Companies are expanding their talent acquisition strategies to every corner of the globe, seeking to foster growth and cultural diversity within their teams. Consequently, remote work has rapidly transitioned from a perk to a fundamental business model for organizations looking to stay ahead of the curve.
A remote workforce presents a multifaceted challenge: How do you sustain productivity, company culture and a unified team spirit when face-to-face interactions are the exception, not the rule? The answer lies with technology.
Enter human capital management software. Today’s HCM platforms can help any company create a network of professionals all pulling in the same direction. HCM platforms are a strategic imperative for engaging a diverse and widespread workforce. Here’s how they are making a difference.
What is human capital management?
HCM is a collection of processes that streamline operations in an organization. It puts employees in the driver’s seat, using technology to connect workflows, enhance productivity and organize data.
1. Empower Staff With Autonomous Administration
What if you could work from home and handle your work tasks just like playing a game on your phone? This is what HCM technology does — it lets you take care of work-related items without needing to call or email HR for every little thing. For example, if you’ve just finished an online course or big project, you can add that to your work profile yourself. It’s kind of like updating your social media but for your job skills. Here’s how it helps.
Let’s say a big tech company has offices all over the world. With an HCM solution, a company looking for someone to lead a new project in Singapore, for instance, can quickly find someone within their own team with the right skills because everyone’s updated their profiles with their latest achievements.
Plus, for the employees, it feels great to be in control. They don’t have to wait for someone else to notice their hard work; it’s all there for their bosses to see, which means management might think of them for exciting new opportunities. This creates a workplace that encourages everyone to keep learning and growing.
2. Foster Feedback and Growth in the Digital Workspace
Think of an HCM tool as a digital coach for work that helps everyone, no matter where they are. It’s an HR tech solution that keeps track of how you’re doing at your job all year round, not just when it’s time for your yearly review.
For example, say there’s a big company in Europe with a global workforce that helps people receive phone and internet service. With the support of an HCM platform, employees can set small, realistic work goals and check them off when they complete them. They can also get comments and advice from their bosses right away, no matter the time difference. So if someone finishes a task in Spain at the end of their day, their boss from another country, where the day is just starting, can quickly say, “Great job!” or “Here’s what you can do even better.”
This way of doing things means there’s no waiting around for feedback, and everyone knows what they need to work on right away. It’s like having a conversation about your work that never stops, which helps everyone get better and grow faster in their jobs.
3. Build Skills and Bridge the Learning Divide
Imagine having a library of online classes that you can take any time through the same system you use for all your other work stuff. That’s what happens when you mix HCM platforms with something like Cornerstone OnDemand, which is a big collection of online learning tools.
Let’s look at a real-life example of a company that makes software and has programmers worldwide. They used their HCM system, which is connected to Cornerstone OnDemand, to send out special training classes to their coders around the world. This way, the coders could learn new skills or improve their knowledge by taking these courses.
Because of this training, all of the programmers are now up to speed on the latest skills important for their jobs. They can keep up with new trends and technologies as they come up, which means the company can be sure that their software is up-to-date and competitive.
4. Use Analytics To Understand Your Team
Think about how a fitness tracker works. It takes all the steps you’ve walked and the stairs you’ve climbed and gives you numbers and charts to show your progress. HCM technology can do something similar for companies, but instead of counting steps, it looks at all kinds of information about the employees who work there.
Consider this example: A global company sells computer chips, and they want to keep their staff happy so that they don’t leave for another job. With HCM technology, the company can review valuable data from their HR system, like who’s doing a great job, who might need a little help or who seems less happy at work. It’s a brilliant system that can help guess if someone is considering leaving the job and why.
The computer chip company can use this information to better manage its employee engagement tactics to foster a positive workforce environment. The company could start recognizing people’s hard work more or give them new kinds of training and support. The data empowers the company to make better decisions, which results in a stronger work culture. For the employees, especially those working from home or in different countries, the data gathered allows them to get more of what they need to be happy and stay with their current company.
5. Support Employee Health
Picture having a smart system at work that reminds you to take a breather when you’ve been at your desk for too long. That’s another capability of using HCM technology within your business. It has software that looks at how you work and can tell when you might need to take a step back. It’s like a digital support system that nudges you to take it easy before you get too stressed.
You could use HCM technology to keep an eye on how much your employees work. The platform would spot if someone was working super hard without enough breaks. It would then suggest that they take some time off or change how much they have on their plate. Your employees will start feeling less fried as they get better at balancing work with fun or rest.
6. Expand Access To HCM Tools
You want your employees to have access to the HCM tool on various platforms, and HCM tools often come with mobile apps. By always having expanded access to HCM platforms within reach, remote workers feel more connected to their organization’s main goals and values. Mobile apps serve as a link back to the heart of the organization, which keeps all employees on the same page and moving in the same direction, no matter how far apart they are physically.
HCM platforms are the technological backbone for companies looking to maintain a truly engaged and productive global remote workforce. The goal is to create a seamless, integrated work environment that respects and responds to the diverse needs of remote employees. If you use them effectively, you’ll be better prepared to harness the full potential of the international talent pool.
