Hays BE Technology

Determine your IT strategy to find the right IT professionals

2021-11-11T16:11:41Z

James Milligan discusses how COVID-19 has driven demand for digital and technology talent globally in 2020, and explains how businesses can stand out in a competitive market by using a good IT strategy.

Demand for technology talent has evolved rapidly since the start of the pandemic.

At first, there was a hugely increased demand for candidates who could enable remote working – people with cloud-based skills who could deploy systems like AWS and Azure. Within the first four to eight weeks of lockdown happening, demand for these candidates rose by 400 per cent.

That quickly changed to interest in cyber security candidates. While technical skills were sought in these candidates, businesses also needed people who could drive behavioural change in users. When employees are working from home, there are different vulnerabilities compared to working in an office environment. Organisations needed candidates who could ensure employees were operating in a secure environment with the quick deployment of new systems.

Next, we saw an uplift in demand for data analysts and data scientists, particularly in the UK. There was demand from central governments and health services for people who could crunch the numbers around Covid–19 and take a predictive view of what would come next.
There was also some private demand for these candidates, with businesses trying to understand how their risk profile might have changed.

Those trends were seen between March and May, but we’re now seeing companies think longer term about their digital and it strategy.

Determine your IT strategy

Here are five of the key areas organisations will need to consider when recruiting technology talent:

1. Planning further into the future is key

After the first months, where companies were playing catch-up, businesses were starting to look ahead. They understand that Covid-19 is going to be here for some time and, rather than just reacting to the immediate crisis, organisations have started planning for the future. From May to June, there was a drop off in demand as they considered what their next steps were going to be.

Lots of companies, from large enterprises to public sector organisations, had digital transformation programmes in place, but they needed to identify new priorities based on the new needs of employees and customers, whether they were individual consumers or businesses. Many found they had room for improvement when it came to the tools they used to engage people. There was also a need to improve virtual shop windows, websites, and anything else businesses had to facilitate their direct relationship with the customer, which will have replaced or augmented traditional human interaction.

We found these forward-looking businesses were coming to us with a planned approach. They had identified their programme of work and the types of people they would need to enable change and transformation. Most organisations now work in an agile or a semi-agile way, so they are looking for skills that can enable the change, but also software developers who can build and develop the applications that they require.

2. Recruitment processes need to keep evolving

To be successful in their hiring in this highly competitive market, businesses have had to evolve their processes quickly. Most companies had some sort of video platform, but adoption was poor, generally speaking. Covid-19 made it a necessity because everyone’s working remotely, so you had that accelerated transformation, which increased adoption very quickly.

The next challenge was around onboarding. Many companies don’t have a cohesive remote onboarding process where they can bring somebody into a business in a non-physical way. Luckily, technology companies, or technology departments, move in quite an agile way; they are almost always the early adopters of these changes. They’re familiar with the technology and they’re advocates of it. On the whole, though, Covid-19 has accelerated cultural change in non-native digital organisations.

3. It’s worth searching outside of your usual talent pools

Organisations have become much more flexible in the geographies they will hire from. We have helped a company in Belfast recently that was willing to look for candidates within three time zones. They are tapping into a much broader pool of talent. We’re starting to see this trend more frequently.

What remains to be seen is what will happen over the next six to 18 months, and whether this has become the norm or if these placements are outliers within the market. My instincts tell me that, in tech, we’re going to see an awful lot more talent placed that is not linked to the geography of the office that they’re ‘based in’.

4. There has been a cultural shift around technology adoption

A lot of the time, when technology workers try to launch new systems in organisations, the process of change is difficult and people won’t take it on quickly. People have been forced to adopt new technology rapidly and that’s changed a lot of people’s view of it forever.

The pandemic has been the biggest change that’s happened in the business world in our lifetimes, and collectively we’ve demonstrated that in a matter of weeks, most organisations have been able to pivot from working in an office to a fully remote working environment. Behaviourally, users have demonstrated they are able to make this rapid change, so psychologically they will be more open to new systems in the future.

