VOTE! For the Next Great HR Technology Company

Quick shot for a busy Monday and a humble appeal to enlist the help and support of blog readers with something that is equal parts fun, cool, important, and did I mention fun?

Folks that read the blog should know that I am the Program Chair for the HR Technology Conference - the original, largest, and best event of its kind in the world.

A featured element at the HR Tech Conference is the incredibly fun 'Discovering the Next Great HR Technology Company' session - where a group of highly innovative and game-changing HR Tech startup companies demo, discuss, and defend their solutions and make their case to be named the 'Next Great HR Tech Company'.

But which HR tech companies will get their chance to vie for the coveted title?

That's where you come in.

For the last few months I have worked with a team of industry experts - George Larocque, Lance Haun, Madeline Lauranon, and Ben Eubanks to narrow down a field of 150+ HR Tech startups down to a group of 8 semi-finalists who wlll battle for the 'Next Great HR Technology Company' title.

Each of the above mentioned experts has nominated and coached two HR Tech startups, and in classic 'March Madness' style these 8 will fight for a place in the Final Four that will present at HR Tech in October.

And we want you to decide which of these HR tech startups will make the Final Four.

How do you make your voice heard?

Head over to the HR Technology Conference Insiders blog here. There, you can learn more about the 8 semi-finalist companies - Proxfinity, Papaya Global, Beamery, Beekeeper, Moovila, Best Money Moves, Blueboard, and bob - and register your votes for the final four companies who will square off at HR Tech.

Let's make HR Tech Great Again!

Or something like that. 

But please, head on over to the HR Technology Conference blog, read up and watch videos from each of the 8 semi-finalists, and vote for your favorites to compete for the coveted title of the Next Great HR Technology Company next month at HR Tech.

And in case you want to learn more about this process and the 8 companies themselves, give this episode of the HR Happy Hour Show a listen - George Larocque and I break down the process, talk about the 8 semi-finalists, and tell you everything you need to know.

Have a great week!

PODCAST: #HRHappyHour 295 - Discovering the Next Great HR Technology Company

HR Happy Hour 295 - Discovering the Next Great HR Technology Company

Host: Steve Boese

Guest: George Larocque

Listen HERE

This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve is joined by George Larocque to talk about innovation in HR Tech, and discuss the eight semi-finalist HR Tech companies and the voting process for the Discovering the Next Great HR Technology Company competition at the HR Technology Conference in October.

This year a group of industry analysts and experts have selected eight interesting and innovative HR tech companies to be semi-finalists in the Discovering the Next Great HR Technology Company process, and your votes will determine which four of these companies will be named finalists, and present and compete for the award at HR Tech in October.

Steve and George discuss each of these eight semi-finalists, why each one is interesting and innovative, and share the details of the voting process and how you as a listener of the HR Happy Hour can get involved.

This is a great time for the HR Technology market, and these eight companies all deserve your time, attention, and your votes as the Next Great HR Technology Company.

Listen to the show on the show page HERE, or by using the widget player below:

You can read more about each semi-finalist, watch videos, and register your vote for the four finalists at the HR Technology Conference Insiders Blog HERE.

And you can register to attend the HR Technology Conference HERE - use code STEVE200 for $200 off your registration.

Thanks to George, Ben Eubanks, Madeline Laurano, Lance Haun, and the eight semi-finalists for all your help.

And thanks to HR Happy Hour Show sponsor Virgin Pulse - www.virginpulse.com.

Subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or however you get your podcasts.

Is HR Tech now mainstream?

My TV consumption habits are not particularly evolved or high brow. From October through June it is just about 100% NBA basketball, and in the off months and times its mostly a little CNBC during breaks in the day, and Seinfeld reruns, Impractical Jokers, and (in the summer), Big Brother at night. 

And that is pretty much it. So I miss a lot of the current pop culture references and emerging trends. I have never seen a minute of Game of Thrones for example.

So that's why just a day or so ago I caught for the first time, (during Seinfeld - the one where George and Jerry get mistaken for a pair of white supremacists), the below TV spot from Glassdoor (embedded below, email and RSS subscribers click through).

