Copyright TechTarget - All rights reserved https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html Techtarget Feed Generator en Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:32:11 GMT https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware editor@techtarget.com <p>Learning management systems (LMSes) have long been central to employee learning and onboarding. The emergence of GenAI is expanding their capabilities by transforming how organizations create, deliver and measure training. AI-powered features can reduce administrative workloads, personalize learning experiences, increase user engagement and scale training more efficiently across global teams.</p> <p>For CHROs, AI-enhanced LMSes offer new opportunities to improve workforce development while streamlining learning operations. Benefits such as personalized learning, faster course creation, automated reporting and analytics and AI-generated insights can help organizations <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/How-to-create-an-employee-training-plan-with-template">deliver more effective training</a>. &nbsp;</p> <p>Understanding these capabilities can help HR leaders determine whether an AI-enabled LMS is the right fit for their organization's workforce development goals.</p> <p>They should evaluate not only the AI features available today but also the vendor's roadmap for expanding AI functionality, the expected ROI and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/HR-AI-use-cases-that-leaders-should-know">how AI can save time for administrators, instructors and users</a>.</p> <p>Here are five benefits of using an LMS with AI features.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="1. Personalized training"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Personalized training</h2> <p>LMSes with AI capabilities can offer employees personalized training recommendations. To do so, the AI model evaluates factors, including the employee's department, their job title, courses completed by their peers and training that has received positive ratings.</p> <p>This capability can save the learning team time and help ensure that employees are assigned courses by the required date. For example, automatic course assigning can help a company meet its compliance training deadline.</p> <p>The AI model can also draw on performance management data to recommend training for areas where an employee needs improvement, as well as for areas that can benefit an employee's career growth. For example, a software developer could receive AI-generated <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/tip/How-AI-powered-learning-affects-the-IT-skills-gap">recommendations for technology training</a> and leadership training.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="2. Faster course development"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Faster course development</h2> <p>Using an LMS with AI course development features can help CHROs save money and produce more training content.</p> <p>Also, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Will-AI-replace-HR-The-answer-is-complicated">HR employees can use AI tools</a> to review the grammar and composition of learning content, enabling them to focus on aligning courses with company values and goals rather than editing the content. It also helps ensure the content is as professional and easy to understand as possible.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="3. Faster reporting"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Faster reporting</h2> <p>AI capabilities can help companies report on employee training completion rates and analyze employee comments from training.</p> <p>AI can pull data from multiple sources and produce a report on employee training completion rates. AI can also analyze text responses and summarize the data. For example, if a training course asks employees for feedback on the learning content, AI can summarize the responses and report that the course received mostly positive ratings.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="4. Adaptive learning"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Adaptive learning</h2> <p>AI can base an LMS course's content <a target="_blank" href="https://www.montclair.edu/itds/digital-pedagogy/pedagogical-strategies-and-practices/adaptive-learning/" rel="noopener">on a specific employee's performance and knowledge</a>. For example, AI can use the results of an employee's previous tests to determine the content for the rest of the course, focusing on the employee's weak spots.</p> <p>This capability can reduce the time employees must spend on training and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Employee-experience-vs-employee-engagement-The-differences">increase employee engagement</a>.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="5. Improved localization"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Improved localization</h2> <p>For organizations with global workforces, AI can streamline localization by adapting menus, instructions and learning content for different languages and regions.</p> <p>For example, AI can tailor English-language content for employees in the U.S., UK or Canada by adjusting spelling, terminology and phrasing to match local usage. Localized content can create a more natural learning experience and improve employee engagement.</p> <p><i>Eric St-Jean is an independent consultant with a particular focus on HR technology, project management and Microsoft Excel training and automation. He writes about numerous business and technology areas.</i></p> </section> AI can recommend LMS training for areas where an employee needs improvement, as well as for areas that can benefit an employee's career growth. Learn other benefits. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/ai_a377464305.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/5-benefits-of-an-LMS-with-AI Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:40:00 GMT <p>While AI can carry out some hospitality-related administrative tasks, there is no replacement for how a human employee contributes to the guest experience, says Bettina Deynes, global chief human resources officer for Carnival Corp.</p> <p>Cruise line operator Carnival is using AI for various aspects of its operations and is encouraging employees to submit their own ideas for AI use cases. However, like many other companies, Carnival has encountered challenges with its AI implementation, Deynes says.</p> <p><b>Editor's note:</b><i>&nbsp;This interview was edited for length and clarity.</i></p> <p><b>What do you believe HR's role should be for a company's AI adoption?</b></p> <p><b>Bettina Deynes</b>: I believe HR is co-leading those efforts because we are the ones responsible for the architecture of how we work. And so, we have a very impactful role.</p> <p>But I don't think it just belongs in HR. It has to be a business enterprise effort.</p> <p><b>How is Carnival currently using AI?</b></p> <p><b>Deynes</b>: We are embedding it in a lot of what we do in the HR space, like with talent acquisition. We are creating platforms that integrate with our HCM systems to help us, for example, better process resumes and filter them and make sure that we identify the best candidates for the role. We are also using it in our casino operations and how they interpret data.</p> <p>We have taken an internal approach of building AI from within by creating roles that support and lead the function across the enterprise. We created an AI council that meets on a regular basis to see what our employees are creating.</p> <div class="imagecaption alignLeft"> <img src="https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/deynes_bettina.jpg" alt="Headshot of Bettina Deynes, global chief human resources officer for Carnival Corp.">Bettina Deynes </div> <p>We're working with a small company out of Miami that is helping us build technology, because we understand it's better if we do it from within. We're also leveraging Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT at the enterprise level to really enhance what we're doing.</p> <p><b>Employees create AI use cases on their own and then they bring them to the council? </b></p> <p><b>Deynes</b>: Employees come in, and they ask for financial investments for their AI ideas, and the council reviews and approves them.</p> <p>And then we bring them all to the AI summit that we hold every year -- this year will be our second year hosting it -- and we showcase the best results and outcomes.</p> <p><b>What are some of the challenges, if any, that Carnival has encountered with implementing AI? </b></p> <p><b>Deynes</b>: First is the buy-in, and I think employees, for the most part, were very skeptical at the beginning. There was the whole notion of, is AI going to replace our jobs? So, we have gotten through that, and we're in a much better position now. But that was a challenge, and we needed to communicate <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/change-management">change management</a>.</p> <p>Another challenge is dealing with five different generations in the workforce, where some of them are heavily dependent [on AI] to the point that they might lose their own critical thinking and creativity, and some are just not as quick to adopt. We needed to build the business case for how AI is not going to replace your job. And I think that's been incredibly effective.</p> <p>Another challenge is that there's so much out there, and there are so many companies trying to showcase their technology and consultants -- big companies, small companies. We had to determine the best approach.</p> <p><b>Do you have any AI-related advice for other companies in the hospitality industry? </b></p> <p><b>Deynes</b>: I think AI offers an opportunity to enhance the guest experience.</p> <p>We get so many emails, and anything that is received by email, AI can help us respond in a way that really represents the brand well. There are a lot of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcustomerexperience/definition/customer-touch-point">customer service touchpoints</a> that are administrative, so for us in the hospitality industry, AI is a benefit when used well.</p> <p><b>Are there any specific tasks that you think should still be carried out by human employees? </b></p> <p><b>Deynes</b>: The human in the loop, as they call it, it's in our industry -- it's paramount to what we do. It's not our ships or the beautiful destinations or the food or the shows, it's the people who deliver on the guest experience, who create the unforgettable experience. That's never going to change. There's never going to be a robot doing this on behalf of our people.</p> <p>We believe the AI impact will be on transactional and administrative, not on the human touch aspect.</p> <p><b>Does Carnival have any upcoming AI plans? </b></p> <p><b>Deynes</b>: We just went into production with the tool that we will be <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/7-talent-acquisition-and-recruitment-trends">using in talent acquisition</a>. Now we're strategizing for what is next.</p> <p>We're really going to continue through the whole employee lifecycle, from before an employee joins the organization until they retire. There are so many touch points where AI can be helpful.</p> <p><i>Molly Clancy is the senior site editor for Informa TechTarget's SearchHRSoftware and SearchERP sites.</i></p> Carnival Corp. global Chief Human Resources Officer Bettina Deynes shares the company's AI use cases, challenges and situations that she believes will always require humans. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/telecommunications_g1247980427.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/AI-in-hospitality-When-it-works-and-when-it-doesnt Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:23:00 GMT <p data-end="9210" data-start="9000">HR software implementation challenges do not end at go-live. In many cases, the hardest work begins when employees, managers, HR teams and IT staff must use the new system to complete everyday work.<span aria-hidden="true"></span></p> <p data-end="9530" data-start="9212">A new HR system can change how employees request time off, update personal information, complete onboarding tasks, review pay and benefits, use self-service tools or interact with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/HR-AI-is-becoming-a-change-management-story">AI-enabled workflows</a>. If those changes are not explained clearly, adoption can stall even when the software itself is working as designed.</p> <p data-end="9745" data-start="9532"><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Top-change-management-applications">HR software change management </a>should begin before implementation and continue after launch. The following seven practices can help HR, IT and business leaders improve communication, training, adoption and support.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="1. Create a plan"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>1. Create a plan</h2> <p data-end="10405" data-start="10150"><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/The-most-common-HR-change-management-models">Discussing change management</a> before go-live is not enough. HR and IT leaders should create a detailed plan that identifies what is changing, which employee groups are affected, who owns each step and how the organization will measure adoption.</p> <p data-end="10754" data-start="10407">The plan should account for more than training dates. Include communication milestones, role-based training, manager support, policy updates, issue escalation, data and integration dependencies, and post-launch ownership. Review the plan regularly and adjust it if the project scope, timeline, vendor configuration or business requirements change.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="2. Secure senior management buy-in"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>2. Secure senior management buy-in</h2> <p data-end="11411" data-start="11078"><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/How-HR-can-serve-a-critical-role-in-change-management">Getting senior management support</a> is crucial, especially when a new HR system changes how employees and managers complete routine work. CHROs, CIOs and other business leaders should explain why the change matters, what outcomes the organization expects and how the rollout supports broader workforce or operational goals.<span aria-hidden="true"></span></p> <p data-end="11694" data-start="11413">Leadership support should also be visible. For example, managers should use the new system to approve time, review employee information, complete performance tasks or respond to workflow notifications. When leaders continue using old workarounds, employees will likely do the same.</p> <p data-end="11694" data-start="11413">HR software change management is not finished at go-live; it begins when employees must change how work gets done.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> The sponsor’s job is not just to approve the system, but to connect the rollout to business outcomes and model adoption. </figure> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="3. Create a communication plan"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>3. Create a communication plan &nbsp;</h2> <p data-end="12720" data-start="12450">Consider both the pre- and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/10-steps-to-support-your-HCM-system-post-go-live">post-go-live phases</a> when developing a communication plan. Messages should explain why the organization is changing systems, which tasks are moving to the new software, what employees must do differently and where they can get help.</p> <p data-end="13070" data-start="12722">Communication should be specific to each audience. Employees may need information about self-service, pay, benefits or personal data updates. Managers may need guidance on approvals, reporting and team workflows. HR, payroll, benefits and IT teams may need more detailed updates about configuration, permissions, integrations and support processes.</p> <p data-end="13371" data-start="13072">Post-go-live communication is just as important. Create a clear channel where employees can report issues, ask questions or submit change requests. Regularly update employees who report problems so they know their feedback was received and whether a fix, workaround or future enhancement is planned.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="4. Build time in for communication approvals"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>4. Build time in for communication approvals</h2> <p data-end="13927" data-start="13674">Often, an HR leader, legal reviewer, compliance stakeholder or internal communications team must approve employee messages. Document the approval process and include it in the project schedule so reviews do not delay critical communications.</p> <p data-end="14171" data-start="13929">This step is especially important when the rollout affects pay, benefits, job data, employee privacy, AI-enabled tools or policy changes. Employees should receive accurate and approved information before they encounter a change in the system.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="5. Develop a detailed training plan"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>5. Develop a detailed training plan</h2> <p data-end="15870" data-start="15672">Training is one of the most important parts of HR software change management. A strong training plan should account for how different groups will use the system <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Steps-for-an-HR-system-implementation-project-plan">before and after go-live</a>.</p> <p data-end="15925" data-start="15872">Consider the following when creating a training plan:</p> <ul data-end="17314" data-start="15927" class="default-list"> <li data-end="16099" data-start="15927" data-section-id="179qfkd"><strong data-end="15967" data-start="15929">Provide multiple learning options.</strong> Use a mix of vendor help tools, job aids, short videos, live sessions, office hours, e-learning and in-app guidance when available.</li> <li data-end="16275" data-start="16100" data-section-id="1otbpft"><strong data-end="16130" data-start="16102">Match training to roles.</strong> Employees, managers, HR administrators, payroll specialists, benefits teams, recruiters and reporting users will likely need different training.</li> <li data-end="16473" data-start="16276" data-section-id="n3fwnd"><strong data-end="16308" data-start="16278">Be strategic about timing.</strong> Begin training close enough to go-live that employees retain what they learn, but early enough that managers and support teams can identify confusion before launch.</li> <li data-end="16707" data-start="16474" data-section-id="msbogp"><strong data-end="16517" data-start="16476">Schedule additional manager training.</strong> Managers often need to complete approvals, initiate transfers, review team data or answer employee questions. Their training should include both system steps and communication expectations.</li> <li data-end="16914" data-start="16708" data-section-id="19k8lr9"><strong data-end="16751" data-start="16710">Train HR and IT support teams deeply.</strong> The people who will maintain the system <a href="ttps://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/10-steps-to-support-your-HCM-system-post-go-live">after go-live need training</a> on configuration, issue resolution, permissions, integrations, reporting and escalation paths.</li> <li data-end="17126" data-start="16915" data-section-id="16om4co"><strong data-end="16970" data-start="16917">Plan for accessibility and workforce differences.</strong> Consider employees who work different shifts, speak different languages, use mobile devices, work in the field or have limited access to corporate systems.</li> <li data-end="17314" data-start="17127" data-section-id="13mscil"><strong data-end="17165" data-start="17129">Reinforce training after launch.</strong> Adoption rarely happens after one session. Use post-launch refreshers, FAQs, office hours and usage data to identify where employees need more help.</li> </ul> <div class="extra-info"> <div class="extra-info-inner"> <h3 class="splash-heading">HR software change management checklist</h3> <p>Before go-live, HR and IT leaders should confirm:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li data-end="4146" data-start="4113" data-section-id="1x6xg98">Who owns adoption after launch.</li> <li data-end="4189" data-start="4147" data-section-id="156vzro">Which employee groups are most affected.</li> <li data-end="4245" data-start="4190" data-section-id="s3gxob">Which workflows, policies and approvals are changing.</li> <li data-end="4281" data-start="4246" data-section-id="1pt0ddp">How training will differ by role.</li> <li data-end="4317" data-start="4282" data-section-id="1tcoyf1">How employees will report issues.</li> <li data-end="4372" data-start="4318" data-section-id="1q76h25">Which metrics will show whether adoption is working.</li> </ul> </div> </div> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="6. Select champions"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>6. Select champions</h2> <p data-end="18118" data-start="17815">Champions are employees who support the new HR software and help others understand how the change will affect their work. They can include HR business partners, managers, payroll or benefits specialists, frontline supervisors, regional leaders and employees who are respected by their peers.</p> <p data-end="18351" data-start="18120">To succeed, champions need regular updates, early exposure to the system and clear guidance on what they should communicate. Give them talking points, FAQs, demos, screenshots or short presentations they can share with their teams.</p> <p data-end="18536" data-start="18353">Champions should also send feedback back to the project team. They can often identify confusion, resistance or workflow problems before those issues appear in formal support channels.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="7. Explain any policy changes"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>7. Explain any policy changes</h2> <p data-end="19374" data-start="19059">Employees may be surprised if policies, balances, approvals or eligibility rules in the new system do not match what they expect. For example, a vacation policy, benefits rule, approval chain or employee classification might look different in the software than it did in previous documents or processes.</p> <p data-end="19620" data-start="19376">Do not let the HR system become the first place employees learn about a policy change. Communicate policy updates before employees use the software, and explain why the change is happening, who is affected and where employees can ask questions.</p> <p data-end="19862" data-start="19622">Also explain changes to data access and visibility. Employees and managers may notice new dashboards, profile fields, AI-enabled recommendations or reporting views. Clear communication can reduce confusion and build trust in the new system.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f.png 1280w" alt="Circular diagram showing HR software components." height="560" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>HR software change management should account for the many HR functions and workflows affected by a new system. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p data-end="19862" data-start="19622">The most successful HR software rollouts treat change management as an ongoing adoption program, not a one-time launch task. A clear plan, visible leadership support, role-based communication, practical training and post-go-live ownership can help employees use the new system with less confusion and more confidence.</p> <p data-end="19862" data-start="19622"><strong data-end="321" data-start="303">Editor's note:</strong> <em>This article was updated to reflect current HR software change management practices, including adoption planning, training and post-go-live support. </em></p> <p data-end="19862" data-start="19622"><em>Eric St-Jean is an independent consultant with a particular focus on HR technology, project management and Microsoft Excel training and automation. He writes about numerous business and technology areas.</em><em></em></p> <p data-end="19862" data-start="19622"></p> </section> HR software change management requires more than training before go-live. Learn how HR, IT and business leaders can improve adoption, communication and support. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/keys_a196963791.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/7-essentials-for-better-HR-software-change-management Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:30:00 GMT <p>Most enterprises can point to someone who owns part of the software estate. IT runs the platform. Procurement manages the contract. Security handles access. Business leaders care about the outcome. Data teams worry about quality. Vendors keep shipping updates.</p> <p>That sounds like coverage. Often, it is really a set of partial owners working around the same system from different angles.</p> <p>This matters because modern software governance is no longer only about deciding who can buy, deploy or administer a system. It is about who owns the rules, data, workflows, costs, exceptions, access, AI features and vendor-led changes once the system is already part of the business.</p> <p>That is where governance gets harder.</p> <p>The problem is not always that no one owns the software. More often, several groups own pieces of it, and the gaps between those groups become the risk.</p> <p>A workflow breaks, and IT sees a configuration issue, while the business sees a process issue. A contract renews, and procurement sees a vendor discussion, while finance sees a budget problem, and business teams see a useful feature they do not want to lose. A security rule blocks access, and managers see a productivity issue. A data-quality problem shows up in a report, but no one can agree on whether the source system, the integration, the business process or the downstream analytics team owns the fix.</p> <p>That is why enterprise software governance needs more than broad accountability. It needs clearer ownership at the places where decisions actually get made.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> Governance is not just about who owns the application; it is also about who owns what the application does to the business. </figure> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>Here are six ownership gaps that make software governance harder.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="1. Business rules have no post-launch owner"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>1. Business rules have no post-launch owner</h2> <p>Business rules often get a lot of attention during implementation. They are mapped, debated, configured, tested and signed off. Then the system goes live, the project team moves on, and the rules become part of the operating environment.</p> <p>That is where the ownership question can get blurry: Who owns the approval threshold six months later? Who decides whether an exception path still makes sense? Who changes the routing rule when the business reorganizes? Who reviews whether the system is enforcing an old policy that no longer fits the work?</p> <p>Those questions matter because business rules do not stay neutral. They shape what employees can do, which work moves forward, which exceptions get flagged and which decisions require review.</p> <p>A rule can be technically correct and still wrong for the business moment. That is especially true when software spans ERP, HR, CX, collaboration and end-user computing environments. A rule that begins in one system can affect another: An employee status change can affect access. A customer service rule can affect billing. A procurement rule can affect supplier risk. A workflow rule can affect reporting. Governance breaks down when those rules are treated as configurations rather than as operating decisions.</p> <p>That does not mean every setting needs a committee; it means the company needs someone who can say whether the rule still matches how the business is supposed to work. IT can change the setting, but the business has to own the meaning behind it. Without that owner, an old rule can keep doing exactly what it was configured to do, even after the operating model has moved on.