2021 was another turbulent year for HR leaders, facing tight labor markets (characterized by rising demand for new hires and low unemployment rates) and uncertainty over legal, regulatory, and health constraints that will undoubtedly impact productivity and workforce availability as we head into 2022.
Leaders are also knee-deep in how they adjust to the remote, or hybrid, workforce, and manage a talent pool that continues to trend towards flexible employment. In particular, technology will be instrumental in helping organizations to pivot towards a new way of working. As discussed by Jessa Kilgore in her Workforce Solutions article on Preparing HR Technology for the New (Post Pandemic) Normal, HR, consultants, and vendors should already be asking questions such as:
- Where will people work?
- When will people work?
- How will the workforce be assigned to on-site work?
- What technology will support the distributed workforce collaboration and managing the workforce beyond established work locations?
- How will organizations track this flexible workforce for required reporting and compliance?
It is a time of great change and IHRIM is evolving to meet the needs of our members by providing education and services that adjust to the “new normal” (decentralization, automation, encryption, etc.) yet address perennial challenges (integration, globalization vs. localization etc.), to which increasingly complex HRIT functions must pay attention.
Some of the highlights, by quarter, of IHRIM’s 2021 education program:
First Quarter:
• Partnered with the HRiday HR Technology conference at the Goa Institute of Management, our first foray into India
• Kicked off the 2021 HR Information Professional (HRIP) course and exam
• Launched an in-depth survey on how current and expected careers in HR technology align with HRIT function tasks
• Revamped the Workforce Solutions Review homepage (for a better reading experience) and archives (for easier search capabilities)
Second Quarter:
• Announced a partnership between IHRIM & the Technology Review Council
• Launched our first “fireside chats” featuring authors from the Workforce Solutions Review
• Signed a partnership agreement with The Influence Board
• Launched a light-hearted HR Tech Blunders survey
Third Quarter:
• The highlight of the year – IHRIM hosted our first ever full-day virtual conference called Sunrise to Sunset; 20+ sessions dedicated to HR technology career development!
• Continued to offer regular webinars and designed new webinar series on topics such as workforce analytics
Fourth Quarter:
• Delivered the inaugural Introduction to HR Technology course (which we plan to extend further in 2022!)
• Established a new set of Excellence in HR Technology awards to announce in 2022
• Partnered with Lighthouse Labs for a new course on Cyber Security in HR
• Set the 2022 agenda for the Workforce Solutions Review (HCM Strategy & Project Management, Workforce & Behavioral Analytics, Data Privacy, Digital Employee Experience)
Behind the scenes, we’ve also updated and improved our processes that many members will not see but will benefit from. These include:
• Transitioning our HRIP examination process to Scantron
• Renewing our Workforce Solutions Review publishing contract
• Launching a CRM system
• Establishing new processes & technology for financial reporting
• Identifying seven Board members for 2022, subject to member ratification
As always, our successes are a team effort. I would like to thank our IHRIM Board of Directors, the HRIP Course SME Board and Instructors, dedicated staff, and marketing and publishing partners. And of course, our members, without whose engagement, passion, and expertise we could not thrive.
I’ll share more in January about IHRIM’s plans for 2022, including an expanded list of courses, new partnerships, a mentoring program, and stronger ties to universities that offer HR technology content.
But for now, thank you, and enjoy your holidays.