5. Organisations will need to take time to reflect

Organisations have moved quickly and will want to go back and revisit what they did earlier in 2020 to make sure it’s robust. They are looking at a new hybrid world where employees work both from home and in the office. Strategically, they must make sure that they are in a position where they can continue to operate and thrive.

This move to hybrid working is likely to mean an acceleration in digital transformation and that means that technology professionals with legacy skill sets will need to retrain to make sure that they have the skills required in this new world.

Finally, all organisations need to consider what this means for new entrants to the workforce. A large part of learning how to be effective in the world of work comes from observation, being mentored and getting real-time feedback. Organisations that have shifted to a remote model will need to consider how to manage this.

What can businesses do to attract the best technology talent?

“Organisations need to understand what their value proposition is. It is key that they are transparent and can clearly articulate what they want. They also need to make the process easy and as quick as possible, and ensure they haven’t created barriers in there, because that quite often leads to candidates, particularly those with technical skills, dropping out.”
James Milligan, Global Head of Technology, Hays

“Many companies are lacking a mission and a vision. I would urge them to tell their story, and explain what they want to achieve, in a more meaningful way. Technology professionals want to have fun and develop something innovative, but if you don’t have that authenticity, potential employees see through it quite quickly.”
Frédéric Beziers, Director General, Hays France

“Our annual salary guide survey shows that career progression is the number one factor for technology candidates seeking new opportunities. Having a vision and being able to articulate how a candidate’s role contributes to the bigger picture is important to share with them during interviews.”
Edmond Pang, Regional Director, Shanghai & Suzhou, Hays China

“Put even more effort and time into building and nurturing genuinely meaningful, long-term relationships with your potential technology hires. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic means that the talent landscape is looking somewhat different from what it was just a few months ago. Hiring processes may take longer. Building long-term relationships with talent pools are becoming even more important when constructing a strong employer brand strategy.”
David Brown, CEO, Hays US

“Challenge your requirements and explore a wider range of candidates. Ask yourself if all the tech skills on your wish list are essential. For example, could you hire someone based on potential, attitude and alignment with your values, and then train them? An upside of this approach is that you are more likely to hire candidates with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.”
Robert Beckley, Regional Director, Hays Australia

“We continue to see a stronger preference for hybrid working among technology candidates, and some clients are introducing working from home arrangements into their contracts for the first time. This has been particularly evident for the most in-demand skills such as software engineering, as businesses try to attract the very best talent.”
James Hallahan, Director, Hays UK & Ireland

Become a cloud engineer

2021-10-18T07:54:57Z

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 crisis will change the labour market to its core. One already clearly noticeable trend is the rising demand for Cloud Experts.

During the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown, massive amounts of people were working from home and some companies had to hastily look for cloud services, applications and everything else. Recruitment business Hays, after an enquiry with its IT experts, clearly noticed a shift in demands from ‘classic’ profiles to cloud profiles. This shift is noticeable in how employers are starting to realise that ‘the cloud’ is becoming increasinly important.

Hays clearly sees a higher demand for IT specialists with cloud expertise and experience. This was undoubtedly due in part to the many people working from home during the COVID-19 crisis.

Retraining to become a cloud engineer

Therefore, it would be wise as IT specialist to get retraining if you’re looking for new challenges in the sector.

Cloud solutions is a possibility. Such online courses can be fast and inexpensive, sometimes free, and easily accessible.

Expanding your knowledge, and consequently your profile, has more advantages than just having a strong market position:

This is also a way to climb in your current job. Training yourself isn’t only necessary when you want to change jobs.
If you’re more skilled, you insure your future in a certain sense. The more experiences and knowledge you have, the bigger the chances that you find a nice job anywhere.
You show that you’re proactive and working on self-development, that you’re open to learning and that you’re motivated to stay active in the IT sector.
You come into contact with other people and teams. This leads to a deeper insight into the bigger picture, which makes your profile more versatile and more interesting for future employers.

Soft skills

Deciding to retrain in cloud solutions doesn’t mean you can’t learn about other things as well.

The importance of soft skills in the IT sector is something to keep in mind as well. Technical knowledge is becoming a given for employers, which leads to them taking into account soft skills. One of the most important ones is communication skills, but teamwork skills are also top of the list. The third most important soft skill? A willingness to learn...

How to change lives with your IT skills

2021-10-18T07:51:32Z

The life sciences industry has, unsurprisingly, grown exponentially during 2020 because of the impact that COVID-19 has had on the sector. The demand for IT skills has also increased within life sciences to support the industry to keep innovating, tracking and pursuing a vaccine to COVID-19, as well as other diseases and conditions.

These IT skills have been crucial in the development of the potentially promising vaccines developed so far but have a much bigger part still to play in the testing, monitoring and roll-out of these going forward into 2021.

The pandemic has only strengthened the role that technology plays in the life sciences sector, with the need to develop med-tech products and support structures capable of handling the growth in the area, now of paramount importance. But, how specifically can tech professionals be part of this journey?

The growing influence of tech in pharmaceutical hubs

Innovation and progression are just two of the ties that bind the tech and life sciences industries, with both constantly trying to pursue new ways of improving efficiency in processes and the quality of life for end-users. It makes sense that there is increasing co-operation between these two specialist areas.

For example, we are seeing more tech-focused innovation hubs developing across Europe, with cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Warsaw playing home to the next generation of extremely talented tech professionals. Within the life sciences industry, innovators are aware of these hubs and are tapping into these markets for tech professionals with the requisite skills to join a med-tech product’s journey from its start.

Now, multinational pharmaceutical companies are also looking to give opportunities to professionals within these tech communities, [like Boehringer in Barcelona. These global companies can offer tech professionals roles that are crucial to often life-saving products and systems, opportunities for progression and development, and packages that other industries would struggle to compete with due to the sector’s exponential growth. In 2018, the med-tech sector in Europe alone was worth €120 billion, a value that has only increased further due to the investment in the sector since COVID-19 impacted us all and is set to continue its growth in 2021 and beyond.

How are tech positions influencing the life sciences industry?

The influence of tech in the medical sector isn’t just limited to the development of med-tech innovations like VR’s use in surgery or in the 3D printing of artificial limbs, it impacts many other areas as well.

For example, with the explosion of data now available on patients, from more accessible cross-hospital records influenced by global migration patterns, to greater data being made more freely available on genomic profiles and in ancestry records, the industry has hit a tipping point when it comes to the adoption of blockchain. In 2018, 60% of pharmaceutical and life science professionals were found to be either using or experimenting with blockchain – compared with 22% asked in 2017. This increasing adoption of blockchain will create more opportunities for tech professionals to influence the medical supply chain, management of clinical trials and work with patient data. The latter of these areas will necessitate the need for additional security specialists as well, to protect this data in an ever-more data-conscious world.

More traditional tech roles like software developers, software architects and software engineers have long been in demand for global businesses that need to create networks for their teams to operate within. When COVID-19 first impacted these teams, there was immediate demand for professionals with Cloud experience, so to ensure that all research and processes could carry on across these multinational businesses, even when lockdown became a reality for most of them. As part of this transition, we have seen high demand for Scrum Masters to assist with this change and growth, as well as professionals experienced with Big Data to not only work with COVID-related information, but other trials and programmes as well.

Working with a purpose

Aside from the opportunity for a challenge and to get rewarded with great benefits packages and progression opportunities, perhaps the most valuable reward for candidates applying their skills in the life sciences industry is the role that they will play in benefitting general health and in mitigating the impact of some medical conditions.

In the short-term, this may be in the fight against COVID-19 but going forward it could be in playing a part in improving the quality of life for everyone.

7 IT skills employers are looking for right now

2021-10-18T07:46:51Z

It’s no understatement to say that the Covid-19 crisis has caused huge shifts to our working practices and transformed industry landscapes beyond recognition. What this has made clear, however, is how integral IT professionals are to this new working order, particularly with the increased spotlight on systems and technology in the wake of the mass transition to remote working.

Throughout 2020, the technology sector once again proved itself to be robust and adaptable, contributing significantly to the Belgian economy. It remains an amazing industry for any professional looking to take their career forward and, arguably, engineering is at the centre of it all.

With some form of remote working practice looking set to continue for the foreseeable future as we enter a new working era, professionals in possession of the following IT skills will be best placed to secure a perm or contractor role in the coming months:

7 most important IT skills

Cloud and infrastructure

Unsurprisingly, with the mass transition to home working within the last couple of months, skills in terms of cloud and infrastructure, cloud database – particularly within cloud based services such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud – and cloud software – like Dynamics 365, SharePoint and Salesforce - have been hugely in demand, as companies sought to move their workforce to a remote working model at pace.

The use of cloud systems will still remain prevalent as the lockdown eases and we begin to move towards more of a ‘hybrid’ way of working.

Experienced IT professionals will be needed in order to ensure that organisations are able to scale up or down according to business requirement, and deploy cloud services where needed. It will also be vital for connectivity to these services to remain consistent and reliable, as being able to access cloud systems quickly and easily will be key to employee productivity and operational efficiency.

These services are a mix of reactionary activities, as businesses moved to the cloud to reduce the impact of the pandemic, or more proactive, fundamental digital transformation projects as organisations take this opportunity to reset and realign for a post-pandemic world.

Cloud engineers are building the platforms for businesses to thrive in the ever-expanding digital world and so are one of the hottest engineering roles right now.

Cyber security

In tandem with the increased demand for cloud and infrastructure skills, the tech profession has also seen increased emphasis on cyber security, with organisations recognising the need for tighter security controls to be put in place to protect remote operating models.

The increased use of personal devices for work purposes, along with new accounts and increased access to remote systems, has put company infrastructure at increased risk of hackers and breaches, and action will need to be taken in order to ensure that the VPNs and network devices being used remotely are updated with the latest security configurations. Professionals with IT skills in cyber security – already in high-demand – will therefore remain indispensable as agile working practices continue for the foreseeable future.

Data science

As organisations race to adapt to different ways of working and practices continue to evolve, data scientists are taking increased precedence – particularly within the public sector – as companies look to data insights for modelling the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on their business, and what a phased return to their workplace might look like.

We’ve seen a corresponding rise in demand for data professionals wanted to sit within business units and departments and focus on understanding the business processes and providing real, actionable insights from the data to enhance performance in a meaningful way.

The demand for data engineers, including those with a development, science, analytics or visualisation remit, also continues to grow.

As the amount of data in the world continues to expand at exponential levels, smart businesses are working to unlock its power. For data analysis to be used effectively it has to be both reliable and available to the right people at the right time to aid strategic decision-making and reduce pressure on day-to-day operations. With companies having to adopt an agile approach to working practices on an ongoing basis, professionals who are able to quickly and effectively interpret data will be in-demand as we head into the new era of work.

This field offers the chance for professionals to specialise in either deep technical expertise or blended roles that utilise the right tools and technology, coupled with deep business domain expertise.

Change management

The unprecedented speed with which organisations have had to react to the pandemic and its ensuing challenges has triggered an acceleration of digital transformation projects. Companies that were already moving away from legacy systems have had to do so now as a matter of urgency.

This has created increased demand for professionals with IT skills in change management, to help facilitate this transformative change.

Candidates who possess a combination of technical acumen and the soft skills required to lead a team through digital change will continue to be sought after by employers as we move forward.

DevOps

The broad DevOps and site reliability engineering field continues to see increased demand, maintaining a trend we have seen over the last few years. A key characteristic of a DevOps model is development and operations teams no longer being “siloed”, sometimes even being brought together to form a single team. In practice, you’ll tend to find DevOps Engineers working with software production, keeping a close eye on code releases to look for areas of inefficiency in the software. Their role can include not just monitoring and troubleshooting software, but also editing or reconfiguring it if required. There is also the knock-on effect of improved engagement and innovation as teams become more connected.

Traditional systems and infrastructure opportunities are blended with a variety of automation, scripting and core software development to offer an interesting and varied career to people in this space.

The importance of DevOps certainly won’t change in 2021. Many more organisations now have a DevOps team than was the case just a few years ago, so there will continue to be jobs in demand in this field, such as Platform, Build, and Reliability Engineers. In fact, there’s been a 40 to 45 per cent growth in the market over the last five years, with DevOps Zone predicting this will rise even higher.

Software development

A career in software engineering can offer a professional a great deal of range in terms of the technology they work with, products they build and people they impact.

To successfully transition and adapt to radically shifting markets, organisations need developers to create new products, tools and services. This includes not only Back-end Developers who can build the heavier tech, but also the Front-end Developers – including UX – who can make sure any product that’s built is easy to use and navigate from both a design and build perspective.

Those Developers working for tech organisations – organisations which provide essential products, services or tools which consumers will always need in this new world – will be particularly high in demand. Take the video conferencing company, Zoom for example, which has boomed during the course of the pandemic, benefiting from a massive increase in profits whilst doubling its sales forecast.

We continue to see high demand for software developers that outweighs the supply of talent available in this space. Software engineering has been at the heart of the growth of the technology industry in Belgium and remains key for the future. While we do have an abundance of hugely talented developers in Belgium, we could always do with more as the demand is, to put it simply, relentless.

But Software Developers aren’t just key to allowing tech companies to operate and thrive. Every company in every industry relies on tech to allow them to function – the taxi company Uber, for instance, relies on tech to enable drivers to pick up riders.

In today’s world, it’s tech that powers organisations, so software developers will always be high in demand. It’s important to note, too, that these software development roles will also be absolutely crucial in enabling organisations to innovate to solve the many new problems that have emerged as a result of the pandemic.

There are still massive opportunities for developers with fluency in core languages like Java and .net, but we have also seen a continuation in demand for front-end/UI and UX, as well as in areas like Python, API, Scala, Kotlin, Go, Ruby, TypeScript and more.

AI and machine learning

What list of hottest IT skills would be complete without the tech that Hollywood loves most? AI and machine learning technologies are having meaningful impacts on our everyday lives.
The applications are endless. AI and machine learning have the potential to distil and action repetitive, administrative tasks currently completed by humans. These include image processing, business process management and data analysis.

AI and machine learning engineers use machine learning algorithms to build models that allow deep learning neural networks to draw business insights. Generally, these engineers have a foundation in programming, software engineering and data science, blended with natural curiosity and problem solving to process data as well as develop and maintain AI systems.

This is an area that really shows growing demand and professionals here will see exciting new career opportunities for years to come.

Salaries in IT

Of course, salaries are location, industry and skills-dependent. For a more detailed picture about salaries for specific roles, check out the Hays Belgian salary guide.

Are you an IT professional and considering your next step, then have a look at our most recent IT jobs.

What is HR Tech, and why you should know about it

2021-11-11T15:33:03Z

With the right HR Tech solutions you can improve performance, provide cost savings and boost the overall competitiveness of your HR functions. It helps you meet employee expectations, and overcome a range of pandemic-induced challenges.

In this blog I will explain:

Back in January 2019, I wrote about the rising popularity of human resource technology (HR tech). A lot has happened in the last 12 months. Fast forward to now, and COVID-19 has made the collaboration between HR and technology even more significant, helping us tackle a range of issues associated with remote and hybrid working, mental health emergencies, and changing employee expectations and requirements.