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="2. IT owns the platform but not the business outcome"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>2. IT owns the platform but not the business outcome</h2> <p>IT often becomes the default owner of enterprise software because IT deploys, integrates, secures and supports the platform. That makes sense up to a point. But IT cannot be the only owner of whether the software changes the business outcome it was bought to improve. A CRM system can be available and still fail to improve customer follow-up. An HR system can be stable and still frustrate managers. An ERP workflow can process transactions and still leave finance reconciling data outside the system. A UC platform can support meetings, chat and recordings while still adding more noise than clarity.</p> <p>Those are not only technical failures; they are also outcome failures.</p> <p>This is where <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/feature/Software-change-stalls-when-adoption-begins">software change stalls</a>. The platform might be live, but the organization has not finished changing around it. IT can keep the system running, but business leaders, managers, HR, finance, operations and other stakeholders still have to decide whether the work actually improved.</p> <p>That split matters because governance can become too platform-centered. It asks whether the system is secure, stable and supported. Those questions are essential, but they are not enough.</p> <p>Governance also has to ask whether the system is still serving the business purpose that justified the investment. That requires a different kind of ownership. Someone has to keep asking whether workflows still make sense, whether users have stopped relying on workarounds, whether reports are trusted, whether handoffs improved and whether the business outcome is visible enough to defend.</p> <p>If the answer is no, the governance problem is not only in IT; it is also in the handoff between the platform and the work.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="3. Procurement owns the contract but not usage drift"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>3. Procurement owns the contract but not usage drift</h2> <p>Procurement can negotiate the deal, but it cannot govern every way the software is used after the deal is signed.</p> <p>That has always been true, but AI, usage-based pricing, bundled features and SaaS renewals make the gap more visible.</p> <p>A vendor might add features inside an existing suite. A business team might expand usage because the tool is helpful. A department might turn on AI capabilities that were included in a package. A low-cost add-on might become part of a critical workflow. A renewal might arrive before anyone has measured whether the feature changed the work enough to justify the cost.</p> <p>That is how <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/tip/How-CIOs-can-tackle-subscription-sprawl-and-costs">subscription sprawl</a> becomes a governance problem, not just a purchasing problem.</p> <p>Procurement might own the commercial process. Finance might own the budget. IT might administer the platform. Business teams might drive usage. Security might worry about exposure. Legal might review the terms. The vendor might keep changing packaging, entitlements and product direction.</p> <p>That is a lot of partial ownership for one software decision.</p> <p>The risk is not only overspending; it is also losing the ability to connect spend to value.</p> <p>This is why <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/feature/AI-feature-spend-is-the-new-software-cost-control-problem">AI feature spend</a> has become such a useful example. The question is not only what the AI feature costs but also who knows whether the feature is enabled, which teams use it, what work it changed, what risks it created and whether the company should renew, expand, renegotiate or shut it down.</p> <p>That same logic applies beyond AI. Usage can drift after any software purchase. A tool bought for one team can spread. A module can become embedded in a workflow. A bundled capability can become hard to separate from the rest of the suite. A vendor roadmap can pull the enterprise into a feature set it did not originally plan to manage.</p> <p>Procurement can help force clarity at renewal. But governance has to start before renewal. Someone has to own the running record of usage, value, risk and business dependency while the contract is still active.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/enterprise_ai_governance_framework-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/enterprise_ai_governance_framework-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/enterprise_ai_governance_framework-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/enterprise_ai_governance_framework-f.png 1280w" alt="Enterprise AI governance framework showing the controls and organizational layers needed to manage AI, data, risk and enterprise decision-making" height="359" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Software governance increasingly depends on more than policy. As AI, automation and cross-platform workflows spread, enterprises need clearer ownership for data, access, risk, oversight and outcomes. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="4. Security owns access but not every context decision"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>4. Security owns access but not every context decision</h2> <p>Security owns a critical part of software governance. It controls access, identity, permissions, authentication, policies and risk boundaries. Without that foundation, enterprise software gets dangerous quickly.</p> <p>But access is not the whole governance question anymore. Increasingly, the harder issue is what the system knows about the moment in which access is being used.</p> <p>Seeing a record is one thing. Acting on it is another. A user, manager or AI agent might have legitimate access and still be in the wrong workflow, using incomplete context or acting before another team has finished its part of the process.</p> <p>Security can decide who gets in. The broader governance question is what the organization allows to happen after access is granted.</p> <p>That distinction is becoming more important as AI agents, copilots, workflow automation and embedded analytics become part of normal software. Access controls matter, but they do not always answer questions about timing, purpose, data meaning, workflow state or business consequence.</p> <p>This is why AI agents need boring rules to do useful work. A guardrail is not useful if no one owns the business meaning behind it. A rule can limit access, but someone still has to decide which context matters before the system acts.</p> <p>Consider the everyday cases. A CRM record can be available while compliance has a hold open somewhere else. An employee transfer can be approved but not complete across HR, identity and payroll systems. A supplier can be acceptable for one category and restricted for another. A case can look ready to close even though billing or legal still has work to finish. Security belongs in those decisions. But it cannot carry all of them by itself.</p> <p>Governance has to connect security controls to business context. That is where <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/feature/Leading-AI-with-ethics-The-new-governance-mandate">ethical AI governance</a> becomes practical rather than abstract. Otherwise, the enterprise can mistake access for permission and permission for judgment.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="5. Data teams own quality but not every downstream use"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>5. Data teams own quality but not every downstream use</h2> <p>Data teams are often asked to own data quality. That is understandable. They are closer to data definitions, lineage, governance models, master data, integration patterns and reporting issues than many other groups. But data teams do not own every decision that uses the data.</p> <p>That is where the gap opens. A data team might define a field. A business team might interpret it. A workflow might depend on it. A report might elevate it. An AI tool might summarize it. A finance team might use it for planning. A customer team might use it to decide who gets contacted, escalated or retained.</p> <p>If the data is wrong, incomplete or stripped of context, the problem might show up far away from the system that created it. That makes governance more complicated.</p> <p>This is where <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/feature/Data-and-AI-governance-must-team-up-for-AI-to-succeed">data and AI governance</a> have to meet. Data quality is not only about clean records; it is also about whether the organization understands how those records are used downstream.</p> <p>That is why ERP data becomes AI's next control problem. ERP data might be the system-of-record foundation, but once it moves into analytics, AI tools, workflows, agents, data platforms and business dashboards, the governance question changes. The issue is no longer only whether the data is protected; it is whether the data still carries the business meaning that made it trustworthy in the first place.</p> <p>A customer status, supplier rating, employee role, product code or financial classification can mean different things in different systems. A data team can help define that meaning. But the business still has to own how that meaning affects decisions.</p> <p>That is the ownership gap. Data governance can create the structure, but business owners need to be accountable for the decisions that rely on the data. Otherwise, the enterprise might clean the data without governing what the data does.</p> <div class="extra-info"> <div class="extra-info-inner"> <p></p> <h3 class="splash-heading">Questions that expose software ownership gaps</h3> <p>Software ownership gaps usually show up in practical questions that no one can answer cleanly. Ask these before governance gets tested by a live problem:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Who can change a business rule after implementation?</li> <li>Who decides whether a workflow problem is technical, operational or both?</li> <li>Who tracks whether software usage is creating value before renewal?</li> <li>Who owns the context behind an access decision?</li> <li>Who decides which system has the source of truth when records disagree?</li> <li>Who explains what an AI feature, automation or workflow is allowed to do?</li> <li>Who updates documentation when the vendor changes the product?</li> <li>Who reviews local workarounds before they become permanent?</li> <li>Who can say whether the software still supports the business outcome it was bought to improve?</li> </ul> <p>If those answers are unclear, the governance model might be thinner than it looks.</p> </div> </div> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="6. Vendors shape the roadmap, but the enterprise owns the risk"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>6. Vendors shape the roadmap, but the enterprise owns the risk</h2> <p>Enterprise software vendors now shape more of the operating environment than many companies like to admit. That is not a criticism. It is the reality of SaaS, cloud platforms, embedded AI, automatic updates, product bundles and vendor-led roadmaps.</p> <p>A vendor might decide which features arrive next. It might change pricing. It might add AI capabilities. It might deprecate older functionality. It might shift development toward cloud-first products. It might change integration options, reporting tools, data controls, workflow features or the way <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Best-practices-for-integrating-third-party-AI-with-local-systems">third-party AI integrations</a> connect to enterprise systems.</p> <p>Those decisions can be rational from the vendor's point of view. They still create governance work for the enterprise, and they make <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/feature/CIO-risk-management-Lessons-from-Southern-Glazers-CIO">CIO risk management</a> part of the software ownership discussion.</p> <p>That is the part buyers sometimes underplay. Outsourcing infrastructure or using cloud software does not outsource accountability. The vendor might run the platform, but the enterprise still owns the business risk created by the way the platform is used.</p> <p>You can see the same issue in collaboration environments. A meeting platform is no longer just a place to talk. It can hold chat history, recordings, transcripts, summaries, retention rules and workflow signals. That gives the tool a policy role the business may not have planned for.</p> <p>The same pattern shows up in ERP, HR, CX, analytics and end-user computing. Once software starts carrying more business context, vendor changes become governance changes, too.</p> <p>A vendor roadmap can make a useful feature easier to adopt. It can also introduce new policy questions before the enterprise has decided who owns them: Who decides whether to enable the feature? Who reviews the data implications? Who explains the change to users? Who updates training? Who handles exceptions? Who watches for cost or risk drift? Who decides whether the vendor's direction still fits the company's operating model?</p> <p>Those are enterprise questions. The vendor might shape the product, but the enterprise owns the consequences. Software governance needs owners at the seams.</p> <p>Software governance does not fail only because nobody is responsible; it often fails in the handoffs that seemed covered on paper. A rule starts as a system setting, then turns into a fight over policy. A platform is up and running, but no one can say whether the work improved. Procurement negotiated the contract, but usage keeps spreading in ways the budget did not anticipate. Security approved access, but the real question is what someone is allowed to do with it. Data is clean enough in one place and confusing once it shapes a report, workflow or AI output. The vendor ships a change, and suddenly the company has a new risk to manage.</p> <p>That is where ownership has to be clearer.</p> <p>Not everything needs a new governance board. Not every decision needs another approval layer. The point is not to make software governance heavier, but to make it more honest about where decisions actually happen.</p> <p>The practical test is simple: When something changes after launch, the organization should know where the decision goes. A business rule needs an owner. So does the outcome the platform was meant to improve. Usage needs attention before renewal. Context needs an owner after access is granted. Data needs someone accountable for how it is used downstream. Vendor-driven change needs someone watching the enterprise risk it creates.</p> <p>Those are the seams where software governance actually gets messy. They also matter more as enterprise software becomes more embedded, automated and vendor-driven. AI agents make that easier to see, but they are not the only reason it matters. The same issue appears whenever software starts doing more work across more systems, with more rules and more data underneath the surface.</p> <p>Governance is not just about who owns the application; it is also about who owns what the application does to the business. And if that ownership is not clear, the software might keep working while governance quietly falls apart.</p> <p><em>James Alan Miller is a veteran technology editor and writer who leads Informa TechTarget's Enterprise Software group. He oversees coverage of ERP &amp; Supply Chain, HR Software, Customer Experience, Communications &amp; Collaboration and End-User Computing topics.</em></p> </section> Software governance breaks down when ownership is split across platforms, budgets, rules, data, access and vendor-led changes. These gaps need names. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/keys_a408418016.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/6-ownership-gaps-that-make-software-governance-harder Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT <p>I would not want to be an HR person trying to navigate the AI revolution. On one hand, HR departments are likely to be tasked with implementing C-suite mandates for AI use, providing training in AI and figuring out where to move people whose jobs have been transformed or eliminated. They will also be asked to promulgate and enforce <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366644954/HR-must-have-a-say-in-AI-policy-to-forestall-legal-risks">AI policies</a> -- ideally after having a say in those policies.</p> <p>On the other hand, HR will also field complaints and bear the brunt of responsibility for managing the impact on people and cultures, which inevitably means sometimes disagreeing with their bosses -- or at least making them aware of AI's negative effects on employees.</p> <p>Meanwhile, AI is disrupting HR departments themselves with the promise of automating everyday processes, especially recruiting, benefits administration and training. HR leaders are downsizing staff at the very moment AI is making existing tasks so much harder by enabling <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/podcast/How-AI-amplifies-resume-fraud-and-other-job-seeker-cheating">resume fraud</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hrdive.com/news/how-to-avoid-skillfishing-traps/819330/" rel="noopener">skillfishing</a>, in which applicants use AI to fake the skills required for a job.</p> <p>And they'll do all of this while both bosses and workers continue to express strong dislike or fear of HR and question its value. It's a classic case of being between a rock and a hard place.</p> <p>In an oft-cited 2024 survey of 981 workers by MyPerfectResume, a vendor of resume-writing software, 86% of respondents said they fear HR, while 85% expressed reluctance to bring work issues to HR. A perceived lack of confidentiality, fear of repercussions and a belief that HR is ineffective were among the reasons cited. Feedback from CEOs indicates that most only tolerate HR and don't appreciate the stressful nature of the job.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Who's the boss?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Who's the boss?</h2> <p>The conflicting roles of HR in AI adoption and the forces pressing in on it from all sides were on full display at the annual conference of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) last week in Orlando.</p> <p>"We've got a foot in two different and often opposing worlds," said SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. in his <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366644900/SHRM-CEO-gives-HR-needed-pep-talk-amid-bad-rap-AI-challenges">conference keynote</a>. "We're jammed right in the middle, trying to protect the people and trying to protect the business. Some days it feels like a no-win proposition."</p> <p>HR has long been perceived as siding with management over employees, especially in legally sensitive areas like sexual harassment. So, it stands to reason that workers aren't likely to trust HR to protect their jobs if the C-suite decides to automate them.</p> <p>In his keynote, Taylor left no doubt where HR's loyalties lie after explaining why CEOs' bitter experience with the COVID-19 pandemic makes many of them reluctant to assuage workers’ fears about AI job loss.</p> <p>"The CEO, the general manager, the president, whatever you call the leader of the organization, is HR's critical customer. And as we know, the customer is almost always right," he said. "While most of us do a great job of listening to our employees -- we survey them constantly -- we must do a better job of listening to our internal customers, our CEOs and other business colleagues."</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="HR can still advocate for workers"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>HR can still advocate for workers</h2> <p>Yet Taylor also reminded attendees of the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/podcast/Supermanagers-use-AI-to-amplify-human-centered-leadership">human-centric side</a> of the AI coin, advising them to understand work processes so well that they can use that knowledge to quantify the ROI of each employee. "That's how we're going to protect employees," he said.</p> <p>In fact, HR professionals might be in the best position of anyone to find a happy medium between upper management's AI needs and those of employees. That kind of balancing act was part of HR's job long before AI arrived on the scene.</p> <p>Furthermore, AI's transformation of the daily work of HR practitioners makes HR departments almost ideal teachers and advisors on the technology's proper role in the workplace.</p> <p>For example, at the conference, a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366644882/HR-leaders-weigh-in-on-the-reality-of-AI-initiatives">panel of HR leaders</a> shared how offloading their most tedious tasks to AI enabled them to show other employees how the technology can be more of a help than a threat.</p> <p>In a panel on strategic AI adoption, Kimberly Southern, assistant city manager of internal services for Greeley, Colo., a role that encompasses the city's HR and IT functions, described why having a team of early adopters who can talk about AI and specific applications they have built can help alleviate fears.</p> <p>"I have employees who are freeing up their time because they're taking admin work, giving it to AI and figuring out better ways to do the work," Southern said. As a result, the city council went from fear-based prohibition of AI two years ago to enthusiasm about AI chatbots. She said fear dissipates once people learn what AI really is, that it will never replace certain jobs and that automating tedium frees staff to spend more time interacting with people. Southern recommended getting comfortable with incremental change and encouraging curiosity among employees instead of stifling it. "That starts with us as leaders. We have to be curious and listen."</p> <p>In the end, it's not realistic to expect HR professionals to resist their bosses' AI fever dreams and stand with workers in opposition to AI. But it is realistic for HR to do what it has always done and help workers adapt to the new realities of the workplace.</p> <p>One hopeful sign from the conference was the palpable idealism of HR practitioners on panels and in the audience about how the profession can help people. Whenever cheers broke out for one of Taylor's statements, it was usually about fighting for people -- something that could fit just as well at a Bernie Sanders rally.</p> <p><i>David Essex is an industry editor who creates in-depth content on enterprise applications, emerging technology and market trends for several Informa TechTarget websites.</i></p> </section> The SHRM conference highlighted HR's balancing act: calming AI job-loss fears and upskilling workers while carrying out CEO plans to cut labor costs and boost the bottom line. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/collab_a102381789.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366645158/Who-do-you-trust-HRs-conflicted-role-in-the-AI-disruption Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:56:00 GMT <p>ORLANDO, Fla. -- At the Society for Human Resource Management's 2026 annual conference, SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. exhorted attendees to be courageous in fighting for HR's continued relevance to business success at a time when their departments are being reduced or eliminated, their profession's value called into question and AI poses unprecedented challenges in engaging, retaining and developing employees.</p> <p>"We have to be willing to look ourselves objectively in the mirror and ask the profession, is it willing to change?" Taylor told an overwhelmingly female audience that numbered in the thousands for his Thursday morning keynote. "We absolutely, I believe, can unleash a revolution, a revolution that will open incredible new doors to the future of HR."</p> <p>Taylor began by recounting meetings where executives told him about their dislike for HR and skepticism about its value. In an informal poll he once took of 92 corporate leaders, 60% said they only tolerated HR, and 30% thought it had little value. Only 10% said they loved HR. But some told him privately that they found it indispensable.</p> <div class="imagecaption alignLeft"> <img src="https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/johnny_taylor_keynote_photo-f.jpg" alt="SHRM 2026 conference keynote photo">Attendees watch the conference keynote delivered by SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. </div> <p>Taylor attributed the sharp negative swing to executives' COVID experiences. He said they loved how HR helped them deal with the employee retention challenges, including remote and hybrid work. "You all helped companies pivot overnight," he said. "You kept people informed, calm, connected and working during the most uncertain time that any of us ever lived through."</p> <p>CEOs followed HR's advice to "take care of people, and they will take care of you," he recalled. "But then the pandemic ended and a lot of employees quit anyway." The companies that had protected their people during COVID because of HR's guidance and assistance were met, he said, with mass resignations -- the Great Resignation, the "turnover tsunami," the fight over <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/What-successful-return-to-office-strategies-have-in-common">returning to the office</a>, static over vaccines and other workplace rules -- all while CEOs were trying to stabilize their businesses.</p> <p>Taylor said the attitude now, with employees once again fearing job loss -- this time from AI -- is that CEOs are asking why they should protect their jobs.</p> <p>He said HR must respond to the existential threat to the profession by augmenting its longstanding emphasis on people with a laser focus on work. "We need to become the experts not just on people but on work -- how it gets done, who does it or <i>what</i> does it. That's new for us." To do so, HR will also need to understand the tensions between technology and talent, and -- crucially -- the concepts of worker value.</p> <p>Business consultants have recently been advising companies to shift their AI strategies and gain a clear understanding of how work gets done so they can divide tasks between AI and humans and upskill employees for the new age of intelligent automation. Taylor implied that HR's new focus on work is motivated by AI's sweeping changes to how work is performed but did not explicitly link the two or attribute the changes entirely to AI.</p> <p>"Every former technology came with lots of new toys to make our lives easier and -- most important -- with tons of new, higher-paid jobs. But this time, the new technology -- AI -- is openly eliminating jobs with no promises to replace them," he said. Companies are no longer comparing people to technology; they're comparing the costs of investing in them. He urged HR practitioners to be less focused on performance reviews and employee satisfaction statistics and more on demonstrating the value of employees.</p> <p>"We need to fully understand and appreciate the friction between tech and talent, and then be able to explain the value and ROI for each and every one of our employees," he said.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="SHRM survey shows low AI adoption;"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>SHRM survey shows low AI adoption;</h2> <p>Taylor spoke a day after SHRM released results of an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/research/navigating-ai-in-the-workplace/full-report" rel="noopener">extensive survey</a> in which it asked 5,875 U.S.-based workers how they felt about how AI is used in their workplace.</p> <p>Among the findings:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Thirty-four percent of workers said they don't use AI at all, even for personal use.</li> <li>Less than half (41%) said they use it for professional reasons.</li> <li>Only about half of organizations had an AI policy.</li> <li>Forty-one percent of workers thought AI could perform their roles with minimal oversight.</li> </ul> <p>Despite the low adoption numbers, the survey nevertheless shows workers are generally proactive about adopting AI and well aware of its implications for their careers, according to Kenny Pyle, SHRM's HR technology lead analyst, in an interview after his conference session on the findings. "People are using self-interest and trying to get this increased amount of work done. They're also wanting to make sure their skills remain relevant," Pyle said.</p> <p>In an alarming note, a third of respondents said they use AI tools that are prohibited by their organization, and many plan to continue the practice.</p> <p>"The fact that every organization has employees they are not aware of uploading data that they shouldn't be into a tool that's not approved -- every day, big organizations, every hour, every minute -- it's kind of terrifying," Pyle said.</p> <p>But he cautioned against overreacting to so-called rogue AI.