As I said, it was the first time I caught the Glassdoor spot and my initial reaction was 'that's pretty cool'. Not so much for the content of the spot itself, (it is perfectly fine), but for the fact that another HR tech company/solution was running TV commercials. Even in the age of cord cutting, video on demand, streaming, and whatever else is coming next - to me seeing commercial spots for HR Tech on 'regular' TV still seems kind of awesome and validating.

I know that HR tech commercials on TV is not a new thing, (and I know I have blogged about this before), with companies like Workday, Ultimate Software, Namely, ZipRecruiter and more seeming to run more or less regular ads on the kinds of shows that at least a boring person like me sees. But when I caught the Glassdoor spot for the first time I was kicked back into thinking how just a few years ago we never saw HR tech companies running these kinds of ads in these media. Right after the Glassdoor spot ran there was one for Progressive Insurance and one for Blue Moon beer. 

And that takes me back to the question/title of the post. Is HR Tech now, (or getting) mainstream. 

You Mom or Uncle Jeff or the landscaper has almost certainly heard of Progressive and Blue Moon. And have they heard of  Glassdoor (or any other HR tech company) - maybe.

I don't have any big or profound conclusion or observation to end with other than the my initial one. 

It's pretty cool to see HR tech commercials on TV. 

Have to run, #BB19 starts in 10.

Webinar: Choose the Future: Five Important HR Tech Conference Themes

Quick announcement of a FREE webinar I will be doing this Wednesday, August 16 at 2PM ET to discuss some current and important HR Technology Trends, and to do a bit of preview of the upcoming HR Technology Conference.

You can read the abstract of the webinar below, and you can sign up for the webinar HERE

Choose the Future: HR Tech 2017 and the Five Most Important HR Tech Trends HR Leaders Need to Know

As we developed the program for the 20th Annual HR Technology Conference scheduled for October 10 -13, 2017 in Las Vegas several important HR Tech trends rose to the surface. The HR Tech Conference has always been about the future - of the workplace, human resources, and the ways people interact with technology, colleagues and their organizations overall. For many organizations, if not most, these varied futures will be greatly influenced by technology. It could be essential for core HR and workforce management tools, new tech that allows leaders to better understand the engagement and sentiment of the employees, or highly analytical technologies that can actually “predict” the future itself, as well as many others. These are the technologies and the stories that we will bring to the forefront at HR Tech this October and the ones that will help HR leaders navigate what can seem at times to be challenging futures ahead.

In this webinar, HR Tech Program Chair Steve Boese (me) will share the five most important HR tech trends that will be prominently featured at the Conference in October, provide examples of how these trends are manifesting in HR technology solutions today, and preview the upcoming Conference to enable you to make the most of your HR Tech experience.

Sign up for the webinar HERE and be sure to tweet your thoughts and comments using hashtag #HRTechConf.

Thanks and hope to 'see' lots of you on Wednesday!

PODCAST: #HRHappyHour 291 - HR and the Internet Trends Report 2017

HR Happy Hour 291 - HR and the Internet Trends Report 2017

Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane

Listen to the show HERE

This week on the HR Happy Hour Show, Steve and Trish review Mary Meeker from Kleiner Perkins influential Internet Trends Report for 2017 and discuss what some of these big trends in technology mean for HR and HR Technology. Ms. Meeker's report is an annual 'must-read' for any organizational leader and always offers some enlightening insights into the important global technology trends.

In the show, Steve and Trish break down a few of the big trends, (mobile technology adoption and usage, 'voice' interfaces and devices like Amazon Echo, and the continued rise of all types of gaming), and offer some ideas and recommendations for HR and HR tech leaders on how to translate these trends into actions and strategies.

Additionally, we talked about the recent Amazon Jobs Day, and what their plans to hire 50,000 new employees in one day say about work, workplaces, and changing employee expectations of work.

You can listen to the show on the show page HERE, or by using the widget player below:

This was a really fun and interesting show, we hope you enjoy it.

Tweet the show with ideas and comments @HRHappyHour

Thanks as always to show sponsor Virgin Pulse, check them out at www.virginpulse.com.

Remember to subscribe to the HR Happy Hour Show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts.