Can Federal Agencies Get Ready for HR Tech?

The beginning of the New Year is a chance to kick off fresh initiatives that benefit the Federal HR workforce. Emerging HR technologies are focused on supporting individual career development and the Federal government will need to utilize these technologies to remain an attractive option for employment.

The following HR technology trends will be important in 2016 and beyond. Focus on at least one option and work towards implementation at your agency to stay ahead of the curve:

• Predictive Analytics Software, or programs that assist in predicting the future probabilities and trends of the Federal workforce, can assist agencies in talent acquisition, resource management, training and performance, and decreasing attrition rates. However, getting to these end results can be a challenge. Data must be compiled, managed, and analyzed, and with the sheer magnitude of how much data is available, this may be easier said than done. Luckily, the options for vendors and software have never been greater.

• Performance Management Programs that go beyond the typical yearly plan and review have been on the rise for several years, and now many provide solutions to assist with this more robust approach. Performance management programs encourage effective employee goal setting, assist managers in coaching employees, provide continuous and timely feedback on job performance, and drive engagement through collaborative goal planning.

• Employee Engagement Applications are targeted at increasing the unimpressive 32% U.S. employee engagement rate. According to Deloitte’s 2015 Global Human Capital Trends survey, employee engagement and culture issues have surfaced as the primary challenge companies face around the world. When employees are more engaged, it increases their productivity. Programs like Glint, CultureAmp, TinyPulse, Impraise, Engagedly and Hppy offer many solutions, but be forewarned: incorporating these programs can be daunting. You may want to start by defining the larger engagement issues at your agency, then focusing on just one or two smaller aspects during 2016. Most importantly, include your stakeholders (especially the employees who will be using the applications) in the decision-making process. Let them voice what aspects of engagement they think are most important, or most lacking, at your organization and take their feedback seriously.

The need to incorporate technological solutions to HR issues in the Federal government is greater than ever. A survey by the Partnership for Public Service shows that the number of employees under age 30 is at its lowest level since 2005. Use of HR technology that supports career development and engagement is key to recruiting and retaining this demographic for government service.