Whether they’re in the office or working from home, employees now expect a high-speed, personalised and interconnected workplace. This has put additional pressure on HR teams, who are responsible for keeping people well, located and productive – even in the new world of remote work.

This is where HR tech can help businesses meet employee expectations – and overcome a range of pandemic-induced challenges.

What is HR tech?

HR Tech is an umbrella term. It covers innovations such as the cloud, automation and self-service systems, all of which can help you improve performance, provide cost savings and boost the overall competitiveness of your HR functions. These solutions – covering both software and hardware – are called HR tech.

A huge range of HR tech is now available. Chatbots, for example, can answer employee questions on a 24/7 basis. Automation can massively streamline your onboarding processes, automatically sending new staff the relevant paperwork and next steps to settle into their new role. Online learning initiatives can help your staff reskill and hone their existing skills. Data analytics and visualisation can provide you with easy-to-understand insights into staff performance and retention. The list is endless.

HR Tech developments you should know about

HR tech is diverse, and the recent pandemic has unleashed a new wave of innovations into this space. As more staff want to work from home, HR professionals are under pressure to monitor their performance and wellbeing. The recruitment process has also been turned on its head, as we increasingly rely on video calls for interviews and other remote recruitment solutions.

With that in mind, here are some of the main developments in HR tech that you should be aware of:

Cloud and self-service
HR leaders report strong business benefits of using an HR system that’s based in the cloud, as opposed to those deployed on on-premise servers, according to the PwC HR Technology Survey 2020. These benefits include gains in productivity, improved employee experience and better workforce insights. Newer cloud-based systems can also provide employee self-service tools, decreasing the burden on HR staff from processing simple requests like a change of address, for example.

Of course, this technology has also been instrumental in allowing entire workforces all over the world to switch to working from home due to the pandemic, pretty much overnight.

The benefits of cloud and self-service technology are many, however, they don’t come without their risks, particularly when it comes to security. For example, our increasingly hybrid, blended working world, opens up many more opportunities for cybercrime breaches, so resilient security measures are a must if we are to really reap the benefits of this HR tech.

Talent acquisition
The same PwC survey also reveals an emphasis on talent acquisition tools to help attract and retain top workers. Pre-hire evaluation tools, for example, interview debriefing technology and automated reference checking systems are all helping streamline the hiring process.

Data-driven HR

As an HR professional, data can guide many of the choices you make. Instead of basing decisions on your gut instincts, you can use tools to receive clear and comprehensive reports on each staff member’s employment or each candidate’s performance in the recruitment process.

Such tools can optimise your talent attraction, hiring and retention strategies. For example, with the right set of data, you can optimise your best hiring channels to match those used by your best candidates.

You can also anticipate and address your employee needs by mining data from employee and candidate surveys. Workforce analytics also enable HR professionals to gauge employee experience, engagement, and satisfaction.

Dynamics 365 Human Resources, for example, is Microsoft’s move into the HR tech space and promises to enable workforce insights by centralising your HR data.

Employee monitoring and analytics systems
These systems can help your people understand their working patterns and habits to boost their productivity. This data can then be used to revise your performance metrics and KPIs, and workforce scheduling tools/digital rotas, helping you proactively react to your workforce’s requirements and changing work patterns.

Automation and AI

There’s a great deal of caution these days around the use of AI in the sourcing and shortlisting process, particularly in relation to bias. However, by combining your data with automation, you can use AI and automation to boost the efficiency of your HR department by freeing employees from tedious, manual tasks and allowing them to focus on complex value-added tasks. If you decide to integrate machine learning capabilities with your invoicing system, for example, you can auto-generate invoices from timesheets.

Upskilling and reskilling
This is the area we are really seeing take off. HR tools can help employees identify their skills, weaknesses and future learning direction. Such tools, including remote education initiatives, can help build and enable a culture of lifelong learning.