</p> <p>"It's important, when you develop these policies, to listen to what your workers need and what they want. And when someone violates the policy, you don't just go and punish them. You learn from them."</p> <p><i>David Essex is an industry editor who creates in-depth content on enterprise applications, emerging technology and market trends for several Informa TechTarget websites.</i></p> </section> Keynote urging emphasis on work as well as people comes a day after HR association released a worker survey showing low AI adoption and an alarming incidence of prohibited AI use. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/chatbot_g1150454068.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366644900/SHRM-CEO-gives-HR-needed-pep-talk-amid-bad-rap-AI-challenges Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:44:00 GMT <p><i>ORLANDO, Fla. -- The legal risks of </i><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Challenges-of-AI-in-recruitment"><i>using AI in HR processes</i></a><i>, such as bias in hiring, performance management and promotions, are well known. But organizations face a bewildering array of other risks from AI, from data privacy litigation to loss of trade secrets and contractor disputes. Regulatory environments are numerous, vary widely by jurisdiction and change often.</i></p> <p><i>Attorney Deepa Menon helps organizations and their HR departments understand the nuances of the legal risks they face when applying AI to their workforces. While many problems predate AI and tread familiar legal territory, the technology adds new complications with which most organizations are unfamiliar.</i></p> <p><i>Menon is a <a href="https://www.eversheds-sutherland.com/en/united-states/people/menon-deepa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partner</a> based in the Washington, D.C. office of Eversheds Sutherland, a global law firm. She was interviewed right after giving a presentation on the topic at the 2026 annual meeting of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The interview was edited for length and clarity.</i></p> <div class="imagecaption alignRight"> <img src="https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/menon_deepa.jpg" alt="Deepa Menon, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland">Deepa Menon </div> <p><b>Why are the legal risks of AI so important right now?</b></p> <p><b>Deepa Menon: </b>In the United States, it is very important for multiple reasons. One is that we have a patchwork of laws. AI implicates so many different laws on so many fronts, each of which has a patchwork of laws associated with it. The compliance framework gets that much more complicated. The second reason is the kind of litigation risk we're seeing with AI. The minute you've removed the human component, there is more of a litigation risk. It raises the bar because trying to defend something that runs in an automated way is definitely harder than defending something where human beings are involved and specific directives are being given and risk assessments are done.</p> <p><b>Can you summarize the risks?</b></p> <p><b>Menon: </b>When you think about AI and HR, the first risk is that of litigation -- claims based on bias or discrimination: This tool has an inherent bias, it was deployed and therefore I was adversely impacted because it had nothing to do with my qualifications or objective criteria that could have been at play.</p> <p>The second risk is to a company's information. We live in a time where more AI tools are accessible, so if the enterprise doesn't have its own AI tool, employees are likely to use public tools. That means potential leakage of confidential information or trade secrets. AI models are often trained using data, and if you're using my company's data to train another company's model, there's potential leakage. This happened.</p> <p>Companies are afraid their data is being used to train other models. Is data getting mixed up, or are vendors able to keep it separate? How does the company know the data is being kept separate?</p> <p>There is also intellectual property risk. If companies are developing their own AI models and bringing contractors in, it accelerates the risk. What if a contractor's data is being used to train the AI model? Does the contractor now have rights to the model itself? Can they say their data was used to train this model, and therefore they have IP rights over it?</p> <p>Lack of documentation then becomes a real risk, whether it's lack of contract documentation or policies that clearly tell employees how to use AI.</p> <p><b>In your presentation, you called HR leaders' attention to a huge number of risks. Is it possible to name two or three to tackle first?</b></p> <p><b>Menon:</b> The thing that makes this a little complicated is it could be sector specific: small company versus big company versus nonprofit versus publicly traded company versus which sector they sit in and the kind of data they tend to deal with.</p> <p>That said, the first risk to look out for is any automated system that completely removes the human component. You want to ensure there is a human component in there somewhere, because that will be your biggest defense if there is a claim.</p> <p>Second is the risk that HR is simply not involved when an HR AI tool is adopted. We have seen that go south very quickly because of tech innovation that doesn't take into consideration the real-world implications of deployment in their workforce, and the communication, disclosures and compliance that have to go with it. We've generally seen companies run into major challenges when HR was not in the room.&nbsp;</p> <p>This is one place where legal counsel and HR have to work together. There are so many legal ramifications to every AI rollout. It could look like it's just an employment issue, but there could be an IP issue or unfair trade practice issue behind it. There could be so many other implications because the data that's being used and the far-reaching impact of the AI output could go beyond just the contours of employment.</p> <p><b>Given the patchwork of regulations at the U.S. federal, state and even city level, plus in other countries, should organizations take a wait-and-see approach? For example, in the federal government, there's been a lot of back and forth and a lot of question marks.</b></p> <p><b>Menon:</b> Two things. One, this is not an area where you want to be a trailblazer and the first to have implemented something. The second is that 100% compliance with every single global AI and privacy law is impossible. It's true of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/General-Data-Protection-Regulation-GDPR">GDPR</a> and U.S. laws. You can only do so much. You have to pick the big battles and comply with specific pieces to the greatest extent you can.</p> <p>There are upsides and downsides to the wait-and-see approach. Where you have an unsettled area of law, you probably want to see how things go before you pour a lot of money into AI implementation. That said, the risk -- and this is especially true in the U.S. -- is if there is an impact on the employee, it could be fodder for litigation.</p> <p>It's almost a risk-benefit analysis. I've had companies say there's a DSAR [Data Subject Access Request] in California and we know this employee is going to sue us. Do we comply with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/California-Consumer-Privacy-Act-CCPA">CCPA</a> [California Consumer Privacy Act] or give this person free discovery? Which penalty is greater?</p> <p>There is a constant risk-benefit analysis of whether to comply and make immediate disclosures. Or do you limit your disclosure and wait and see how much disclosure will be required in the particular jurisdiction? There are risks associated with over-disclosure and under-disclosure.</p> <p><b>HR historically has been reactive to AI and blocked things IT wanted to do because they were too risky. You say HR's role has drastically changed and should change, and the new model is for HR to work with legal counsel and IT to create a framework before implementing anything.</b></p> <p><b>Menon:</b> When new technology comes out, you're going to have either joy or disgruntlement in how employees react to it. We often forget when we do AI rollouts, especially in the workforce, that these are people, and people have people reactions to things.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> We often forget when we do AI rollouts, especially in the workforce, that these are people, and people have people reactions to things. </figure> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>HR is the first line of defense for a company when there are people reactions. HR must be able to explain why, but also how a tool works and what the benefit is. HR must first be convinced that a tool is important. It's a human trait to have to understand the technology and be convinced about it before you can defend it in front of an employee. When HR is not in the room when these workforce AI tools are being adopted, it is put at a disadvantage because the line of communication with employees is impacted.</p> <p>It especially becomes an issue with a global rollout because we don't live in a world where people are siloed by jurisdiction. Organizations have to realize that they have cross-border sharing of information between employees on what tools are being deployed and their impact.</p> <p><b>Your presentation mentioned reductions in force (RIFs) and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices companies must give about layoffs. Legal issues aside for the moment, what is the role of HR in helping employees with their fears about job loss? Part of their role is to train people to use AI and help them move into roles that AI could free them to do. At the same time, HR is the people you never want to see in the room when a big, unexpected meeting is called. HR is in all sorts of difficult positions here.</b></p> <p><b>Menon:</b> With most of the job loss or reskilling issues it comes down to one single factor: trust. Do they trust the company? It's not very different from when you have an investigation and ask an employee if you can have their phone for forensic investigation. If trust exists, the employee will say take my phone; I know you're not going to do anything with it.</p> <p>When there's an AI tool rollout, if trust exists, there is less concern among employees because there is an innate understanding the company is trying to make things better for them. Often, when employees raise concerns, it's because that underlying trust is already fractured. It could come down to things like whether pay equity exists in the company and decisions are fair and objective, or whether there is a clear path to employment decision making and the complaint process is clear.</p> <p>If there's an issue with AI, it tells you there is a cumulative trust deficit. When companies are able to work on the trust deficit, we see these issues start to reduce.</p> <p><b>Bringing legalities back in, if employees suspect layoffs are AI-driven, what are the potential legal issues?</b></p> <p><b>Menon:</b> It's less of a problem when you have a whole plant closing, but if you have selective mass layoffs and AI has been deployed, you have clear litigation risk because the question is whether the AI tool is somehow selecting or not selecting people in a protected category.</p> <p><b>How about when certain tasks or jobs were clearly automated with AI? Are there legal implications if employees suspect they were replaced with AI?</b></p> <p><b>Menon:</b> Say there are two departments that do similar things, and AI is only deployed in one department that just happens to have more women. They might ask: Why did you deploy it here and choose us for termination?</p> <p>It's case by case. Anything could be a litigation risk if it's not implemented uniformly.</p> <p><b>Care to make any predictions about where this is going at the federal level?</b></p> <p><b>Menon:</b> I think we're going to see more of a hands-off approach. That said, the Title VII protections against discrimination continue to exist. Say there's an AI tool that scrapes the internet for background information and gives you all the things an individual has done or pulls all their social media. There's a huge question whether that is a background check bound by the FCRA [Fair Credit Reporting Act]. At the federal level, they've said they're probably not going to pursue it, but there is litigation being advanced based on that exact same theory.</p> <p>The federal government has always stepped away from privacy law, and not just this administration. We've always kind of left it to the states to regulate. Pending state legislation is on a huge uptick. While the federal piece might not exist, companies will essentially end up in the same place if the litigation risk and state privacy statutes continue the way they have.</p> <p><i>David Essex is an industry editor who creates in-depth content on enterprise applications, emerging technology and market trends for several Informa TechTarget websites.</i></p> In this Q&A, employment attorney Deepa Menon explains the legal risks of using AI for workforce decisions and why lawyers, HR and IT must agree on a framework before implementing AI. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/legal_g941378956.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366644954/HR-must-have-a-say-in-AI-policy-to-forestall-legal-risks Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:51:00 GMT <p><i>ORLANDO, Fla. -- </i>Bettina Deynes, Global CHRO at Carnival Corporation, says she understands young workers' fear of AI because if AI had arrived when she was more junior in her own career, she would have been "petrified."</p> <p>"I know all that it takes to be where I am today, and what would that journey mean now in the era of AI?" she said. "It would probably be very different. But I think you've got to embrace it -- but not use it to replace who you are [and] the intrinsic value of what you bring to the table."</p> <p>Deynes and Njsane Courtney, vice president of HR for the American Bureau of Shipping, discussed AI's role in HR during a panel titled "The ROI of AI: How HR Leaders Are Using AI as a Value-Add," which was hosted by Growth Institute faculty member Mo Fathelbab at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., and recorded for the SHRM podcast <i>People + Strategy</i>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Will-AI-replace-HR-The-answer-is-complicated">HR can lead the way on AI</a>, as the department does on many other topics, because of the flexibility HR employees must bring to their jobs, Courtney said.</p> <p>"HR is uniquely positioned to handle almost everything, because being able to pivot, having to influence, having to direct people who are four or five levels above us -- we call that Thursday, right?" he said.</p> <p>Courtney said he came to believe AI has benefits in the workplace after the technology helped him with an HR-related problem. When he was driving to work, he asked AI to help him create a response to the work situation, omitting confidential information when he described the details to the AI.</p> <p>"By the time I got to my parking garage, I had a working theory," he said. "[I asked myself], what would this mean for our HR administrators who spend 30% of their time doing repetitive tasks?"</p> <p>For Carnival's AI journey, Deynes said that owning AI technology was a must because if, for example, another company charges 10 cents per candidate, the cost would climb quickly for Carnival, which has 10 million candidates apply every year.</p> <p>"We are putting the money upfront, the investment, because we're going to own it and we're going to build it ourselves," she said.</p> <p>One AI use case for Carnival is reducing <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Top-AI-recruiting-tools-and-software-of-2022">work for recruiters</a>, with the company currently building a platform that can filter resumes.</p> <p>"It's making the job of the recruiters a lot easier," Deynes said.</p> <p>A current struggle for many recruiters is distinguishing between AI-generated and human-generated resumes, as well as making sure that job applicants themselves are human.</p> <p>One finding Deynes says she learned from Carnival collaborating with Gartner is that companies will need to implement a step in the hiring process where candidates prove they possess the right skills.</p> <p>"You're going to have to start doing assessments when you hire to make sure that the people you're hiring know what they're telling you that they know and they know it without the AI," she said.</p> <p>Many companies are currently dealing with <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/will-ai-benefit-or-harm-workers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">employee concerns</a> over what AI will mean for their future.</p> <p>Communicating about AI in the right way is crucial to alleviating employees' AI fears, Courtney said. He said an HR administrator at his company came to him worried about losing her job, and he asked her to write down five tasks that needlessly took up her time and that AI could potentially carry out.</p> <p>"It does not mean that what she wrote is going to be exactly what we did," he said. "It's not a democracy, and I'm not trying to paint it as though it is. But when you do that and you just take those three minutes…. She is now one of our top champions."</p> <p><i>Molly Clancy is the senior site editor for Informa TechTarget's SearchHRSoftware and SearchERP sites.</i></p> At the SHRM Annual Conference, HR leaders discussed the reality of how AI is playing out at their organizations during a panel. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/ai_a199952058.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366644882/HR-leaders-weigh-in-on-the-reality-of-AI-initiatives Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:36:00 GMT <p>HR possesses some of a company's most valuable data, including employees' Social Security numbers and other personal information that a company must work to protect. Though some may believe HR professionals are mainly responsible for carrying out personnel decisions and benefits management, HR staff can and must help protect their organization from cybersecurity attacks, and CHROs must ensure their HR department is prepared to do so .</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/The-importance-of-HRs-role-in-cybersecurity">HR staff can make many contributions</a> to help fortify their organization's data security program and help keep the company resilient against attacks. Some of these include working on employee training and identifying sensitive HR records.</p> <p>Here's how CHROs can help their team bolster data security efforts.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Help establish and communicate established security policies"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Help establish and communicate established security policies</h2> <p>CHROs should ensure that HR professionals are serving <a href="https://www.toolbox.com/tech/security/blogs/management-outside-of-it-must-be-part-of-your-security-committee-042318/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on the</a> organization's IT and security governance committee and helping create security rules.</p> <p>HR staff should then <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Cybersecurity-education-How-HR-can-plan-for-the-inevitable">communicate their organization's acceptable usage policy</a> and confidentiality and nondisclosure requirements to employees. These may exist in standalone documents or as part of an employee handbook.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Organize security training"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Organize security training</h2> <p>CHROs should ensure that <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/6-ways-HR-can-ensure-cybersecurity-for-remote-workers">all employees are receiving the necessary corporate training</a>, which includes expectations around computer and internet usage. HR staff should also consider implementing periodic tests to ensure that security stays on top of employees' minds.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Work on data standards"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Work on data standards</h2> <p>HR staff should work with technical professionals and legal staff to establish company data classification and retention standards, as well as policies that meet state and federal legal requirements. They should also collaborate with tech professionals and legal staff to decide on wording for vendor, business partner and customer contracts.</p> <p>In addition, HR should work with technical professionals to ensure they are properly destroying employee records in accordance with corporate policies around data retention.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Identify sensitive HR records"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Identify sensitive HR records</h2> <p>CHROs should ensure that HR staff are working with technical professionals to discover sensitive HR records across the local network and in the cloud to help ensure those data assets are properly protected. HR staff should also evaluate existing and emerging compliance requirements involving sensitive records.</p> <p>In addition, HR should work with technical professionals and other departments as necessary to complete auditor or vendor security questionnaires that involve management oversight of sensitive records.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Keep an access record"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Keep an access record</h2> <p>HR staff should work with technical professionals to establish and maintain logs documenting HR's access to employee records and ensure that these logs are in line with internal security policies <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Best-practices-for-HR-data-compliance">and compliance requirements</a>.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Set an example"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Set an example</h2> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Get-smarter-about-HR-data-security">The HR department should serve as a leader</a> in practicing the security essentials. Some of these best practices include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>using strong passphrases;</li> <li>updating software when prompted;</li> <li>considering the physical security of laptops, tables and phones;</li> <li>avoiding clicking random web links or opening email attachments;</li> <li>following best practices for saving sensitive records on local computers, network servers, and in the cloud; and</li> <li>reporting suspicious behavior to the IT and security team.</li> </ul> </section> Employees' personal information is some of the most valuable data at a company, and HR must work to help protect it. Learn how HR can help bolster data security efforts. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/folder-files07.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/How-HR-can-protect-employees-personal-information Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT <p>Climate change is a reality, and sustainability is a priority for many businesses.</p> <p>As part of their <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/sustainability/feature/Business-sustainability-trends">efforts to improve sustainability</a>, many companies are rethinking how they conduct business travel. More than 48% of companies in the U.S. and Europe said they plan to optimize their corporate travel policies to reduce environmental impact, according to the 2025 Deloitte corporate travel <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/about/press-room/deloitte-announces-corporate-travel-study-2025.html" rel="noopener">study</a>.</p> <p>For CIOs, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Implementing the right technology stack can manage, measure and cut a business's travel emissions while also reducing travel costs.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="What is business sustainability?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>What is business sustainability?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/business-sustainability">Business sustainability</a> -- or corporate sustainability -- is the ethical management of a business's environmental, social and financial aspects to ensure future success. Social and environmental concerns can sometimes conflict with financial goals, but in the long term, going green can reduce a business's energy costs and carbon footprint.</p> <p>Forty-five percent of people surveyed in Deloitte's 2025 C-suite Sustainability <a href="https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-shared/docs/about/2025/2025-deloitte-global-c-suite-sustainability-report.pdf">Report</a> said climate change and sustainability were the most pressing challenges to focus on in the next year. Moreover, the same report indicated that 40% of C-suite leaders said transforming the business model to address climate change and sustainability is central to their organization's strategy.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Technology and metrics"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Technology and metrics</h2> <p>Before implementing individual travel practices, CIOs need to adopt a travel management platform to measure and manage sustainable travel. Platforms such as Navan, Perk, SAP Concur and Spotnana can track carbon emissions and help find low-emission travel options.</p> <p>Key sustainability metrics to track include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/sustainability/feature/How-businesses-can-track-carbon-emissions">Carbon emissions</a> per trip, employee and department.</li> <li>Adoption rates of sustainable options.</li> <li>Cost savings from green choices.</li> <li>Virtual meeting substitution rates.</li> </ul> <p>CIOs should work with the CFO, chief sustainability officer and chief HR officer to oversee policy development and track progress.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Sustainable business travel tips"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Sustainable business travel tips</h2> <p>Here are some sustainable travel practices that companies can implement to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/feature/Understand-the-digital-carbon-footprint-of-enterprise-IT">reduce their carbon footprint</a> without giving up business travel.</p> <h3>1. Book business trips selectively and automate policy enforcement</h3> <p>Everyone likes to get out of the office occasionally for a change of venue and to shake up the daily grind. But businesses need to question whether in-person travel is a necessity, as it can greatly increase an organization's environmental footprint.</p> <p>Businesses can discourage short trips in favor of stringing several trips together. Companies should also consider whether virtual alternatives are a possibility. Many <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/feature/Strategic-IT-outlook-Tech-conferences-and-events-calendar">industry conferences</a> offer virtual options through video conferencing tools that let workers attend the same sessions and hear the same speakers.</p> <p>Beyond being selective about travel bookings, CIOs can implement automated policy engines to enforce sustainability rules, ensuring compliance, without manual oversight. This might include requiring justification for flights under a certain distance, flagging direct flight alternatives and setting carbon budgets.</p> <h3>2. Consider eco-friendly transportation</h3> <p>If the destination isn't too far away, businesses should ask employees to take the train instead of a plane, as rail travel has lower carbon emissions than air travel, according to a study in the <i>Journal of the Air &amp; Waste Management Association</i>. Trains can also offer travelers better views and more legroom.</p> <p>But sometimes trains aren't an option. If travelers need to fly, businesses should encourage direct flights whenever possible. Carbon emissions are influenced by takeoff and landing cycles -- and the fuel burned at takeoff and climbing to cruising altitude is high, according to the same study. While flights with layovers might be more economical, they aren't doing the environment any favors.</p> <h3>3. Choose green hotels</h3> <p>Many hotels have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint. When booking hotels, ask what steps they have taken to go green and see if they have any <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/LEED-Leadership-in-Energy-and-Environmental-Design">LEED</a> certifications. LEED is an environmental certification program for buildings.