its modern workforce," he tells us. Failing to do so, especially among a younger cohort of workers who are acquainted with technology, has a negative impact on engagement and the company’s employee value proposition.

Hargrave outlines the key areas where HR can benefit from investing in software: “In compensation and reward, specialist software can be applied to many areas from program design and delivery to the user interface and communication.