HR Tech in 2009

Wow, what a crazy year.  Banking industry collapse, stock market plummets, US auto industry teeteringFlickr - ViaMoi on the brink, every day another round of corporate layoffs.  Lots of great people out on the job market, or soon to be, as I have not seen any prediction that 2009 will be any better than 2008. What does it all me for the world of HR and HR Technology specifically?

Since in the 'Big Book of Internet' I read that every blog must post an obligatory 'predictions' post for the New Year, I will go ahead and take a shot at some predictions in the HR Tech space for the coming year:

1. Large organizations will drastically reduce, or postpone major initiatives (massive ERP upgrades, major deployments of new global systems to support talent management).  I think that the projects that will continue will be smaller in scope and application.  Perhaps individual country or division pilot projects, ones that try to limit initial investment and overall risk.

2. Small and medium sized businesses that are healthy (there must be some right?), will be under pressure to improves their e-recruiting and applicant tracking systems.  When the large organizations are letting droves of workers go, the small and medium size businesses are going to be swamped with not only an increased volume of applications, but a real increase in talented, qualified applicants.  It may be that in 2009, selecting the right talent from a large talent pool will be one of the most important challenges facing the SMB segment.

3. More organizations will look to experiment with Web 2.0 technologies for internal collaboration, networking, and knowledge management. Many organizations have already stepped into this market, notable examples include Best Buy, Deloitte, and Pfizer, and many who have not will wade in in 2009.  Why now?  These technologies are typically easy to deploy (many pilot deployments will not either involve or require internal IT resources), cost significantly less than 'traditional' enterprise systems, and present a low-risk, high-reward potential for the HR leader.  Deployment of a company-wide platform for networking and collaboration could be one of the most impactful positive contributions and HR department can champion in 2009.

4. Not really an original thought, but iin 2009 I would expect more vendor consolidation.  Some vendors in the Talent and collaboration space will not survive, and the vetting process that HR must undertake before launching any new initiatives is of the utmost importance. The HR pro may also need to re-evaluate some of their current tech vendors just to be prepared for any suddent and potentially harmful disruptions in service.

5. I don't really have a number 5, but I will close with this: employees may be uneasy, concerned, and fearful about your company's and their own future.  Do whatever you can to be open, honest, and timely with your communication.  Technology can help in these endeavors, but it will never be the solution to the most basic rule, 'Do the right thing by your employees'.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting on this blog in 2008. 

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