</p> <p>Many hotels now only provide new sheets and towels upon request, helping conserve both energy and water in the washing process. And in some hotels, single-use toiletries are a thing of the past. In their place are bulk items such as shampoo, conditioner and body wash attached to the shower wall, eliminating excess waste in the landfill.</p> <h3>4. Pack light</h3> <p>It takes more fuel to transport heavy objects, so pack only the essentials. Not only is this environmentally friendly, but it is also more cost-effective. Packing light eliminates the need to check a bag on a flight, which usually incurs an additional cost. It also enables travelers to move freely in airports and cities, as they're not weighed down with baggage.</p> <h3>5. Don't print travel documents</h3> <p>Printing boarding passes is a thing of the past. Most airlines today offer mobile apps that let passengers view their trip details and show digital boarding passes to TSA and gate attendants.</p> <p>Many hotel apps offer the same service, where travelers can view trip details and confirmation numbers. For hotels without an app, travelers should save hotel confirmation emails in a folder on their phones and access the information from there.</p> <h3>6. Encourage reusable products</h3> <p>One of the easiest things businesses can do is provide reusable water bottles to employees. Many airports, hotels and conference facilities have water bottle fill stations for travelers, and this eliminates additional single-use plastic in the landfill. And if it's a logoed bottle, it's free advertising for the company.</p> <h3>7. Consider green ground transportation</h3> <p>Travelers visiting metropolitan areas such as Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco should ditch the rental car and consider public transport, such as the subway or bus, while they're visiting. Better yet, travelers should make hotel reservations near the office or event venue they'll be visiting and walk, eliminating carbon emissions completely.</p> <p>But if a rental car is necessary, travelers should consider an electric vehicle to minimize their carbon footprint. With high gas prices, it is also more cost-effective for businesses.</p> <h3>8. Eat locally</h3> <p>Eating at restaurants that source their food nearby reduces the transportation emissions associated with food production. Travelers should look for locally owned businesses and avoid chains. Farm-to-table restaurants are a great option.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Business case and ROI"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Business case and ROI</h2> <p>While a travel management platform can help a business reduce carbon emissions, it can also yield cost savings through optimized booking.</p> <p>To calculate the ROI of a travel management platform, follow this formula:</p> <p><span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">ROI = (Total benefits - Total costs / Total costs) x 100</span></p> <p>Total benefits include hard savings, process and administration savings, and rebates and rewards. Total costs include subscription fees, implementation fees and transaction/booking fees.</p> <p><em>Sarah Amsler is a senior managing editor for the IT Strategy team at TechTarget.</em></p> </section> Business travelers can reduce their carbon footprint in several ways, including considering eco-friendly transportation, choosing green hotels and eating locally. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/sustainability_g1360884566.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/sustainability/feature/8-tips-for-sustainable-business-travel Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:36:00 GMT <p>Employee experience is a crucial part of any company’s operations, but some challenges can get in the way. Chief HR officers (CHROs) should learn about some of the most common barriers to a positive employee experience so they can prevent the challenges from occurring.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/7-talent-acquisition-and-recruitment-trends">Hiring can be a time-consuming investment</a> for HR and hiring managers: The average time to fill a position is about 63 days, according to the "2026 Hiring Benchmarks Report" by Employ Inc. Organizations want to see a return on the expense of hiring, and replacing workers can lead to a loss in productivity. Delivering a good employee experience is critical for retaining employees.&nbsp;</p> <p>Here are some common challenges that can interfere with a company delivering a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/Guide-to-building-an-effective-employee-experience-strategy">positive employee experience</a>.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="1. A negative onboarding experience"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A negative onboarding experience</h2> <p>Companies should establish a good employee experience from the start, and a negative <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/10-best-practices-and-checklist-for-remote-onboarding">onboarding experience</a> can derail that effort. CHROs are responsible for creating a successful onboarding process and ensuring that HR staff follow it.</p> <p>If a CHRO's company is not already doing it, the CHRO might want to consider instituting a program in which a new hire is assigned to a peer. The senior co-worker can help the new hire get settled and build relationships with colleagues, which can improve the new employee's experience.</p> <p>CHROs should also instruct managers to tell new hires who to reach out to if the new hire has questions.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="2. Problems with managers"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Problems with managers</h2> <p>Difficult managers are often the primary cause of a negative employee experience. Forty-seven percent of surveyed employees said they left a job that they otherwise enjoyed because of problems with their manager, according to a 2025 report by BambooHR. Managers who give unclear directions, micromanage, take credit for their subordinates' work or create a toxic environment can negatively affect employee retention.</p> <p>CHROs should instruct HR business partners or other leaders to closely monitor managers' leadership styles and quickly address any negative behaviors. Attention should also be paid to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Exit-interview-questions-to-ask-departing-employees">employee exit interviews</a>, and HR should investigate any concerns raised by departing employees about their manager's behavior.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="3. Too much work for employees"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Too much work for employees</h2> <p>Many jobs come with particularly busy periods, but <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/podcast/Overcoming-employee-burnout-Leadership-in-the-digital-age">employees will become burned out</a> if an unrealistic workload becomes the norm. Some factors that can lead to burnout include understaffing and expecting employees to be available by email or text outside of normal business hours.</p> <p>One way CHROs can alleviate employee burnout is by mandating training for managers about realistic deadlines and fair workloads. CHROs should also review head count if understaffing becomes a perennial problem and establish policies to promote work-life balance, including encouraging employees to take paid time off and instructing managers to avoid texting or emailing their teams outside of normal work hours.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="4. Lack of company response to employee surveys"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lack of company response to employee surveys</h2> <p>Sending out surveys to gauge employee engagement and soliciting employee feedback during town halls or department meetings make employees feel like their concerns are being heard. However, employee experience can be negatively affected if the company fails to address workers' concerns <a href="https://www.greatplacetowork.ca/images/storage/Youve_Sent_Out_an_Employee_Engagement_Survey__-_Now_What.pdf">after the surveys</a> or meetings.</p> <p>Addressing every employee concern is not always possible, and if changes in a certain area cannot happen, the CHRO and other leaders should be candid with employees about why. Communicating about a lack of change will deliver a more positive employee experience than if leaders listen to concerns during a meeting and fail to respond.</p> <p><i>Lynda Spiegel is a freelance writer and former global HR executive for financial services, telecommunications and SaaS companies.</i></p> </section> Delivering a good employee experience is critical for retaining employees. Explore key challenges that can hinder employee experience and how CHROs can guard against them. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/keys_a150731005.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/How-CHROs-can-prevent-employee-experience-challenges Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:07:00 GMT <p>Employee burnout can happen at any company, and CHROs must take action to help prevent it before it happens.</p> <p>Reaching out to employees for suggestions and encouraging proper technology use can help alleviate employee burnout, among other strategies. Companies must then follow through to show employees that they care about burnout prevention.</p> <p>Here's a deeper look at what causes employee burnout and what employers can do to alleviate it.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="How technology causes, and alleviates, burnout"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>How technology causes, and alleviates, burnout</h2> <p>Technology makes it possible to work from home, but it also <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/04/employee-burnout-is-a-problem-with-the-company-not-the-person" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributes to</a> employee burnout.</p> <p>The expectation of constant connectivity and video burnout are particularly toxic stressors.</p> <p>Chat and collaboration apps, e-mail and even video conferences can increase productivity and engagement, but companies can also use them too much, said Diane Schwartz, CEO of Ragan Communications, a learning and development company.</p> <p>"Zoom is a blessing and a curse," Schwartz said.</p> <p>Here are some other strategies employers can use to prevent burnout.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Ask employees -- and take action"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Ask employees -- and take action</h2> <p>Organizations should start by <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/15-essential-employee-engagement-survey-questions">reaching out to employees</a>.</p> <p>Emplify leaders used the company's employee engagement survey platform to take the workforce's pulse in May 2020. Its employees needed official time off, according to the data.</p> <p>"[Encouraging them to] take a break when they needed it [wasn't enough]," said Adam Weber, executive coach at Adam Weber Coaching and former chief people officer at employee engagement software company Emplify.</p> <p>Emplify gave its employees every Friday off for a month, he said. Because everyone was off-duty, employees didn't have to manage emails and chats, which helped alleviate the feeling of constant connectivity.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Use reminder features"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Use reminder features</h2> <p>In some cases, the remote work platforms that can <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/252491994/As-employee-stress-rises-HR-focuses-on-mental-health">contribute to stress</a> can also be used to prevent employee burnout.</p> <p>For example, remote scheduling systems often have reminder features, said Jon Hill, managing partner at The Energists, an executive search firm based in Houston. Companies can set up reminders for employees to take regular breaks.</p> <p>Employers can also use the feature to make sure employees aren't working more than their contracted number of hours, Hill said. Companies that track time can use that same system to examine how much work team members are putting in. They can keep a particularly close eye on high performers and salaried employees who won't receive automatic compensation for their extra time.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Align technology with company culture"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Align technology with company culture</h2> <p>Tech tools like behavior analytics and AI have limitations just like any other software or system.</p> <p>The tools can help identify trends and the employees at risk for burnout, but they also need to fit in with the organization's culture and structure, said Marie-Helene Pelletier, an independent work psychologist and executive coach. For example, there may be stigma attached to using particular tools. Employers will need to address that or pursue other strategies.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Offer de-stressing options"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Offer de-stressing options</h2> <p>HR leaders can get creative about the stress-reduction programs they propose.</p> <p>For example, wellness tech, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/The-nine-best-ways-to-boost-workplace-mindfulness-success">such as mindfulness apps</a>, can help employees create islands of peace through the day. And some companies target one of the top stressors for many workers by offering financial wellness programs.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Create a burnout dialogue"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Create a burnout dialogue</h2> <p>The best strategy for preventing employee burnout is to create a culture where employees can speak openly about burnout with their managers.</p> <p>"Pretending burnout isn't happening will only make it worse," Weber said.</p> <p>Companies need to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/HR-can-help-support-employees-mental-health-well-being">acknowledge that burnout happens</a>, then foster employee-manager dialogue.</p> </section> Preventing employee burnout can be difficult, but CHROs should encourage their organizations to put strategies in place that help employees before they hit that point. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/searchFinancialApplications/software_strategy/financialapplications_article_018.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/How-to-prevent-employee-burnout Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT <p>AI hiring tools are moving closer to the interview itself.</p> <p>For years, recruiting software has helped employers post jobs, manage applicants, schedule interviews and organize candidate information. Newer tools go further. They can conduct interviews, analyze answers, create transcripts, score or summarize candidates and show recruiters dashboards that shape what they review next.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366642560/Amazon-Connect-Talent-AWS-enters-AI-interviewing-market">Amazon Connect Talent is a useful example</a> of where the market is heading. The tool is not just helping recruiters schedule interviews or organize applicants. It can also conduct interviews, analyze candidate answers, create transcripts and show recruiters dashboards and deeper analysis they can use to move candidates through the process faster.</p> <p>That makes sense for high-volume hiring. Employers filling warehouse, retail, restaurant, truck driver or contact center roles often need to screen large numbers of candidates quickly. Candidates in those markets might also move on if they do not hear back fast enough. AI interviewing can help recruiters keep up with that volume.</p> <p>But there is a difference between using AI around the hiring process and putting AI inside the interview itself.</p> <p>Once software is conducting, summarizing or analyzing the interview, employers need to know how much the AI shaped what the recruiter sees next. A human interviewer might notice context, follow-up nuance, unusual experience, candidate questions or role-specific judgment that an automated process could miss.</p> <p>That does not mean AI interviewing lacks value. It does mean employers need a clear decision trail.</p> <p>If an AI tool summarizes answers or presents candidates in a dashboard, the company should be able to reconstruct what was asked, what the candidate said, what the AI highlighted, what the recruiter reviewed and where the final human judgment entered the process.</p> <p>The risk is not only that AI could contribute to the wrong hiring decision. It is that the employer might not be able to explain how the decision was shaped.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Human judgment needs a boundary"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Human judgment needs a boundary</h2> <p>As with nearly every part of the enterprise software stack, AI is becoming a mainstay in HR software. And, as the Amazon Connect Talent example shows, major vendors are moving deeper into hiring workflows.</p> <p>But there is a big difference between using AI to widen recruiting bandwidth and using AI to make final hiring decisions.</p> <p>Tools such as Amazon Connect Talent can help speed up scheduling, screening, interview analysis and recruiter review. That can be valuable, especially when companies are dealing with high-volume hiring.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> The risk is not only that AI could contribute to the wrong hiring decision. It is that the employer might not be able to explain how the decision was shaped. </figure> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>But responsible enterprises and HR software vendors should not position AI as the final decision-maker. Nor should they treat human review as a rubber stamp on an AI recommendation.</p> <p>There has to be a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366611916/At-HR-Tech-experts-consider-future-of-human-judgment">human judgment boundary</a> -- probably several of them.</p> <p>Recruiters and hiring managers need to be involved before the AI interview, after it and at any major point where a candidate advances, stalls or leaves the process.</p> <p>That matters because AI helps shape what humans see. Depending on the tool and its settings, software can summarize answers, highlight certain responses, score candidates or package interview results in ways that influence the next step.</p> <p>Keeping humans in the loop should mean more than passive oversight. It should mean active review, follow-up questions and responsibility for the final call.</p> <p>The decision trail should show not only what the AI did, but what the human reviewed and decided. That human justification is necessary because hiring decisions affect real candidates, carry legal and bias risks and can be challenged by applicants, managers, HR leaders or regulators after the fact.</p> <p>In AI hiring, "human in the loop" only matters if the human role is specific enough to see, document and defend.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Assessments need evidence, not black-box trust"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Assessments need evidence, not black-box trust</h2> <p>There is a difference between using AI as part of a useful hiring assessment and using it as a black-box hiring shortcut.</p> <p>The first approach plays more to AI's strengths: pattern recognition, structured analysis, scoring support and statistical comparison. The second gets much more uncomfortable, especially if AI starts carrying most of the weight in decisions that should still involve human judgment.</p> <p>Assessments can be helpful, particularly for high-volume or high-turnover roles. But their usefulness depends on whether employers understand what is being measured, how the assessment was built and how the results should be interpreted. A score by itself is not enough.</p> <p>That is where the decision trail begins before the final hiring decision. It should run from the science behind the assessment to the job description, assessment design, scoring settings, recruiter review, exceptions, overrides and the final human decision.</p> <p>HireVue's Assessment Builder is a useful example. The company says it uses AI to help recruiters and hiring managers <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/podcast/Understanding-the-science-behind-AI-based-hiring-assessments">create role-specific assessments</a>, while grounding that work in industrial-organizational psychology and validation studies. The point is not that AI disappears from the process. It is that AI must be used within a system that employers understand well enough to explain.</p> <p>A validated assessment can still be misused if recruiters or managers do not understand what the score means, what it does not mean and how much weight it should carry. The decision trail should make that visible. It should show whether the assessment was used as one input, as a screening cutoff, as a ranking mechanism or as a major factor in deciding who moved forward.</p> <p>The issue is not whether AI can support hiring. The issue is whether employers can explain the evidence, the process and the human judgment around it.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/the_good_and_not_so_good_of_ai_recruiting_tools-f.png "> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/the_good_and_not_so_good_of_ai_recruiting_tools-f_mobile.png " class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/the_good_and_not_so_good_of_ai_recruiting_tools-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/the_good_and_not_so_good_of_ai_recruiting_tools-f.png 1280w" alt="Infographic showing applications, benefits and drawbacks of AI recruiting tools." height="246" width="559"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>AI recruiting tools can automate screening, communication and candidate sourcing, but employers still need human review, bias controls and a clear record of how candidates move through the process. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Buyer responsibility starts before the first interview"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Buyer responsibility starts before the first interview</h2> <p>In the end, the responsibility for when and how to use AI in hiring belongs to the organization doing the hiring.</p> <p>AI now shows up throughout recruiting in the form of chatbots, GenAI tools, copilots, semi-agentic tools and more autonomous agents. These tools can answer candidate questions, draft job descriptions, summarize resumes, generate interview questions, schedule interviews, screen applicants, rank candidates and recommend next steps.</p> <p>But the more those <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Top-AI-recruiting-tools-and-software-of-2022">tools touch the hiring process</a>, the more employers need to understand what the AI is doing and how much influence it has. That responsibility starts before implementation.</p> <p>Employers need to know what kind of AI is embedded in the recruiting tool, what role it plays, what level of autonomy it has and where human review is required. A chatbot that answers candidate questions creates a different risk profile than a tool that ranks applicants or summarizes AI-led interviews for recruiter review.</p> <p>This is why the decision trail begins before the first candidate enters the system. It starts with buying and configuration decisions: What hiring problem is the tool supposed to solve? Where is the company comfortable using AI? What decisions should always stay with people? What outputs must be documented? And who is responsible for explaining how the tool was used?</p> <p>Transparency must also extend within the organization. HR often supports hiring managers in other departments, so CHROs and recruiting leaders need to ensure managers understand where AI is being used, what they can rely on, and what they still need to judge for themselves.</p> <p>AI hiring governance should begin during product selection and configuration. HR leaders need to know what the tool does, managers need to understand what they can rely on, and recruiters need enough context to evaluate the evidence they are using. Otherwise, AI can become part of the hiring process before anyone has clearly defined how much influence it should have.</p> <div class="extra-info"> <div class="extra-info-inner"> <h3 class="splash-heading"></h3> <h3 class="splash-heading">How AI shows up in recruiting tools</h3> <p>AI hiring tools do not all work the same way. Employers should understand which type of AI is being used and the level of autonomy it has.</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li><b>Chatbots</b> can answer candidate questions, guide applicants through basic steps, screen for minimum qualifications and schedule interviews.</li> <li><b>Copilots</b> can help recruiters draft job descriptions, generate interview questions, summarize candidate information and suggest next steps.</li> <li><b>GenAI tools</b> can create job postings, emails, offer letters, rejection letters, interview guides and candidate summaries.</li> <li><b>Semi-agentic tools</b> can run multi-step recruiting workflows with human approval, such as sourcing, outreach, screening and scheduling.</li> <li><b>More autonomous agents</b> can act across multiple recruiting steps with less direct prompting, which raises the stakes for oversight, permissions and auditability.</li> </ul> <ul class="default-list"></ul> <p>The more autonomy a tool has, the more important it becomes to document what the AI did, what humans reviewed and who owned the final hiring decision.</p> </div> </div> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Applicant data is part of the decision trail"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Applicant data is part of the decision trail</h2> <p>Gathering and protecting sensitive applicant data is already part of recruiting, whether or not AI is involved. Employers need to know where that data lives, who can access it, how long it is retained and how it is protected.</p> <p>AI raises the stakes because hiring tools can now create transcripts, summaries, scores, dashboards and other records that shape how candidates are evaluated. If those processes are opaque, highly automated or weakly supervised, the organization has more than a data protection issue. It also has an accountability issue.</p> <p>That makes <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/How-CHROs-CISOs-can-partner-to-protect-job-applicant-data">applicant data governance</a> part of the decision trail. HR, IT, security and legal teams need to help define the rules before the tool is deployed, then maintain and enforce them throughout the hiring process. That includes access controls, retention policies, vendor requirements, security reviews and clear accountability for how AI-generated hiring records are handled.</p> <p>This is not the same as deciding whether a candidate should be hired. But it is part of the governance foundation that allows AI hiring tools to be used responsibly in the first place.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="The final call still needs an owner"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>The final call still needs an owner</h2> <p>AI hiring tools can make recruiting faster, more scalable and, in some cases, more structured. They can help recruiters manage large applicant pools, standardize parts of the interview process and surface information that might otherwise take days or weeks to collect.</p> <p>But faster hiring still needs to be explainable. If AI conducts an interview, summarizes a transcript, scores an assessment or recommends the next step, the employer needs more than a dashboard. It needs a record of what the tool did and how people used it. That means knowing how the tool was configured, what the candidate experienced, what the AI highlighted, what the recruiter questioned and what evidence supported the final decision.</p> <p>Those are not just compliance questions. They are hiring quality questions.</p> <p>A decision trail does not have to slow hiring to a crawl. Done well, it should make the process easier to trust. Recruiters get a clearer record. Hiring managers get better context. HR leaders get more consistency. Candidates get a process that is easier to explain if questions arise.</p> <p>AI might help hiring move faster, but the final decision still needs a human owner. The more AI shapes the path to that decision, the more important it becomes to show how the decision was made.