However, it’s important to make sure you make the right tools available to your staff to encourage adoption and engagement with online learning initiatives. Micro-learning initiatives – which deliver short bursts of content for learners to study at their convenience – are particularly useful to help workers with little time (or short attention spans) access educational resources in a quick and easy manner, for example. VR is another growing tool to deliver corporate training and development.

Messaging, communication and collaboration
Virtual assistants andchatbots are two key communication tools, which are helping organisations engage with their internal and external audiences across an increasingly diverse digital landscape.

These technologies are continuing to impact the HR landscape – but adoption rates are not as strong as they could be. The PwC report reveals:

only 27 per cent of respondents rated HR tech as very effective for changing behaviours at work.
Eight out of ten (82 per cent) struggle with adoption challenges, where remote working makes it difficult to engage workers with such initiatives.

The recent pandemic has exacerbated issues, as staff motivation and productivity levels plummet. But there are a number of measures you can put in place to buck this trend.

How the right HR tech can help you overcome common COVID challenges

The right HR tech can help you keep your staff well, engaged and productive, which is a difficult undertaking in the current COVID climate.

1. Zoom-fatigue is real, and can be addressed with a range of tech tools

Tech has risen to the challenge of enabling entire workforces to work from home, pretty much overnight, thanks to tools such as Slack, Trello, Teams and Zoom. But screen-based meetings can be extremely hard on the brain, increasing fatigue and decreasing your productivity – a phenomenon many refer to as ‘Zoom fatigue’.

With remote and hybrid working here to stay, it’s important to ensure you keep your people engaged in the long-term by exploring a broader range of communication tools. This means moving away from your reliance on video calls. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution here – different people work in different ways.

You may want to investigate tools like Facebook Workplace, FocusMate and PukkaTeam, for example, which are essentially virtual coworking spaces helping increase collaboration and enable brainstorming sessions. VR conferencing is another possibility – which replaces video conferencing, helping to substitute in-person meetings and provide another online learning and development environment.

2. Tech can help address the growing emphasis on mental health and staff wellbeing

Over the course of this pandemic, employee wellbeing has developed a whole new meaning – from both a physical and mental health perspective. The health implications of the virus on workforces is multifaceted.

Employees are experiencing unprecedented levels of sustained stress with three-quarters of the workforce experiencing burnout, and 40 per cent claiming this was a direct result of COVID-19.

HR tech can help reduce the strain. With 83 per cent of employees wanting employers to provide mental health supporting tech – there are plenty of options available.

AI therapists are one possibility – 34 per cent of employees believe access to an AI-therapist provides a judgement free zone, 30 per cent believe this would provide an unbiased outlet to share problems and 29 per cent think it would provide quick answers to health-related problems. Chatbots are another option, which can help guide employees to mental health resources and advice.

When it comes to physical health, there are also plenty of HR tech options out there. Virtual GPs are a growing trend, which could save UK businesses up to £1.5 billion. Such tools provide staff with access to medical advice and clinics to not just monitor, but also help employees proactively manage their health.

In addition to implementing social distancing measures, installing sensor-based technologies throughout the workplace can help minimise physical contact and reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Fitness trackers are another option to boost wellness and staff engagement. Construction firm Fluor Canada, for example, recently provided staff with trackers, which allow them to take part in fitness challenges and monitor their health during the pandemic.

However, these programmes and devices can raise privacy concerns, which HR professionals must address. Wellness programmes offered by independent vendors, as opposed to health insurance companies and self-administered health plans, aren’t subject to privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, for example, according to Consumer Reports.

3. Remote learning must include a social aspect

The 70-20-10 model of learning at work is widely recognised, whereby 70 per cent of workers learn from experience gained on the job, 20 per cent learn from work relationships (such as coaching and mentoring), and 10 per cent learn from formal courses and learning interventions.

The Future of Jobs 2020 report from the World Economic Forum also states that 94 per cent of business leaders now expect employees to learn on the job, as opposed to formal training. In other words, it’s not enough to provide a few online courses – you must encourage social learning, which encompasses the first two points above.

