Leading Thoughts - Change Over Time

Are you curious about rapidly evolving technology that can think like a human, drive data driven decisions, increase employee experience or just understand in general how technology can help you as an HR professional? You are not alone! Here at HRNZ, we are delighted to launch the Tech Channel to feed and water this need.

Today’s issue will cover a bit about me, our new Tech Channel, and how you can subscribe to receive my content. Future issues will delve deeper. We will share updates on HR technology trends, expert industry insights, and any cool tools and platforms we come across.

I’m about to show my age here, but I remember my school days when we knew our home phone numbers by heart. On Fridays, we’d bring cash in an envelope to order out pies for lunch. The office staff would gather the orders and fax them to the local bakery. If we were sick our parents would call the office, and when we were better, they’d handwrite a note explaining our absence. Websites and apps didn’t exist, and neither did email. When we were home sick, we would rest, read, or watch the same video repeatedly if we had a TV and a VCR. My favourite was Lady and the Tramp, which I saved up for months to buy from Whitcoulls. On our bookshelf sat a massive set of Britannica encyclopedias, which we’d refer to for school assignments and general knowledge. We also had a Plunket or first aid book for when we were unwell.

I vividly remember the first computers in our classroom - this huge box that two or three classrooms shared. Kids were drawn to it, eagerly arriving at school to take turns. Those educational games allowed us to write stories, and I remember typing with one finger from each hand, proudly printing my stories to take home, where my mum would stick them on the fridge.

The rest is a blur. By high school, we had computer labs, and I eagerly chose computer studies as an elective. We learned how to use Microsoft Word and Publisher and practiced typing. Then the internet exploded onto the scene, and the encyclopedias were never touched again for assignments.

I got my first email address on Hotmail and chatted with friends on ICQ. We only had one phone line at home, so we couldn’t take incoming calls when we were using our painfully slow dial-up internet. Looking back, I laugh now; my kids can’t believe how things used to be. They look at me like I’m some sort of historical dinosaur when I tell them about a life without internet and technology!

The World Is a Different Place Now 

What does this look like?

• We have apps for everything!
  If you're anything like me, you can't remember your password half the time, too many systems. The result of having too many systems is actually a loss of productivity; often systems don't integrate as they are put in to solve an isolated problem.
• Social media is everywhere!
  It is how we engage with each other. Willingly or not, what we read on social media can influence our attitudes, values and beliefs about an organisation.
• Software is transforming quicker than we can say "There's an AI for that"
• Hundreds of products are available in the HRIS space.
  I can show you slide after slide of great providers. 

The list is not getting smaller. While it is great to have options, it is overwhelming!

We know that as digital technologies evolve and both end user and user expectations shift, HR professionals are constantly rethinking how they use technology. Many of us are still using manual processes for key HR functions, and aren't sure how to fix it or change. 

Here at HRNZ, we have heard our members! There is a strong interest in learning more about technology and how to choose what to implement, so I am delighted to launch the Tech Channel! 

View upcoming Tech Channel Events