</p> <p><i>James Alan Miller is a veteran technology editor and writer who leads Informa TechTarget's Enterprise Software group. He oversees coverage of ERP &amp; Supply Chain, HR Software, Customer Experience, Communications &amp; Collaboration and End-User Computing topics.</i></p> </section> AI hiring tools can speed interviews and assessments, but employers need a decision trail that shows what AI shaped, what humans reviewed and who owned the final call. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/collab_a275903017.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/AI-hiring-needs-a-decision-trail Tue, 19 May 2026 10:01:00 GMT <p>Workday expanded the reach of its Sana AI self-service agent for HR into Microsoft Copilot.</p> <p>Over the last few years, the company has built its core HR and finance functionality into Teams, Slack and other AI touchpoints its customers' employees use every day while also <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366640361/Workdays-new-old-CEO-reveals-Sana-agentic-AI-updates">expanding the capabilities</a> of its <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366631340/Workday-previews-a-dozen-AI-agents-acquires-Sana">Sana agentic AI</a> to automate tasks.</p> <p>The company's overall plan is to deploy its technology -- and AI tools -- to meet employees where they work, rather than making them bounce from an employee portal to an email, chat or help desk ticket to answer routine questions, said Laila Almounaier, vice president of connected experiences at Workday.</p> <p>"It's about, in this example, Copilot being able to securely hand off to our agent -- which executes the task in Workday -- using the customer's existing approvals, its policies, its processes -- and send those results back into Copilot so workers can stay in the tools they're using," Almounaier said.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366625056/Workday-adds-seven-agents-to-Illuminate-platform">Sana self-service agent</a> embedded in Copilot can answer plain-language questions about vacation balances, family leave and travel policies, file time-off requests, pull up pay statements and handle expense-report questions, among a host of other user-configured tasks. The agent also enables managers to initiate performance reviews and approve timesheets.</p> <p>Back in the Workday platform, the agent applies user-configured workflows, data security, approvals and business rules to perform the various tasks.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/workday-microsoft_copilot-h.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/workday-microsoft_copilot-h_half_column_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/workday-microsoft_copilot-h_half_column_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/workday-microsoft_copilot-h.jpg 1280w" alt="Screenshot of Sana AI for HR agent embedded in Microsoft Copilot" data-credit="Workday" height="158" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The Sana AI self-service agent can field questions and handle employee tasks, such as time-off requests, directly within Microsoft Copilot's interface. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>"There's no margin for error when you're talking about this level of data," Almounaier said. "By bringing our self-service agent into Microsoft Copilot, we're not just answering questions -- we're safely executing the transactions that touch people and money on [guard]rails that customers already trust."</p> <p>For IT staff, the Copilot integration is an app available in the Microsoft Marketplace and requires no separate logins, deployment or licensing.</p> <p>Workday's Copilot integrations are the latest confirmation of a trend with many different enterprise IT vendors, said Holger Mueller, analyst at Constellation Research. Embedding Workday -- or anyone else's -- functionality in assistants like Copilot or collaboration apps such as Microsoft Teams or Salesforce's Slack hands over the interface to a third party.</p> <p>But these large back-office app vendors are willing to make that tradeoff in the agentic AI era.</p> <p>"At the end of the day, the customer pays the bills, and that means the customer has to win -- which happens when employees win," Mueller said. "It's a good thing to see Workday being available in Copilot. There's nothing to lose for Workday, as the employee is still a fully licensed Workday user."</p> <p><i>Don Fluckinger is a seasoned B2B technology journalist with over 30 years of experience, specializing in enterprise IT, digital experience and content management. As a senior news writer at Informa TechTarget, he delivers award-winning analysis that helps IT and business leaders navigate complex technologies to enhance customer and employee experiences. Got a tip? </i><a href="mailto:don.fluckinger@informatechtarget.com?subject=Tip%20from%20article" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>Email him</i></a><i>.</i></p> Employees can get answers to questions about vacations, expenses and other topics from the Copilot query line. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/wfh_a382773067.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366643021/Workday-embeds-Sana-AI-for-HR-inside-Microsoft-Copilot Wed, 13 May 2026 15:35:00 GMT <p><i>ORLANDO, Fla. -- AI is the most prominent topic in the tech world, and many HR departments are being asked to assume a major role in AI programs at their company, according to SAP SuccessFactors chief product officer Daniel Beck.</i></p> <p><i>SAP announced various new AI technology at its 2026 Sapphire conference, including Joule AI assistants that will focus on areas including </i><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/human-capital-management-HCM"><i>human capital management</i></a><i>. The announcement comes as HR departments attempt to implement AI and figure out which HR tasks will be performed by AI and which ones still require human judgment.</i></p> <p><i>Informa TechTarget spoke with Beck at Sapphire about HR's current challenges, the most common </i><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/HR-AI-use-cases-that-leaders-should-know"><i>AI HR use cases</i></a><i> and how the workforce itself is changing.</i></p> <p><strong>Editor's note:</strong><i> This interview was edited for length and clarity.</i></p> <p><b>What are some of the biggest challenges in the HR world right now?</b></p> <p><strong>Daniel Beck:</strong><b> </b>I think HR is really facing this dynamic time of, what does it mean to be an HR organization in an era where AI is joining the workforce?</p> <p>HR is being asked, "What does it mean to bring AI to our company and change our workforce, and how does that affect our culture?" HR is being asked to take a leadership role there. At least that's what I'm seeing. I think it's exciting, but it is challenging.</p> <p><b>What are some of the top use cases for AI in HR right now?</b></p> <p><strong>Beck:</strong> We're rolling out <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsap/news/366624180/SAP-sits-Joule-at-helm-of-apps-data-flywheel">15 assistants</a> across the entire SuccessFactors suite with 62 agents therein. So what you're going to see is, essentially, AI across the SuccessFactors suite.</p> <p>There's everything from features and capabilities like payroll, which is a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Uses-for-AI-in-payroll-processing">good area for assistants</a> to come and help, as well as more talent-facing things, like how do I recruit with AI?</p> <p>There's the category we would call HR self-service, or HR service, which is: You're coming back from leave, you have basic questions that previously would have been a help desk ticket or HR-related ticket. Now you can just sort of answer them yourself or get an agent to help answer. And then, if it's either more sensitive or if I'm stuck, then populate the case for me and get me some help.</p> <p><b>What should companies do to guard against such potential issues as </b><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Challenges-of-AI-in-recruitment"><b>AI bias in recruiting</b></a><b>?</b></p> <p><strong>Beck:</strong> We take this stuff super-seriously. We test everything we put in front of a customer to reduce bias. We did an ISO 42001 certification. The last thing we want for our customers is to be in the headlines for the wrong reasons.</p> <p>I think a lot of vendors have taken shortcuts on the data they use for recruiting, to find candidates and match candidates. I think half the major vendors in the market have class-action lawsuits against them. So that's exactly where we don't want to be with our customers.</p> <p>We don't want AI spitting out recommendations of who to transfer, who to hire, without a human in the loop.</p> <p><b>How has the </b><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366628460/SAP-hopes-SmartRecruiters-buy-will-bolster-SuccessFactors"><b>SmartRecruiters acquisition</b></a><b> affected SuccessFactors?</b></p> <p><strong>Beck:</strong> A lot of clients are clamoring to get to SmartRecruiters. So I'd say it's going well.</p> <p>Starbucks just bought SmartRecruiters at the end of Q1. They want to be live by, I want to say, November. We're seeing that: "I want it, and I want to go live in a very short timeline." So that's exciting for us.</p> <p><b>How does the fact that S/4HANA doesn't have its own HCM module affect how current or potential migrators to S/4HANA view it as an option, and do a lot of customers who move to S/4HANA also adopt SuccessFactors?</b></p> <p><strong>Beck:</strong> We want them to use S4 for finance and SuccessFactors for HR. We'd love that attach rate to be higher. We're actively working on that.</p> <p>I'll give you an example -- I'll leave the company nameless. They have S4, and they have a third-party HCM solution. Taking data from your HR system of record, your finances of record, and stitching it all together and feeding it into a payroll product is a bad use of resources.</p> <p>It's such a headache for them to replicate all that data, just for payroll. And then they say, "You know what? SAP can do all that for me."</p> <p><i>Molly Clancy is the senior site editor for Informa TechTarget's SearchHRSoftware and SearchERP sites.</i></p> SAP SuccessFactors chief product officer Daniel Beck discusses SAP's acquisition of SmartRecruiters, AI bias in recruiting and how he thinks HR will change in the age of AI. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/chatbot_g1144033172.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366643078/How-SAP-sees-the-future-of-HR-in-the-age-of-AI Wed, 13 May 2026 10:55:00 GMT <p>After a software launch, the ownership question often gets harder.</p> <p>IT might own the platform. Business leaders might own the outcomes. HR or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/change-management">change management</a> teams might help with communication and training. Managers might be expected to reinforce new behaviors. Employees might be the first to see where the new process breaks down.</p> <p>But if no one owns the handoff between those roles, adoption can stall even when the system itself is working.</p> <p>That is why software adoption should not be treated as the final step of implementation. It is the point when the organization has to prove that the software changed how work gets done.</p> <p>A system can be live and still leave a lot of unfinished work behind it. People might be using it unevenly, training may not match the real questions employees have, and workflows might need to change once the software is in daily use. At some point, someone has to be responsible for saying whether the system is doing what the company bought it to do.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/feature/Software-change-stalls-when-adoption-begins">Software change often stalls between rollout and real adoption</a>, especially when companies treat deployment as the end of the project rather than the beginning of operational change.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/change_management_strategy_in_action-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/change_management_strategy_in_action-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/change_management_strategy_in_action-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/change_management_strategy_in_action-f.png 1280w" alt="Five-step change management strategy diagram" height="218" width="559"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The 5 steps of change management strategy include identifying change situations, developing policy, defining process, conducting review and communicating process. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="How to tell if software adoption is stuck"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>How to tell if software adoption is stuck</h2> <p>Software adoption does not always fail loudly. In many cases, the signs are quiet and familiar.</p> <p>Employees might still rely on side spreadsheets, extra emails or informal workarounds because the new workflow does not fit the way work actually happens. Managers might ask for information outside the system because they do not trust the data or cannot get what they need from the platform. Employees might log in because they have to but still complete the real work somewhere else.</p> <p>Training is another place where adoption can quietly break down. A launch webinar or one round of documentation might be enough to introduce the system, but it usually is not enough to help employees deal with the real questions that come up once they start using it. Those questions often involve exceptions, role-specific tasks, confusing handoffs or small workflow problems that were not obvious before go-live. A system can be available to everyone and still be understood well by very few people.</p> <p>Feedback also matters. If employees are raising issues but those problems never reach the people who can adjust workflows, documentation, system configuration or training, the organization might keep treating adoption as an employee behavior problem when it is really a process design problem.</p> <p>This is especially important in HR software projects, where employee feedback during HRMS projects can reveal whether the system fits real employee and manager workflows.</p> <p>The issue is not always that the technology failed. More often, the organization bought the system to change something, but the work around the system has not caught up.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> A software project can look finished when the system goes live, but adoption can still be incomplete. </figure> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Deployment metrics are not adoption metrics"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Deployment metrics are not adoption metrics</h2> <p>Go-live dates, licenses, logins and training completion rates can show that a system has been deployed. They do not necessarily show that the software is improving work.</p> <p>A stronger adoption view looks at whether the system is being used in the right workflows, by the right people, for the right reasons. Leaders should ask whether the software reduced friction, improved handoffs, eliminated duplicate work, made information easier to find or helped teams make better decisions.</p> <p>The right metrics will vary by system.</p> <p>For ERP, leaders might look beyond the initial <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/tip/ERP-implementation-steps-for-success">ERP implementation</a> to process consistency, data quality, reduced manual work, fewer side spreadsheets or better reporting.</p> <p>For HR software, stronger<b> </b><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/post/Strategies-for-improving-HR-technology-adoption">HR technology adoption</a> might show up in manager self-service, employee completion rates, onboarding efficiency or whether employees can complete routine tasks without extra support.</p> <p>For communications and collaboration platforms, they might look beyond active users and ask whether the platform improved response times, meeting quality, handoffs or service coordination.</p> <p>The common point is that adoption metrics should connect to the reason the software was bought. If the organization cannot explain how the system changed the work, it might be measuring deployment instead of adoption.</p> <div class="extra-info"> <div class="extra-info-inner"> <p></p> <h3 class="splash-heading">Post-launch software adoption checklist</h3> <p>A post-launch adoption plan should answer these questions:</p> <ol class="default-list"> <li><b>Who owns the business outcome?</b><b><br></b>The software should connect to a clear operational, financial, employee experience or customer experience goal.<b> </b></li> <li><b>Who owns the workflow changes?</b><b><br></b>Business leaders and managers should know which processes are expected to change after launch.<b> </b></li> <li><b>Who owns training after launch?</b><b><br></b>Training should continue as employees encounter edge cases, exceptions and role-specific questions.<b> </b></li> <li><b>Who collects and acts on user feedback?</b><b><br></b>Employees need a way to surface friction, and leaders need a process for deciding what to fix.<b> </b></li> <li><b>Who decides whether adoption is working?</b><b><br></b>Usage data can help, but adoption should also be measured against workflow improvements and business outcomes.</li> </ol> <p>If the answers are unclear, adoption can stall even when the system itself is working.</p> </div> </div> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Software adoption usually has many partial owners"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Software adoption usually has many partial owners</h2> <p>Software adoption usually requires shared ownership, but that ownership can become unclear if handoffs are not defined.</p> <p>IT plays a central role. It deploys, integrates, secures and supports the system. But IT usually cannot be the only group responsible for whether employees change how they work. That work often requires close HR and IT collaboration when software adoption affects employee experience as much as system access.</p> <p>Business leaders need to define what the software is supposed to improve. They should clarify which processes should change, what outcomes matter and how the system fits the work their teams actually perform.</p> <p>HR or change management teams can help with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/How-HR-can-serve-a-critical-role-in-change-management">communication, training, employee adjustment and readiness</a>.</p> <p>Managers play a different role. They see whether employees are using the system as intended, where old habits remain and where the new process is creating confusion. They are often closest to the practical adoption problems that do not show up in a project dashboard.</p> <p>Employees also need a way to surface friction. They are the ones who encounter missing documentation, awkward workflows, unnecessary steps, confusing interfaces and process gaps.</p> <p>The problem is not that one group owns adoption and another does not. The problem is that adoption often moves across all these groups without a clear owner for the transitions between them.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> The problem is that adoption often moves across all these groups without a clear owner for the transitions between them. </figure> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="The handoff needs an owner"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>The handoff needs an owner</h2> <p>The most important adoption question might not be, "Who owns the software?"</p> <p>It might be, "Who owns the handoff between the software and the work?"</p> <p>Someone has to make sure feedback reaches the right team. Someone has to decide whether a problem is a training issue, a workflow issue, a configuration issue or a business process issue. Someone has to keep measuring whether the software is solving the problem it was bought to address.</p> <p>That does not mean one executive or one department should own every part of adoption. But it does mean the organization needs an <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/feature/Who-owns-the-outcome-Accountability-in-the-hybrid-enterprise">ownership model</a> that connects IT, business leaders, HR, managers and employees after launch.</p> <p>That ownership model should answer some basic questions after go-live: Who is watching adoption? Who is collecting user complaints and deciding which ones matter most? Who can change the workflow if the process is not working? Who keeps training and documentation current? And who is responsible for saying, months later, whether the software is actually solving the problem it was bought to fix?</p> <p>Without that structure, deployment can become the end of the project even though adoption has barely started.</p> <p>Software adoption does not end when the system goes live. It becomes real when employees understand the new process, managers reinforce it, workflows adjust, feedback is acted on and leaders can show that the software changed the work it was supposed to improve.</p> <p><i>James Alan Miller is a veteran technology editor and writer who leads Informa TechTarget's Enterprise Software group. He oversees coverage of ERP &amp; Supply Chain, HR Software, Customer Experience, Communications &amp; Collaboration and End-User Computing topics.</i></p> </section> A platform can go live while adoption remains unfinished. Leaders need to know who owns the handoff between software rollout and real workflow change. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/collab_a120705009.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Who-owns-software-adoption-after-launch Tue, 12 May 2026 15:28:00 GMT <p>AWS has entered the HR tech market, albeit with an AI interviewing tool and not a full-on HCM platform.</p> <p>Amazon Connect Talent, released in preview, is a combination <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/agentic-AI">agentic AI</a> and analytics tool that conducts interviews on behalf of recruiters, analyzes the answers, and dashboards the results so recruiters can take action and make offers. It also provides transcripts and deeper dive analyses of interviews to users when needed.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchaws/definition/Amazon-Connect">Amazon Connect</a> -- now renamed Amazon Connect Customer -- launched nine years ago as a bundle of contact center technologies that has grown into a full-fledged contact center-as-a-service (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcustomerexperience/definition/contact-center-as-a-service-CCaS">CCaaS</a>) suite. The Amazon Connect brand is now positioned as a horizontal offering for all industries, not just contact centers, said Pasquale DeMaio, Amazon Connect vice president at AWS.</p> <p>To that end, earlier this week at its What's Next With AWS marketing event in San Francisco, AWS <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/amazon-connect-ai-business-set" rel="noopener">expanded the offerings</a> under Amazon Connect to include the HR hiring tool and Amazon Connect Decisions, a bundle of supply chain tools. Last year, Amazon Connect Health and Amazon Bio Discovery launched for those distinct healthcare verticals.</p> <p>AI interviewing is a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/252471753/Hiring-algorithms-prove-beneficial-but-also-raise-ethical-questions">well-established tool</a> for recruiters to handle high volumes of interviews for roles such as warehouse workers, retail and restaurant jobs, and contact center agents. In the last decade, what started as chatbot interviews has evolved into AI agents that can put candidates through the paces of a job during the interview and score skills, experience and temperament for a particular position.</p> <p>Independent HR technology analyst Josh Bersin was surprised that AWS jumped into the AI interviewing market now, because it's mature and already crowded with both large HCM vendors offering similar features -- and many smaller companies, too, that offer integrations to the big platforms.</p> <p>"Google tried this. Facebook tried it before they were Meta. A lot of companies tried to get into the HR recruiting domain because they thought it was so easy," Bersin said. "But it's not easy, because you're selling it to HR people who want to customize it for their companies. I'm not saying it isn't good technology -- it probably is [good technology] -- but I wonder if it's worth Amazon's time."</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/connect_talent_recruiter-f.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/connect_talent_recruiter-f_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/connect_talent_recruiter-f_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/connect_talent_recruiter-f.jpg 1280w" alt="Screenshot of AWS Amazon Connect Talent AI interviewing tool recruiter view" data-credit="AWS" height="420" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>AWS's Amazon Connect Talent AI interviewing tool concatenates interview results in a chat interface for recruiter review. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Evolution of AI interview tech"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Evolution of AI interview tech</h2> <p>In general, the pluses of this technology include 24/7 availability at the interviewee's convenience; analytics that help compliance and iron out human bias toward one demographic or another -- and also has fewer issues with accents; offers interviewees the ability to re-record answers they want to restate; and can interview many candidates at once, therefore shortening the screening process of 100 candidates from weeks into days -- or hours.</p> <p>Prospective employees report that they appreciate how such interview automation speeds up the hiring process -- i.e., they don't wait a week [to hear back from] McDonald's or Starbucks before moving on to the next opportunity, Bersin said. McDonald's McHire uses bots from Paradox; Starbucks uses a bot developed by Sapia.ai.</p> <p>"It's very powerful [technology], because if you're recruiting for a high-turnover role -- like a truck driver, warehouse worker, any sort of tactical work -- you're going to get a lot of applicants and need time to schedule interviews," Bersin said.</p> <p>"Hiring managers don't have a lot of time to do it, either. So, it serves as a very good screening tool… it's a way to take all of the intellectual property that companies use for interviewing and embed it in a much more scalable experience."</p> <p>Not everyone fully endorses the technology. Laws in jurisdictions including Maryland, California, New York City and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/252472497/A-backlash-emerges-over-automated-interviewing">Illinois govern certain aspects of AI interviewing</a>, such as consent, facial recognition and potential bias.</p> <p>Vendors <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Why-algorithmic-auditing-cant-fully-cope-with-AI-bias-in-hiring">have pushed back</a> on the notion that AI introduces biases.</p> <p>AWS based Amazon Connect Talent on Amazon's own AI hiring systems, much like the original AWS CCaaS was based on Amazon's homegrown, in-house customer service technologies, AWS's DeMaio said.</p> <p>The company built the AI interviewing tool with customers in mind who hire many people annually, for jobs that sometimes turn over twice a year. He characterized the AI as "less judgmental" than humans.</p> <p>"[The volume of work] is a really hard problem for these recruiters to face," DeMaio said. "Every day they come into work, and they're trying to do this hiring. A lot of it's been very manual, not very much fun. Over time, we had built a bunch of science around how to accelerate these recruiters' ability to do their jobs and just have a better experience bringing people on. Using that science, we've created this product, Talent." &nbsp;</p> <p><i>Don Fluckinger is a seasoned B2B technology journalist with over 30 years of experience, specializing in enterprise IT, digital experience and content management. As a senior news writer at Informa TechTarget, he delivers award-winning analysis that helps IT and business leaders navigate complex technologies to enhance customer and employee experiences. Got a tip? </i><a href="mailto:don.fluckinger@informatechtarget.com?subject=Tip%20from%20article" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>Email him</i></a><i>.</i></p> </section> AWS tosses its hat into a somewhat mature -- and crowded -- enterprise tech ring. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/telecommunications_g1247980427.