Three ways HR tech can help build a People Company

Do you put your people first in your organization, over everything else?

Some businesses might like to think so. In fact, 55% of senior executives we polled thought that they’re a ‘People Company’ when Sage People asked them. 

Yet, staggeringly, only 29% of employees agreed.

‘People Companies’ explained

Our research showed that companies that put people first get ahead. They attract the best, and as a result, their business flourishes because they invest in their biggest opportunity for growth – their people. 

We call companies which do this ‘People Companies’.

They’re organizations that know that their people are their most valuable asset, and that company success is dependent on their workforce being successful. They get that nurturing their people is critical to growth.

How are People Companies using HR technology to get ahead?

Let’s be honest, gone are the days when companies could simply post a vacancy on a job board and wait for the applicants to come rolling in. 

The best employers attract top talent and deliver great candidate experiences throughout the entire recruitment process. This translates seamlessly into great workforce experiences when they start their jobs and subsequently throughout their employment lifecycle. 

People Companies know this, and design experiences for employees that they know are intuitive and personalized, thanks to HR technology. Here’s how… 

1. People Companies are automating processes to free up time 

People Companies are using technology to automate HR processes, so they can focus on their people, not paperwork. 

They use HR and People systems that are designed specifically for their employees, which allow their workforce to do things themselves, such as booking holiday, setting objectives, or managing their teams. 

Our research supports this. It found that typically, 80% of fast-growth organizations have embraced HR automation versus 53% in lower-growth businesses.

2. People Companies are using People Science instead of gutfeel 

Apart from a simple headcount report, our research found that fewer than 50% of HR and People leaders today can deliver same-day metrics such as top and bottom performers, skills gaps, and attrition levels. 

In fact, only 34% of companies are currently using data and analytics for making people decisions. 

In a People Company, leaders get insight on what drives their workforce not just from people analytics, but People Science. 

They use approaches in data science to develop stronger actionable insights about their people and motivations. 

This is impossible on gutfeel and spreadsheets. 

With the right HR technology, HR and People leaders can view and build global reports and dashboards on-demand with one click. 

They can set up reports to notify managers of exceptions or conditional circumstances such as high absence levels, and provide interactive corporate, regional and functional scorecards for an at-a-glance overview of your entire business. 

The possibilities are endless. 

3. People Companies are embracing mobile, on-demand and flexible working

People Companies know that workplace flexibility is vital in attracting, engaging and retaining the best people. 

As the makeup of work teams continues to evolve, and the modern workforce becomes more tech savvy, more mobile and more dispersed, fast-growth companies are embracing new ways of working.

We live in an on-demand world where employees as consumers can do everything online. They expect the same from their workplace. 

This is impossible without cloud technology like a HR and People system that can be accessed anywhere, any time on any device. 

Are you designing great experiences for your people? 

Becoming a People Company means using scalable, responsive, flexible People systems that allow companies to provide tailored and effective employee experiences throughout the entire employment journey, anytime, anywhere, and on any device. 

Automation, data and cloud technology are vital in not only building great experiences for workforces, but they also enable HR and People teams to concentrate on the more strategic things. 

Why is it important? Because today only one third of US employees are engaged at work, according to Gallup. 16% of the US workforce are actively disengaged. The remaining 50 million employees aren’t engaged at all, ‘they’re just there’.

Which category do your people fall into?