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/366642560/Amazon-Connect-Talent-AWS-enters-AI-interviewing-market Fri, 01 May 2026 15:58:00 GMT <p>An HR system is one of the most important purchases an organization makes. The stakes couldn't be higher: The market for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/The-7-best-HR-software-and-tool-options-to-consider">HR tools</a> continues to grow, and people management remains as urgent as ever amid unprecedented social, political and economic change. Now AI is disrupting nearly every aspect of business, transforming -- and sometimes eliminating -- jobs, automating much of the work of HR departments and spurring urgent efforts to retrain employees.</p> <p>This overview for CHROs explains all the key steps in setting up an effective buying process and identifies the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/15-must-have-HR-software-features-and-system-requirements">HR software features</a> that ultimately determine whether a product will meet your needs. Throughout, links will take you to articles with details on important related topics.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="What is HR software?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>What is HR software?</h2> <p>HR software encompasses the myriad tools organizations use to manage daily HR processes, such as recruiting, onboarding, training, payroll, benefits, time and attendance, performance management and succession planning.</p> <p>While HR software was originally inward-facing and focused on the administrative tasks of HR departments, today's products make the art and science of developing an organization's human resources -- its people -- available to every employee.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Types of HR software"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Types of HR software</h2> <p>HR software usually comes as a suite of modules, each one designed for a specific HR process.</p> <p>The most comprehensive platforms go by several names:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Human resource management system (HRMS).</li> <li>Human resource information system (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/HRIS">HRIS</a>).</li> <li>Human capital management (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/human-capital-management-HCM">HCM</a>).</li> </ul> <p>The terms are often used interchangeably, but there are discernible differences when comparing <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/HRIS-vs-HRMS-vs-HCM-Key-differences-and-similarities">HRIS vs. HRMS vs. HCM</a>. In short, <i>HRIS</i> and <i>HRMS</i> are near synonyms for actual software platforms you can buy, while <i>HCM</i> is an umbrella term for both HR processes and software.</p> <p>These comprehensive suites typically include the following categories of software modules, which can often be bought separately:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Core HR (benefits, employee records, payroll, etc.).</li> <li><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/talent-management">Talent management</a> (compensation, learning, performance, recruitment, succession).</li> <li>Workforce management (scheduling, time and attendance).</li> <li>Service delivery (employee and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/manager-self-service">manager self-service</a>, help desks).</li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-hcm_components.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-hcm_components_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-hcm_components_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-hcm_components.jpg 1280w" alt="Illustration of HCM components and functions and how they're connected." height="385" width="559"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Human capital management (HCM) software includes components for every major process in HR. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Benefits of HR software"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Benefits of HR software</h2> <p>Organizations typically bought HR software to digitize the record-keeping, computation and communication tasks performed by the HR department and distributed some of those responsibilities throughout the organization. Functions such as time and attendance, payroll, recruiting, regulatory compliance and benefits administration could be moved off paper and managed -- usually more efficiently -- on computers.</p> <p>This partial automation of manual tasks reduced labor costs, streamlined HR processes and made them more effective. Nowadays, organizations look to AI to supercharge their HR automation so common processes like benefits administration and recruitment can be mostly handled by AI and some HR roles eliminated or shifted to higher-value work.</p> <p>The effect of this increasingly AI-infused technology goes far beyond the more commonplace benefits of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/HR-automation">HR automation</a>. When more employees perform better and reach their full potential, the result is often improved creativity and productivity that ultimately leads to higher profits.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uzL1ZqzlWcw?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Latest trends in HR software"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Latest trends in HR software</h2> <p>Societal trends in work-life balance, employee satisfaction and diversity, in tandem with emerging technologies that are infiltrating every aspect of business, have had a major impact on HR processes and software. Here are six of the most influential trends.</p> <h3>1. AI</h3> <p>Artificial intelligence can spot patterns, choose among options and make predictions -- all things people do when recruiting, evaluating and developing talent. Automating those processes with AI can make them more accurate and efficient. HR software vendors have been aggressively adding AI capabilities, including generative AI (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/generative-AI">GenAI</a>) with humanlike communication skills for writing recruitment emails, creating educational content and developing career paths.</p> <p>"AI is changing everything," said Brian Sommer, president of the TechVentive consultancy. "It's changing the products, the business case, the scope, the outcomes, the procurement process and more." But there are major concerns that the technology can sometimes amplify rather than eliminate racism, sexism and other biases. Companies are also uneasy about leaving important decisions up to a technological "black box." And some job applicants mislead prospective employers with AI-generated resumes that are falsified to match job descriptions.</p> <p>Sommer cautioned buyers to watch out for vendors who charge extra for new AI features -- such as modeling and analytics -- as AI-driven workflows begin doing the work of traditional modules, including recruiting and workforce management.</p> <p>"What you thought was an application? That definition is expanding and changing, and may have contractual and monetary implications," he said. "Readers need to fasten their seatbelts, put a padlock on the corporate bank account and prepare to have some tough-love conversations with software vendors if they start getting greedy."</p> <h3>2. Augmented reality and virtual reality</h3> <p>AR overlays digital information on a real-world environment, while VR attempts to digitally simulate an entire environment. Both are beginning to transform corporate learning by providing virtual hands-on experience with the tools and procedures employees need to learn for their jobs. The use of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/VR-in-HR-How-human-resources-can-use-VR-and-AR-technology">AR and VR in HR-driven training</a> could help avert a knowledge crisis resulting from the mass retirement of baby boomers.</p> <h3>3. Blockchain</h3> <p>A database technology for distributing records across a chain of computers, blockchain makes data essentially permanent and largely immune to hacking. Bitcoin is the most famous blockchain application, but companies are exploring its potential for sharing employee records and other HR information. Initial uses for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Blockchain-HR-technology-5-use-cases-impacting-human-resources">blockchain HR technology</a> include securely transmitting payroll documentation, candidate credentials and employment contracts. However, deployments are few, and significant technical hurdles and distrust sown, in large part, by <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/Common-cryptocurrency-scams">high-profile cryptocurrency fraud</a> will have to be overcome for blockchain to see widespread adoption.</p> <h3>4. Mental health</h3> <p>Workers' struggles with isolation and stress from COVID-19 lockdowns and remote-work expectations sparked renewed interest in supporting mental health on par with physical health. Today, employers continue to bolster their benefit packages with mental health and wellness apps and portals.</p> <h3>5. Remote and hybrid work</h3> <p>When pandemic lockdowns ended, companies struggled to formulate new requirements and incentives for working in the office. Many adopted hybrid models that combine home and office work. The physical dispersal of the workforce drove demand for video conferencing software, team collaboration tools and other hybrid workplace technologies. HR software vendors responded with new features for remote performance management and recruitment, employee engagement, monitoring and wellness.</p> <h3>6. Robotic process automation</h3> <p>By mimicking human actions, RPA bots -- some capable of AI-based decision-making -- can execute common HR processes, such as benefits selection, expense reimbursement and resume-sorting, faster and more accurately. Vendors began adding <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/What-does-robotic-process-automation-mean-for-HR-operations">RPA to their HR</a> products several years ago, but the recent focus is on <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/agentic-AI">agentic AI</a> that is intelligent enough to automate decisions and make recommendations.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_hr_vendors_will_use_generative_ai-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_hr_vendors_will_use_generative_ai-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_hr_vendors_will_use_generative_ai-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_hr_vendors_will_use_generative_ai-f.png 1280w" alt="Chart with bulleted lists detailing how HR vendors will use generative AI across various functions." height="342" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Generative AI's ability to communicate like a person can help automate numerous HR processes. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Keys for evaluating HR software"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Keys for evaluating HR software</h2> <p>How do you find the products that have the basic functions and specific features your organization needs the most? And how can you scrutinize vendor spec sheets and demos to compare products in enough detail to make the right choice?</p> <p>"Features and functionality aren't much help because most products are mature and do the same things," Sommer said. "The issue is which products do a killer job of solving your most complicated, messed-up functions or process pain points."</p> <p>One of the most common <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/13-HR-software-buying-mistakes-to-avoid">HR software buying mistakes</a> is looking for products that automate existing processes. Sommer advised that organizations instead take time to investigate what's possible with new and innovative HR technologies, reimagine their HR or talent management processes, and then pick a vendor they believe can close the gap between idea and reality.</p> <p>Another common mistake is seeing HR systems as silos and failing to develop a long-term architectural vision that accounts for data management, privacy and integration between key systems, said Josh Bersin, HR analyst and founder of The Josh Bersin Company.</p> <p>Bersin recommended instead treating <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/HR-software-selection-How-to-ask-the-right-questions">HR software selection</a> like a product management strategy that calls for monthly and annual investments in technology. First, identify the organization's biggest objectives, such as growth or productivity, before conducting research to find vendors that fit the organization's size. Then get references from customers in the same industry, experiment with different vendors and establish partnerships with them. Expand the vendor relationship beyond the salesperson to the product team and executives, he said, "so you really feel like this is a vendor that fits hand-in-glove with your needs."</p> <p>Here are the typical steps in the software selection process:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li><b>Create a strategy to evaluate HR tools.</b> Define the organization's biggest workforce challenges, needs and goals.</li> <li><b>Assemble a cross-disciplinary buying team.</b> Include representatives from HR, IT and finance, as well as departmental managers and staff who will use the software.</li> <li><b>Identify requirements.</b> List what is important to the organization in an HR software system. The criteria should cover technology requirements and business issues, such as international compliance needs.</li> <li><b>Identify potential vendors.</b> Use a variety of research methods -- from market reports to discussions with other companies -- to generate a list of possible vendors. Then, narrow it down to 5-10 vendors to approach for more information.</li> <li><b>Send a request for proposal to the shortlist of vendors.</b> The <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitchannel/definition/request-for-proposal">RFP</a> should be clear and concise and include information about your organization, the project, timeline, submission rules and scope, as well as a vendor questionnaire.</li> <li><b>View demos.</b> Ask each vendor to build demos around actual use cases from your organization. Fully scripted demos that show the exact steps for employees are the best way to judge a module's capabilities and determine if a product will deliver.</li> <li><b>Read case studies.</b> Find customer stories that include deployment and adoption challenges. Ask vendors for reference customers who can answer questions directly.</li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/when_hr_parts_are_greater_than_the_whole-f.png 1280w" alt="Graphic showing how HR software functions affect the organization" height="560" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>HR software automates most HR functions and makes them available in nearly every part of the organization. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Who is responsible for buying HR software?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Who is responsible for buying HR software?</h2> <p>CHROs need to put some thought into who should be on the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/The-HR-software-buying-team-Roles-responsibilities-tips">HR software buying team</a>. The following are typical roles and responsibilities.</p> <p><b>Sponsor.</b> This is the main person overseeing the project, typically someone in the C-suite, such as the chief human resources officer (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/chief-human-resources-officer-CHRO">CHRO</a>), CIO or CFO. They make the big decisions and keep the initiative aligned with the business strategy.</p> <p><b>Selection manager.</b> The selection manager is the de facto project manager for the product evaluation and selection process. This is often a senior HR manager, such as the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/HRIS-director-human-resources-information-system-director">HRIS director</a>, or a member of the central project management office.</p> <p><b>Selection advisor.</b> Typically, this role is filled by an outside consultant, but it could be an internal person with similar expertise in requirements planning, RFP preparation and other formal steps.</p> <p><b>Subject matter experts.</b> These are the people who know the most about the important business processes the new system will manage, such as HR administration, payroll, benefits, recruitment and compensation.</p> <p><b>Demo team.</b> This group comprises HR staff and subject matter experts who will use the new system and can ask HRMS vendors questions related to departmental needs, along with IT staff who support those functions, including senior IT management.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Building a business case for new HR software"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Building a business case for new HR software</h2> <p>HR software suites aren't cheap. Annual costs can range from several thousand dollars for the smallest SMBs to more than $5 million for large enterprises. To buy such an expensive system, you first have to convince other decision-makers to pay for it. That's why an <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/4-steps-to-building-a-business-case-for-a-new-HR-system">HR software business case</a> is essential. The best ones combine quantitative analysis geared to CEOs and finance directors with qualitative information that reflects the daily needs of users.</p> <p>Here are the major steps:</p> <ol class="default-list"> <li><b>Requirements gathering.</b> Solicit feedback from users and key stakeholders on current HR processes and measure their efficiency.</li> <li><b>Systems assessment.</b> Investigate the current HR system's ability to meet the identified requirements, costs such as <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/answer/Why-is-HRIS-maintenance-so-important">HRIS maintenance</a>, and what a new system could do.</li> <li><b>Templating.</b> Collate the data, feedback and requirements in a standard document and prepare the business case.</li> <li><b>Benefits measurement.</b> Quantify how the new system can improve HR processes.</li> <li><b>ROI calculation.</b> Plug in costs and benefits metrics to show when the system begins to pay for itself.</li> <li><b>Audience identification.</b> Identify the key stakeholders and decision-makers and tailor the case to their individual needs.</li> </ol> <p>Organizations often skimp on systems assessment and fail to evaluate their HRMS thoroughly enough to see if it can meet their current requirements, said Eric St-Jean, an independent HR technology consultant and Informa TechTarget contributor. It might have unused features that are up to the task. But careful evaluation can also reveal shortcomings that make the need for a new system clear, such as frequent complaints from employees, problematic interfaces to important systems or an inability to accommodate growth.</p> <p>It's also important to right-size the system to stay within budget, St-Jean said. Large, complex systems from big vendors often bring extra consulting and training costs to implement them and keep them running.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/build_a_business_case_for_an_hr_system-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/build_a_business_case_for_an_hr_system-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/build_a_business_case_for_an_hr_system-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/build_a_business_case_for_an_hr_system-f.png 1280w" alt="List of steps involved in building an HR system business case." height="427" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Tailoring the case to each decision-maker is the most effective approach. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Negotiating the best deal</h3> <p>When it comes to negotiating terms and price, Sommer recommends not being shy about it.</p> <p>"Everything is negotiable, and if your company is of any consequence, the vendor is going to move and bend," he said. "If they don't, you haven't gotten high enough up in the organization to find somebody with the appropriate authority to make that change."</p> <p>He likes to tell the vendor's CEO their company is likely to be in the finals and ask -- if the buyer raises an issue that could be a deal killer -- whether the vendor's account executive can call the CEO directly.</p> <p>"They want the transaction -- make no mistake about that," Sommer said. "The salesperson, on the other hand, is struggling with conflicting metrics. They need to do a deal and get it closed, but they also need to make sure it hits certain margins and other targets and introduce time delays and cost issues that shouldn't be there."</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="HR software features to consider"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>HR software features to consider</h2> <p>Vendors will usually claim to handle most of your requirements, which makes it hard to choose between them. But certain features help separate contenders from pretenders. Here is a rundown of features and leading-edge technologies that can make the biggest difference in improving HR processes, organized by the main software modules in core HR, talent management, workforce management and service delivery.</p> <h3>Core HR</h3> <p>The reason many companies, especially SMBs, buy their first HRMS is to create a paperless HR system. Electronic employee records are at the center of these systems and remain the foundation of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/HR-technology">HR technology</a>.</p> <p>One big differentiator, according to Sommer, is the presence of a payroll module: Some HRMSes don't have one. The next question to ask is about the type of integration with third-party payroll providers. An HRMS that handles payroll might need to outsource part of this function to pay overseas employees, for example.</p> <p>Another feature worth asking about is pay on demand, which lets employees get paid before their scheduled payday. It's increasingly popular with middle-income workers after starting out as an option typically chosen by low-income workers, Sommer said.</p> <p>Sommer also advised making sure <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/core-HR-core-human-resources">core HR</a> systems can fully handle contingent workers -- such as freelancers and contractors -- which includes providing accurate headcounts without needing separate types of software, and giving them security IDs and other tools full-time employees receive.</p> <p>It is also important to have core HR that keeps data in one place, St-Jean said. Some data can reside elsewhere, such as performance management software, but storing the vast majority in core HR will avoid having to run separate reports. The best products also come with a variety of flexible reporting and dashboard tools.</p> <p>"Try and get your data in a good place first, write out your requirements, and then find the new system that will let you merge all the data," he said.</p> <h4>Benefits administration</h4> <p>Managing standard benefits, such as health, dental, life and disability insurance, 401(k) retirement plans, tuition reimbursement and tax-advantaged flexible spending accounts, is a longstanding function of core HR.</p> <p>Many companies have been moving these functions from their on-premises computers to cloud-based providers. New health insurance platforms and wellness portals take healthcare beyond the basics to provide online access to providers, medical advice and fitness communities. If you're eyeing a separate health and wellness platform, Sommer advised making sure it integrates with financials so you can more easily manage the tax and compliance implications of health benefits.</p> <p>When buying benefits technology, most of your focus will be on setting up partnerships with benefit providers rather than the software used to administer them.</p> <p>The technical issues center on whether a particular type of software integrates with your company's HRMS. First, verify that a vendor supports your company's full menu of benefits. Look for tools that help tailor the system to handle the complex workflows needed to administer your rules and policies. Also look for strong security features that make it easy to fine-tune the access granted to different types of employees.</p> <h4>Payroll</h4> <p>The payroll module or outside service should have the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Support for every country where the company does business, which could be through a variety of payroll providers.</li> <li>The ability to create and file the appropriate tax documents and other compliance requirements.</li> <li>Integration with core financials, typically in ERP, to ensure accounting records reflect the latest payroll.</li> <li>Support for global pay-equity analysis.</li> </ul> <h4>Compliance</h4> <p>HR departments are responsible for keeping an organization in compliance with the many regulations affecting employment, from fair labor practices to antidiscrimination laws and workplace safety. That's why it's important for core HRMS software to have a breadth of tools not only for monitoring business practices that can have legal implications but also for preparing all the paperwork required by local, state and national governments.</p> <p>Check if vendors support the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Every type of documentation, including all forms, tables and exhibits your organization is required to file.</li> <li>AI, analytics and other mechanisms for ensuring that talent management modules don't run afoul of discrimination laws by allowing sexism and other illegal biases.</li> <li>Employee records storage that follows privacy laws, such as the EU's GDPR, especially for HR software vendors who use public cloud services from other providers.</li> </ul> <h4>Onboarding</h4> <p>The <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/employee-onboarding-and-offboarding">onboarding</a> process, especially an employee's first-day experience, can determine how long they stay.</p> <p>"The big problem here is: Will the software integrate with all the non-HR solutions, and is there workflow and exception handling for all of that?" Sommer said.</p> <p>To onboard an employee, HR professionals must coordinate an array of processes, from issuing a security badge and laptop to ordering uniforms and scheduling orientation -- much of it in a specific sequence. Coordinating these steps requires an onboarding module that ideally integrates with the IT, time clock and other systems needed to set up a new employee.</p> <p>Onboarding is often included in core HR, in part because it involves employee records, benefits and compliance. However, many vendors consider onboarding to be more of a talent management function because it comes right after the recruiting process, draws on corporate learning tools and potentially has a major impact on employee performance.</p> <p>Offboarding is the mirror image of onboarding, with the steps done in reverse order.</p> <p>Other features to investigate include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Integration with learning systems, so new employees can get quickly trained on required systems and processes and see training opportunities for new career paths.</li> <li>Surveys and other tools that make it easy for departing employees to give feedback, regardless of whether they have done an exit interview; using these tools consistently helps build a database you can analyze.</li> <li>Ease of use, which is vital to incoming employees.</li> <li>The ability of HR to track progress.</li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-employee_cycle.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-employee_cycle_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-employee_cycle_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-employee_cycle.png 1280w" alt="Illustration of the stages of the employee lifecycle: recruit, onboard, develop, retain and offboard." height="331" width="520"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Specialized software exists for every major phase of the employee lifecycle, starting with recruitment and onboarding, finishing with offboarding and circling back to recruitment. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Talent management</h3> <p>After core HR, talent management is the most important driver of HR software purchasing and product development.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/talent-management-software-TM-software">Talent management systems</a> cover a vast array of disciplines and processes for bringing people with the right experience and potential into the organization, developing their skills, motivating them, assessing their performance, compensating them, and retaining them or easing their departure.</p> <p>In recent years, the emphasis in talent management has shifted to skills development and greater awareness of how skills fit into job descriptions and career paths.</p> <p>That means paying attention to how well a product can capture skills and translate them into job roles that are updated regularly. Besides significantly improving talent management processes, skills-oriented software can help companies with difficult decisions, such as furloughs and layoffs.</p> <p>But that no longer means having to build a skills database, which was once recommended for reorienting talent management toward skills, Bersin said. Employees don't want to waste time checking boxes in long lists of skills they have or want.</p> <p>The real issue is figuring out how to apply skills technology to pressing problems, such as hiring engineers or assessing leaders and low performers. "That's where the action is -- not in building this giant database of skills and making our HR system look like LinkedIn," he said.</p> <p>One increasingly common way for companies to develop employee skills is the use of gig marketplaces, a technology that began as a way for freelancers to find jobs but is now used internally by some companies to advertise projects that require certain skills to employees.</p> <p>Better visibility into the relationship between skills development and career growth helps employees see opportunities to grow inside the organization. It can also improve employee retention and help organizations maintain productivity during hiring freezes.</p> <p>No discussion of talent management today can avoid generative AI. The technology's dramatic surge in popularity in 2022 arguably disrupted talent management more than any other part of HR. More recently, agentic AI is automating even more steps in the process, with agents that can handle everything from candidate sourcing to outreach, interview scheduling and onboarding.</p> <p>"The whole idea of talent management was 'We're going to manage this person from the minute they come to work for us as a job candidate all the way through their career to become a senior manager or executive until they retire.' And that's just not the way companies work," Bersin said.</p> <p>Instead, people come and go, change jobs, sometimes change professions or shift to part-time employment. "These systems have to be very flexible and very intelligent so that they can accommodate these more complex use cases," he said. As a result, traditional, integrated talent management suites are becoming dated as vendors strive to add AI to accommodate buyers' expectations for intelligent workflows and analytics.</p> <p>But while AI's capabilities are impressive, St-Jean injected a note of caution and advised only choosing tools that have proved their usefulness. He questioned the practicality, for example, of AI that can write an offer letter to send to a candidate. "No legal team in their right mind is going to let HR have AI generate an offer letter and give that to somebody," he said.</p> <p>Furthermore, the usefulness of AI tools can diminish over time. St-Jean gave the example of GenAI that writes job descriptions -- one of the first HR applications of the technology. But now applicants use those same tools to rewrite their resumes to suit different job descriptions, and recruiters then use AI to identify resumes that match. "Of course there's going to be a match," he said.</p> <p><iframe title="How AI amplifies resume fraud and other job seeker cheating" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px); height: 150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=cymcw-1a126cd-pb&amp;from=pb6admin&amp;pbad=0&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Arial&amp;skin=1&amp;font-color=auto&amp;logo_link=episode_page&amp;btn-skin=2baf9e" loading="lazy"></iframe></p> <h4>Compensation management</h4> <p>Many companies have a giant spreadsheet that shows employee salaries and job titles, plus the salary ranges for each job, perhaps adjusted for local markets, according to Sommer. "The problem is, where do you get the data?" he said.</p> <p>Ideally, the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/compensation-management">compensation management</a> system comes with a prepopulated big-data service. If it doesn't, buyers should ask how much it costs to buy data from a provider and how current the information is. Salary databases are often outdated just when they're needed for employee performance or compensation reviews.</p> <p>Other differentiating features include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Support for different kinds of compensation, such as stock options and variable compensation for companies that are heavily sales-oriented.</li> <li>Compensation histories for every employee.</li> <li>The ability to import external data and run calculations without affecting work done by a compensation planner.</li> </ul> <h4>Learning and development</h4> <p>The on-premises learning management system (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/learning-management-system">LMS</a>) is a common legacy platform in organizations that were early to the HR software market. In recent years, many LMSes have been modernized and moved to the cloud.</p> <p>But, the most important development in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Workplace-learning-A-complete-guide-for-businesses">workplace learning</a> is the rise of affordable new learning resources, such as short instructional videos on YouTube and TikTok and the free <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/massively-open-online-course-MOOC">massive open online courses</a> from universities and companies that specialize in distance learning.</p> <p>Finding useful, ready-made educational content can be a challenge, so companies often turn to third-party providers, but they can be expensive. For those that already have an LMS, the issue is whether it's possible to import content from these new sources. Leading-edge products have AI that can recommend training based on past selections and career paths, similar to the way Netflix's AI makes recommendations based on streaming history.</p> <p>In recent years, learning experience platforms (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/learning-experience-platform-LXP">LXPs</a>) began to replace LMSes because of their ability to discover and deliver external content in a personalized, consumer-grade UI that gives employees more control over the learning process.</p> <p>Some organizations add an LXP as their primary means of interacting with employees but retain their LMS for record-keeping. Buyers who want to pursue this model should first understand the differences between an <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/LXP-vs-LMS-What-are-the-differences">LXP and an LMS</a> and make sure the systems are well integrated.</p> <p>It's also important to have good integration between the career planning and learning features of the talent management suite so employees can formulate career paths and identify gaps in their skills and education.</p> <p>Learning is another HR process that AI is quickly transforming, according to Bersin, whose company introduced Galileo, a GenAI digital assistant for HR practitioners, in 2023, later adding agentic AI.</p> <p>"AI has absolutely spectacular characteristics for training and education," Bersin said, citing its ability to automatically generate personalized content.</p> <p>He said LMSes won't necessarily be retired, but the learning technologies that run on top of them -- including LXPs -- are gradually being replaced by AI-centric tools, which have a high ROI.</p> <p>Look for these options in learning and development tools:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>A large variety of learning formats, including classroom, remote, paper-based, video and audio, both live and on demand.</li> <li>Capabilities that make it easy for employees to create learning content, such as recording videos on smartphones and providing searchable transcripts.</li> <li>A rich library of courses and materials on a wide range of relevant topics, including the tools that employees use in their jobs and courses that meet certification requirements of your industry.</li> <li>Support for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/xAPI-experience-API">experience API</a>, an integration standard that helps apply analytics to learning for monitoring employee use and improving the offerings.</li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/lms_vs_lxp-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/lms_vs_lxp-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/lms_vs_lxp-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/lms_vs_lxp-f.png 1280w" alt="Table comparing an LMS vs. an LXP by purpose, key features, content types, strengths and weaknesses." height="319" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Learning management system features often complement learning experience platform features, so some companies use both. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h4>Performance management</h4> <p>For at least a decade, many companies have been replacing paper-heavy annual reviews with continuous performance management, which provides <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/9-of-the-top-employee-review-software-for-CHROs-to-investigate">tools for coaching and feedback</a> to help employees continuously improve their performance. Social media and email integration enable employees to send kudos and "nudges" to co-workers and make such feedback a regular part of their daily workflow.</p> <p>Sommer said organizations should look for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/performance-management-software">performance management software</a> with strong analytics features. "The analytics are going to tell you where your problems and opportunities are." Workflow and exception-handling features help you do something about them.</p> <p>Also, look for the following capabilities:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Integration with learning systems so employees can improve their skills or take mandatory training.</li> <li>Retention analytics to identify leaders and other high performers at risk of leaving.</li> <li>Integration with the compensation management module, which can provide the ability, for example, to analyze how modest across-the-board raises affect the morale of high performers.</li> <li>AI-driven workflow features that can move reviews to the next stage instead of waiting for everyone to respond.</li> <li>The ability of managers and their direct reports to enter data simultaneously.</li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-applicant_tracking_system-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-applicant_tracking_system-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-applicant_tracking_system-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-applicant_tracking_system-f.png 1280w" alt="Graphic listing main functions of an applicant tracking system" height="584" width="559"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>An ATS digitizes and often automates the main steps of the recruitment process and stores candidate data in a central location. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h4>Recruiting</h4> <p>The perennial war for talent makes recruiting difficult for many companies.</p> <p>Talent management suites have more tools for recruiting than for any other HR function. <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/Ultimate-guide-to-recruitment-and-talent-acquisition"><i>Talent acquisition</i></a> remains a buzzword, with the market for recruiting software in constant flux and startups entering every year.</p> <p>Many organizations use an applicant tracking system (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/applicant-tracking-system-ATS">ATS</a>) to manage basic recruitment functions like online job postings, resume parsing and interview scheduling, as well as to maintain a database of candidates. ATSes can be standalone or part of a talent management suite and handle the entire recruitment workflow, from application to job offer.</p> <p>Other features to look for in an ATS or other recruiting tool include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>SMS texting, which helps reach candidates who lack access to laptops or PCs and prefer texts over voice calls.</li> <li>A record of every contact with a candidate on every communication platform used.</li> <li><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/definition/natural-language-processing-NLP">Natural language processing</a> for analyzing unstructured data, such as text messages.</li> <li>AI agents that can handle recruitment steps with minimal supervision.</li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-recruitment.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-recruitment_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-recruitment_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-recruitment.png 1280w" alt="Illustration of seven steps of recruitment process from posting the job description to onboarding the employee." height="353" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The recruitment process has become easier and more effective, albeit more complex, because of the influx of new technologies, especially AI and social media. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h4>Succession planning</h4> <p>Some talent management suites have a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/succession-planning">succession planning</a> module that helps organizations plan for what should happen when executives and other high-value employees leave. It can also help retain good employees by spotting signs of dissatisfaction and providing career paths.</p> <p>Ease of use is critical here -- especially if people outside of HR, such as senior managers, need to use the tools.</p> <p>The best tools also have the following features:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>What-if capabilities for considering different reporting structures and reorganizations, or the effect of corporate mergers on succession.</li> <li>An org chart tool that goes beyond static PDFs and makes it easy to move large chunks around.</li> <li>Close integration with learning management tools to facilitate career development for employees earmarked for eventual promotion.</li> <li>The ability to plan succession for non-executive-level employees.</li> </ul> <h4>Job postings and job boards</h4> <p>There was a time when companies posted every listing to as many job boards as possible. Nowadays, job postings usually cost money, and the priority is managing postings so they will be as effective as possible. Recruiting modules now have GenAI tools to help create job descriptions and postings, as well as agentic AI that takes over much of the workflow and distribution.</p> <p>Important features include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Integration with popular job boards and others you want to use.</li> <li>Support for other digital channels, such as social media and text, for more precise targeting of promising candidates.</li> </ul> <h4>Video interviewing</h4> <p>Basic video interviews simply involve using webcams to replace in-person meetings. Video interviewing software is much more sophisticated: It lets an employer send the same set of questions to thousands of candidates to produce interviews in a consistent format and then uses AI to analyze candidates. The technology is often used to winnow down the list for in-person second interviews, but it carries the risk of AI introducing bias in hiring.</p> <p>Look for these key features:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Tools and procedures for detecting bias in the software's recommendations.</li> <li>Easy ways to move around and make notes in videos and jump quickly among videos.</li> <li>AI-automated transcriptions you can easily search for keywords that suggest in-demand skills.</li> </ul> <h4>Employee engagement and recognition</h4> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/employee-engagement">Employee engagement</a> has been a growth area for tech startups, and major HR platform vendors have acquired these niche players or built their own tools. The dizzying number of options makes choosing one a special challenge.</p> <p>Employee surveys are a popular tool for measuring and boosting employee engagement. The most helpful software has a large selection of premade surveys with cross-tabulation capabilities. Ease of use is key because most users are department managers or HR staffers who aren't savvy about technology.</p> <p>Also, look for the following options:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Easy ways to attach documentation and data that support badges and other types of recognition.</li> <li>Strong integration with email and collaboration platforms.</li> <li>The ability to export recognition data to the performance management system.</li> <li>The ability to synthesize survey data in near real time.</li> </ul> <h3>Workforce management</h3> <p>Workforce management systems enable organizations to monitor and improve employee productivity. In addition to tracking the time it takes to complete tasks and projects, workforce management can also identify opportunities to better deploy employees and skill sets.</p> <p>Though it has obvious affinities with talent management, workforce management is a separate discipline, often with separate software devoted to it.</p> <h4>Workforce planning</h4> <p>In contrast, workforce planning software drills down into the details of assigning workers to specific jobs. It's heavy on <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/10-HR-analytics-tools-that-can-optimize-your-workforce">HR analytics tools</a>, as executives and HR managers parse external demographic and labor data alongside internal data to spot pending shortages or decide where to reassign employees to better address strategic priorities.</p> <p>At the same time, workforce planning can be extremely detailed and help decide, for example, whether to call in two more retail clerks for a weekend sale.</p> <p>Scheduling software is the primary tool of workforce planning. It's especially valuable if it lets employees schedule themselves while ensuring that shifts will be covered, which is key to retaining employees in certain professions, according to Sommer.</p> <p>Workforce planning is another common target for innovative AI, Bersin said, because there's an urgent need to retain contingent and hourly workers with more sophisticated shift-scheduling tools that let them choose their preferred shifts and locations, as well as to compensate those workers appropriately. This segment represents around a third of the workforce and is the most affected by labor shortages.</p> <p>"AI tools can do a great job of optimizing the workforce planning activity," added Sommer. "They can identify the staffing mix that provides the best shift coverage, minimizes overtime, honors training commitments, meets payroll cost requirements, etc. Some tools can optimize several dozen factors simultaneously and handle factors like employee time and day preferences, travel times, time-off requests and more."</p> <p>Before purchasing, check for the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Daily tracking of individual employees' security credentials, including whether they have been revoked.</li> <li>Awareness of certification requirements of jobs, ability to assess certification validity and expiration date, and links to an LMS or LXP for related training.</li> <li>Notification when employees are nearing weekly hours that will require paying them benefits or overtime.</li> <li>The ability to let employees quickly record that they have completed their scheduled shift.</li> </ul> <h3>Service delivery</h3> <p>The days when employees simply walked down the hall to ask a question or pick up a form at their HR department are a relic of the past. As companies digitize and more employees work remotely, service delivery has become an important aspect of ensuring employees receive the HR services they need.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/HR-service-delivery">HR service delivery</a> has been a growth area in HR tech, with vendors adding help desks, chatbots, agent-assisted workflows and feedback tools.</p> <p>The platforms can be challenging to set up in-house, integrate with HR systems and populate with enough data and documentation, which often makes them a better fit for large companies than for SMBs.</p> <h4>Employee self-service</h4> <p>Enabling employees to change their personal information, benefit elections and beneficiaries can save time for HR professionals.</p> <p>Vendors have worked to make these employee self-service (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/employee-self-service">ESS</a>) features available on employees' personal devices and automate them with agentic AI that can prompt users and respond to requests in natural language.</p> <p>Look for these features:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Smartphone access to most self-service functions.</li> <li>Support for other devices -- including shop floor tablets, break room computers and point-of-sale systems -- if the workforce is mostly employees who lack smartphones and home computers and need other ways to access ESS.</li> <li>Easy update capabilities, so employees can see each other's current availability.</li> </ul> <h4>Manager self-service</h4> <p>Managers need self-service features that go beyond ESS by providing access to the HR and business functions, applications and data they need to perform their supervisory roles.</p> <p>Here's what to look for in manager self-service features:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Remote access to the full range of applications, with the same level of security and privacy as in-house systems.</li> <li>Department-wide visibility into work schedules to help with vacation approvals and other changes.</li> </ul> <p><i>David Essex is an industry editor who covers enterprise applications, emerging technology and market trends, and creates in-depth content for several TechTarget websites.</i></p> </section> Buying the right HR tools is more critical than ever. This step-by-step guide helps you identify your needs, understand the technology and pinpoint the features that matter most. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/searchFinancialApplications/hr_technology/financialapplications_article_006.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/How-to-choose-an-HR-software-system Fri, 01 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT <p>HR technology (human resources tech) refers to the hardware and software that support an organization's human resources management (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/human-resource-management-HRM">HRM</a>) functions. As organizations continue to improve internal operations through <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/feature/Top-5-digital-transformation-trends-of-2021">digital transformation initiatives</a>, HR software has become an increasingly important tool for managing distributed workforces, enabling hybrid work models and supporting compliance in complex regulatory environments. CHROs must ensure their organization is using the right HR technology so the company can accomplish its goals and perform as well as possible.</p> <p>The right HR technology can help an organization improve efficiency, reduce administrative overhead and make better <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/workforce-analytics">data-driven decisions about workforce planning</a>.</p> <p>In the enterprise, for example, core HR technology applications and software modules that are integrated into broader human capital management (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/human-capital-management-HCM">HCM</a>) or human resources information systems (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/HRIS">HRIS</a>) make it easier for stakeholders to align people-related data with business strategy. This more holistic approach encourages HR teams to be treated as strategic business partners and the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Metrics-to-calculate-your-applicant-tracking-system-ROI">return on investment for HR technology</a> to be assessed in terms of organizational goals.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Why is HR technology important?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Why is HR technology important?</h2> <p>HR technology is important because it reduces the need to manage core HR operations manually, and it allows HR professionals to focus more of their attention on strategic priorities such as talent development. By digitizing many of the time-consuming administrative burdens associated with payroll, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Use-cases-for-AI-in-employee-onboarding">onboarding</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/5-performance-management-challenges-and-how-to-fix-them">performance management</a> -- and by automating workflows to increase efficiency and reduce errors -- HR technology can help department managers <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/infographic/By-the-numbers-How-upskilling-fills-the-IT-skills-gap">anticipate skills gaps</a>, reduce turnover and ensure workforce planning initiatives are consistently aligned with business goals.</p> <p>HR technology is also important from the employee perspective. <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/employee-self-service">Employee self-service</a> tools can reduce the time workers spend waiting for HR to answer questions, respond to requests or update personnel records. The right self-service tools, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/post/Strategies-for-improving-HR-technology-adoption">when rolled out successfully,</a> can not only boost job satisfaction, they can also help improve employee retention rates and make <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/workforce-planning">workforce planning</a> easier and more efficient.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Examples of how HR technology is used"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Examples of how HR technology is used</h2> <p>HR tech can reduce administrative burdens, support data-driven decisions for HR-related issues and give both <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Nine-different-HR-roles-and-responsibilities-demystified">HR professionals</a> and employees better control over HR <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/HR-service-delivery">service delivery</a>. Essentially, HR technology allows CHROs to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/How-to-create-an-employee-journey-map">enhance the employee journey</a> at their organization by using <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Learn-the-types-of-HR-analytics">HR analytics</a> to discover insights that can improve business outcomes.</p> <p>Traditionally, the most common use of technology in human resources management has been in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/core-HR-core-human-resources">core HR</a>. Core HR refers to the basic administrative functions of a human resources department. It typically includes payroll, benefits administration, employee records management and compliance reporting.</p> <p>In recent years, the evolution of HR technology has been driven by advances in AI, machine learning and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/cloud-computing">cloud computing</a>. Cloud computing has allowed HR systems to be deployed, accessed and updated more flexibly; machine learning has enabled <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/predictive-modeling">predictive models</a> to identify useful patterns in workforce data faster and more accurately; and AI is helping organizations automate repetitive HR tasks and personalize <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/7-top-learning-experience-platforms-for-employee-development">learning experience</a> recommendations.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/new_tools_and_strategies_for_enterprise_learning-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/new_tools_and_strategies_for_enterprise_learning-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/new_tools_and_strategies_for_enterprise_learning-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/new_tools_and_strategies_for_enterprise_learning-f.png 1280w" alt="Chart showing tools for online learning." height="342" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Various new tools are driving online learning options in addition to learning management systems. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>HR technology, especially <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-using-AI-in-HR">AI-enhanced HR technology</a>, is also allowing HR professionals to optimize their own HR tech skills and spend more time on higher-value functions like <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/The-Great-Detachment-explained-Everything-you-need-to-know">reducing employee detachment</a> and improving employee engagement metrics.</p> <p>To reduce administrative overhead while also encouraging employee engagement, many of today's platforms that support core HR functions allow employees to enroll in healthcare, retirement or wellness programs through a self-service <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/portal">portal</a>. Self-service portals can not only relieve HR staff from the administrative burden of setting up and maintaining detailed records for each employee, they can also encourage employees to become more active participants in their own benefits management and overall workplace wellbeing.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Core functions supported by HR tech"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Core functions supported by HR tech</h2> <p>Today, core HR technology is often used as a foundation to support more comprehensive (and expensive) human capital management and human resource information systems. Here are some of the core HR functions that HCM and HRIS systems provide:</p> <h3>Payroll</h3> <p>Payroll management software can be purchased as a stand-alone application or be acquired as a software module within a larger, more comprehensive HR platform. Small businesses often choose stand-alone payroll applications because they are easier to set up and manage, while enterprises tend to use integrated payroll modules that can support compliance and tax withholding across multiple jurisdictions. Cloud-based payroll management tools delivered through scalable software-as-a-service (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/Software-as-a-Service">SaaS</a>) subscription models often have tiered plans that charge more for advanced features such as automated payroll tax filing.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-payroll_types.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-payroll_types_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-payroll_types_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hrsoftware-payroll_types.png 1280w" alt="Image shows payroll software can be deployed on premises or in the cloud. It can also be purchased as a cloud service that uses a SaaS delivery model." height="325" width="520"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Payroll software is one of the most important components of HR technology. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Compensation management</h3> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/compensation-management">Compensation management</a> is related to payroll, but <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Top-AI-recruiting-tools-and-software-of-2022">this type of HR software is also used by recruiters</a> and HR specialists to help determine the best pay rates for attracting and retaining employees and rewarding performance. Compensation management software is included in many enterprise-level talent management suites and can be used to automate salary calculations, determine salary benchmarks and integrate performance data with market insights to help align pay with both internal and external considerations.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/elements_of_compensation_management-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/elements_of_compensation_management-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/elements_of_compensation_management-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/elements_of_compensation_management-f.png 1280w" alt="Infographic that emphasizes compensation management requires the right mix of data and software tools." height="266" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Compensation management is typically supported by special HR software modules that can exist as stand-alone products or as part of a larger HCM suite. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Travel and expense (T&amp;E) management</h3> <p>HR departments often use travel management stand-alone software or software components to record employee expenses, reimburse employees and analyze travel budgets. Expense report modules can provide stakeholders with a clear picture of spending at both individual and organizational levels. Mobile expense tools allow employees to track mileage, request reimbursements and submit receipts directly from a smartphone or tablet.</p> <h3>Talent acquisition and management</h3> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/talent-management">Talent management</a> is the strategic process of attracting, developing, retaining and optimizing an organization's workforce to help ensure employee performance aligns with current business goals. It includes all the data and workflows used to build a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/talent-pipeline">talent pipeline</a> and drive business success. Examples of different types of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/5-best-talent-management-software-systems">talent management software systems</a> include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Top-16-applicant-tracking-systems">Applicant tracking system<b>s</b></a><b> </b>can be used to post job openings on a corporate website or job board, screen resumes and generate interview requests to potential candidates by email or text message. Additional features an ATS might offer include resume ranking, prescreening questions, response tracking and multilingual capabilities.</li> <li><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/ATS-vs-CRM-Whats-the-difference">Candidate relationship management</a> software allows recruiters to identify and maintain a pool of qualified candidates they can consider for open roles.</li> <li>Employee referral software allows HR staff to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/feature/How-to-attract-tech-talent-The-essentials">collect recommendations from current employees</a> about potential and current candidates.</li> <li>Employee assessment software can help hiring managers decide whether a job candidate is well suited for an open position. Some HR assessment technology can <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/Screening-resumes-A-how-to-guide-for-hiring-managers">screen resumes to evaluate a candidate's soft skills and cultural fit</a> while others can only assess hard skills through multiple-choice questions.</li> <li>Succession planning software can<b> </b><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Benefits-of-succession-planning">help organizations identify, develop and prepare employees</a> to fill critical leadership or specialized roles in the future. This type of HR software module is typically included in high-end enterprise HR suites to reduce the risks associated with sudden departures or retirements.</li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-recruitment_vs_talent_acquisition-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-recruitment_vs_talent_acquisition-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-recruitment_vs_talent_acquisition-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-recruitment_vs_talent_acquisition-f.png 1280w" alt="This image shows that talent acquisition software is often designed for long-term workforce planning, while the features in recruitment software focus on immediate hiring needs." height="295" width="559"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Talent acquisition focuses on aligning hiring with business strategy, while recruitment focuses on meeting current staffing needs. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Performance management</h3> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/15-must-have-HR-software-features-and-system-requirements">HR software</a> enables HR specialists, managers and team leaders to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/performance-management-software">evaluate employee performance</a> more often, align individual work with changing organizational goals and close performance gaps faster. Today's performance management enterprise platforms often include features such as real-time feedback, reward and recognition modules, customizable surveys and integration with learning and development tools.</p> <p>Today, many employers are moving toward <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/continuous-performance-management">continuous performance management</a> in place of (or alongside of) annual reviews. Features like automated reminders, mobile apps, analytics dashboards and integrations with learning systems make it easier to sustain continuous performance management at scale, and tie employee development initiatives directly to business outcomes.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/fin_apps-continuous_performance_management.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/fin_apps-continuous_performance_management_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/fin_apps-continuous_performance_management_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/fin_apps-continuous_performance_management.jpg 1280w" alt="Diagram that illustrates the 5-step cycle that organizations use to track and improve employee performance." height="448" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Performance management software can enhance traditional annual reviews by providing continuous feedback loops throughout the year. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Workforce analytics</h3> <p>Workforce analytics is the practice of collecting, analyzing and interpreting HR data to generate insights that improve long-range workforce planning, optimize talent management and align HCM with business objectives. Workforce analytics software, which is also referred to as <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/human-resources-analytics-talent-analytics"><i>people analytics</i></a><i> software</i>, can help HR staff members <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Challenges-of-data-analytics-in-HR">evaluate the effectiveness of their HR initiatives</a> and understand employee/candidate challenges better. This type of HR software can be purchased as a stand-alone application. Basic analytics functionality is included in many HCM and HRIS platforms.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hr_software-people_analytics.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hr_software-people_analytics_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hr_software-people_analytics_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/hr_software-people_analytics.jpg 1280w" alt="Image that shows six ways workforce analytics can be used to enhance business performance." height="277" width="520"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Image that shows six ways workforce analytics can be used to enhance business performance. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Employee engagement</h3> <p>Employee engagement software is another popular type of core HR technology. This type of HR tech often includes features like <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/gamification">gamification</a>, pulse surveys and fast feedback loops to help organizations <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Employee-experience-vs-employee-engagement-The-differences">understand workforce engagement</a> and identify areas where employee satisfaction may be slipping. A major challenge of using employee engagement software to track and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/definition/opinion-mining-sentiment-mining">analyze sentiment</a>, however, is that the data might simply reflect adoption rates for the HR software itself rather than providing genuine insight into job satisfaction.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-employee_engagement.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-employee_engagement_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-employee_engagement_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/hr_software-employee_engagement.png 1280w" alt="Hub and spoke diagram that shows employee engagement is driven by six factors: professional growth, leadership, work satisfaction, work relationship, employee well-being and value proposition." height="538" width="520"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Professional growth and work satisfaction are just two of the factors that encourage employee engagement. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Benefits management</h3> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/benefits-administration">Benefits administration</a> software is HR technology that streamlines the management of employee benefits programs (such as health insurance and retirement plans) by automating employee enrollment, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and providing employees with self-service access to their benefits. This type of HR software is often included in enterprise HR software stacks, but it can also be purchased as a cloud service.</p> <h3>Learning management software/Learning management system</h3> <p>In enterprise HR software suites, a learning management system (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/learning-management-system">LMS</a>) is a type of talent management module that can be used to deliver, track and manage employee training and development programs. An <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/Steps-to-follow-for-LMS-implementation-success">LMS can help HR and learning and development (L&amp;D) teams</a> create training content, assign courses, track completion and measure learning outcomes. Many HR suites that have LMS modules also support compliance training, certifications and personalized learning paths, which directly tie into HR's role in workforce development and retention.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/whatis-lms_vs_lxp-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/whatis-lms_vs_lxp-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/whatis-lms_vs_lxp-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/whatis-lms_vs_lxp-f.png 1280w" alt="Image that compares a traditional learning management system (LMS) with a self-directed learning experience platform (LXP). " height="296" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Learning management systems provide employees with a defined curriculum and structured learning paths. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Challenges of HR Technology"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Challenges of HR Technology</h2> <p>Despite its many benefits, HR technology has some significant challenges that organizations need to address before they can realize the technology's full potential. Enterprises often struggle with integrating multiple systems, managing global compliance requirements and proving return on investment for HR software, while small to midsize businesses (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/SMB-small-and-medium-sized-business-or-small-and-midsized-business">SMBs</a>) often have to deal with issues around the cost of HR software and software support.</p> <p>User adoption is a hurdle that must be overcome across all company sizes because even the best-designed HR software cannot deliver results without employee buy-in and consistent use.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/compliance-risk">Compliance risks</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/security">security</a> are other concerns. HR platforms handle sensitive employee information and personnel records that contain personally identifiable information (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/personally-identifiable-information-PII">PII</a>). A breach that involves employee data can not only damage employee trust, it can also expose the organization to reputational harm and financial penalties.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="What is human capital management?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>What is human capital management?</h2> <p>Human capital management refers to the best practices and tools used by organizations to recruit, manage and develop their workforce. HCM software allows employees to be viewed as valuable business assets whose skills and performance need to be managed strategically, not just administratively.&lt;</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jW_5GGj0zUM?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <p></p> <p>HCM platforms often include modules for recruitment, onboarding, performance management, learning and development, compensation, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/succession-planning">succession planning</a> and compliance. In some tech-oriented enterprise environments, the data from an HCM data platform is integrated with other types of enterprise resource planning (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/definition/ERP-enterprise-resource-planning">ERP</a>) data to facilitate strategic alignment with business objectives.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="HCM vs. HRIS and HRMS"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>HCM vs. HRIS and HRMS</h2> <p>In the past, HR platforms were often marketed under the label "human resources information system" or "human resources management system." In recent years, however, the label <i>human capital management</i> has begun to displace both HRIS and HRMS. The shift in terminology is meant to reflect the evolution of HR tech's capabilities.</p> <p>That said, the three labels are still used in some settings to differentiate scope. An HRIS primarily handles administrative tasks, and an HRMS builds on that by adding additional functions for recruiting, performance management and reporting. Full HCM suites include all those functionalities and provide additional <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Top-succession-management-software-products">software tools for succession planning</a>, compensation planning, workforce analytics and talent development.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uzL1ZqzlWcw?si=G8GrLTvpAWYdkWsc?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Current trends in HR software"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Current trends in HR software</h2> <p>The future of HR technology is being shaped by rapid advances in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Use-cases-for-AI-in-performance-management">AI</a>, automation and data analytics. While these technologies are already being used to automate some repetitive tasks --such as resume screening -- AI is expected to enable increasingly accurate predictive insights in the future and expand self-service HR's ability to personalize <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/12-examples-of-employee-wellness-software-and-apps">wellness incentives</a> and skill development tools.</p> <p>In some organizations, the ultimate objective for employee engagement tools will be to create employee journey maps that can support every stage of an employee's lifecycle, from recruitment through offboarding. Currently, the technologies and best practices that are being considered to make this possible include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li><b>AI. </b>AI is being used to automate certain types of HR tasks, like resume scoring.</li> <li><b>Cloud-based HR systems.</b> Cloud-based HR software has made it easier to provide employees with self-service portals.</li> <li><b>Self-service technology.</b> HR chatbots embedded in HR portals, mobile apps or collaboration platforms can provide instant answers to FAQs.</li> <li><b>Data integration tools.</b> Some enterprise HR tech suites can already aggregate data from different sources to provide stakeholders with a more holistic view of the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/employee-experience">employee experience</a> from <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/employee-onboarding-and-offboarding">onboarding to offboarding</a>.</li> <li><b>Learning management software.</b> Many enterprise-level HR technology suites have learning management components designed to help employees <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/upskilling">upskill</a> their soft skills and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/reskilling">reskill</a> their hard skills. This trend has accelerated with advancements in AI-driven learning recommendations and a growing demand for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/continuous-learning">continuous learning</a>, especially in hybrid workplaces.</li> <li><b>Pulse tools and surveys.</b> Pulse and survey tools can make feedback loops a regular part of the workplace, not just a quarterly or annual event.<b> </b></li> </ul> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize=" https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/HR_employee_performance.png"> <img data-src=" https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/HR_employee_performance_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset=" https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/HR_employee_performance_mobile.png 960w, https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/HR_employee_performance.png 1280w" alt="This image lists and briefly explains different tech tools and strategies that organizations can use to enhance how employees perceive and interact with their workplace." height="430" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>HR technology and the engagement strategies it supports can improve workplace culture and each employee's experience on a day-to-day or long-term basis. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="HR tech vendors"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>HR tech vendors</h2> <p>HR tech has developed rapidly in recent years, and employers around the world are using both enterprise HR technology from big tech companies such as Oracle, SAP and Workday and specialized HR tech from vendors like Deel and Salary.com.</p> <p>Here are some of the most popular HR technology vendors for CHROs to consider, with products arranged by their primary focus:</p> <h3>Payroll</h3> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/" rel="noopener">QuickBooks Payroll</a>. Integrated payroll for small businesses.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://gusto.com/" rel="noopener">Gusto</a>. SMB-friendly, full-service payroll with taxes, benefits and optional HR add-ons.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.deel.com/" rel="noopener">Deel</a>. Global payroll with 150+ country coverage and compliance.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.paylocity.com/" rel="noopener">Paylocity</a>. Integrated payroll suite with native expense/spend controls</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.adp.com/" rel="noopener">ADP</a>. Payroll and HCM offerings for organizations of all sizes.</li> </ul> <h3>Compensation management</h3> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.aeqium.com/" rel="noopener">Aeqium</a>. Fully customizable; can accommodate complex rules.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.pave.com/" rel="noopener">Pave</a>. Compensation intelligence platform powered by AI; known for benchmarking and merit planning features.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.salary.com/" rel="noopener">Salary.com</a>. Can use local market data in compensation models.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.beqom.com/" rel="noopener">Beqom</a>. Enterprise tools for pay equity and transparency, compensation and performance management.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.captivateiq.com/explainer/compensation-management" rel="noopener">CaptivateIQ</a>. Can automate commission/variable compensation.</li> </ul> <h3>T&amp;E management</h3> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.concur.com/en-us/travel-expense" rel="noopener">SAP Concur Expense</a>. Popular enterprise travel and expense software.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://use.expensify.com/" rel="noopener">Expensify</a>. Known for integration with a wide variety of apps.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.zoho.com/us/expense/" rel="noopener">Zoho Expense</a>. Can automate T&amp;E reimbursements through policy controls.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fylehq.com/" rel="noopener">Fyle</a>. Known for deep accounting integrations.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.spendesk.com/expense-management-software/" rel="noopener">Spendesk</a>. Spend/expense management with cards, approvals, and real-time visibility.</li> </ul> <h3>Performance management and talent management</h3> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a href="https://lattice.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lattice</a>. Widely used by mid-market-sized organizations.</li> <li><a href="https://www.performyard.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PerformYard</a>. Can accommodate flexible review cycles.</li> <li><a href="https://www.bamboohr.com/platform/performance-management/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BambooHR</a>. Provides lightweight performance module for SMBs.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://workleap.com/performance" rel="noopener">Workleap Performance</a>. Can accommodate 360 feedback; known for analytics.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://resources.workable.com/backstage-at-workable/performance-management" rel="noopener">Workable</a>. This popular ATS system now has HR features for talent management.</li> </ul> <h3>Employee engagement and recognition</h3> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://bonusly.com/" rel="noopener">Bonusly</a>. Recognition and rewards with culture analytics.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://nectarhr.com/recognition-rewards/rewards" rel="noopener">Nectar</a>. Peer recognition and rewards for SMBs.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.qualtrics.com/employee-experience/talent-support/" rel="noopener">Qualtrics</a>. Features that help turn employee analytics into action plans.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.kudos.com/" rel="noopener">Kudos</a>. Recognition platform with surveys and integrations.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.cultureamp.com/platform" rel="noopener">Culture Amp</a>. Engagement surveys, analytics, and EX suite.</li> </ul> <h3>Human capital management</h3> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/overview.html" rel="noopener">Workday</a>. Enterprise HCM suite enhanced by AI.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.oracle.com/human-capital-management/" rel="noopener">Oracle Cloud HCM</a>. Unified cloud HCM.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.sap.com/products/hcm.html" rel="noopener">SAP SuccessFactors</a>. Comprehensive cloud HCM.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ukg.com/solutions" rel="noopener">UKG (Pro)</a>. HCM + workforce management at scale for organizations of all sizes.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.dayforce.com/" rel="noopener">Dayforce</a>. Global HCM platform (pay, HR, time, talent).</li> </ul> <h3>Human resources information system</h3> <ul class="default-list"> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://namely.com/" rel="noopener">Namely</a>. HRIS for mid-sized U.S. companies; core HR.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bernieportal.com/" rel="noopener">BerniePortal</a>. Provides benefits administration and compliance for small HR teams.</li> </ul> <p><i>This </i><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/How-to-choose-an-HR-software-system"><i>buyer's guide for HR software</i></a><i> will help you identify your organization's needs and pinpoint which software features your HR department will need and which you can do without.</i></p> </section> HR technology (human resources tech) refers to the hardware and software that support an organization's human resource management (HRM) functions. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/digdeeper/1.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/HR-technology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:00:00 GMT Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:11:00 GMT 60 webmaster@techtarget.com