However, social distancing and remote working have effectively cut out a major chunk of social learning, where staff may struggle to ‘learn by osmosis’ – represented by the informal, social learning covered in the first two areas.

To address this challenge, there are plenty of quick-win HR tech options. You could set up online discussion boards, team areas, wikis, image sharing systems and other collaboration tools on your intranet, for example. Tools like Google Classroom, Facebook Workplace, FocusMate and PukkaTeam are also providing virtual coworking spaces to facilitate effective collaboration and brainstorming sessions.

VR is another growing tool to deliver corporate training and development programmes, helping people feel like they are in a classroom environment and, therefore, can learn from their interactions with their classmates. At Hays, we are also developing our My Learning platform, which builds on the principles of social learning and offers all jobseekers access to insights around the skills in demand and how they can acquire them.

Adaptability and resiliency are required in the years ahead

Companies have experienced a year unlike any other. The pandemic has massively accelerated digital adoption rates and the HR tech market has grown explosively, as a result.

As we move forward, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. HR professionals must continue to adapt and adopt the latest tools to further enable online learning and career development, hiring and onboarding, staff engagement and feedback and many other key HR functions. Asking the customer – the employee – is a great place to start, to keep track of how people are feeling, how they are working, and what the potential problems are that a collaboration with technology could potentially help solve. I can’t predict where we’ll be in another 12 months – but I guarantee HR tech will play a key role in maintaining the world of work now, and in the years ahead.

How tech can help prepare us for more disruption

2021-10-18T07:41:15Z

Disruption is second nature to IT teams. But the pandemic has brought a whole new meaning and momentum to the word ‘disruption’, even in the eyes and minds of the most seasoned tech professionals. How do you survive in these rapidly changing times?

Even before COVID-19 hit, dealing with unforeseen change and innovating in response to it was part of their day-to-day – it was their bread and butter. After all, it’s change and disruption that often fuels the need for technological solutions. We’re experiencing a level of disruption like we’ve never seen before, certainly in my lifetime.

We’ve all heard the stories of how, in response to the pandemic, one-third of companies have digitised their supply chains, half have adopted new customer channels, including e-commerce, mobile apps or chatbots, and two-thirds have accelerated their artificial intelligence (AI) and automation adoption.

IT teams around the world have risen to the challenges and demands placed on them, introducing new ways of working to stand the test of time at breakneck speed. Now, CIOs are preparing for the next phase of COVID-related disruption.

Tech’s continued, transformational response to ongoing change

I’m sure you’d agree that during the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, technology most definitely proved its worth. After all, tech and the teams behind it helped businesses quickly pivot their existing business models and establish new ones. This included a surge of activity in the e-commerce and e-payments space while enabling mass remote working around the world, pretty much overnight.

However, this has all placed considerable strain on our technologies, processes and people. Some 85 per cent of IT leaders believe permanent, full-time remote work puts greater pressure on their workforce and one-third were concerned their teams were stretched too far in terms of their time and the available resources. Further research reveals eight in 10 IT leaders were concerned about the mental health of their team during the pandemic, which resulted in 58 per cent of them putting programmes in place to support their staff.

Now months into the crisis, IT teams the world over are continuing to respond to the changing impact of the pandemic. Cybersecurity remains a top priority, as the rate of cyberattacks continues to escalate in size and complexity, according to recent stats from Interpol. This trend shows no sign of stopping. In the UK, research from the World Economic Forum indicates that cyberattacks are the third highest risk for businesses in relation to COVID-19, coming after bankruptcy and long-term unemployment.

Accenture has also predicted organisations may face a data privacy backlash in the future if a range of data security issues are not addressed for the entire workforce, including remote workers. Further research reveals that 47 per cent of staff did not receive adequate guidance from their IT department when they switched to remote working, so perhaps Accenture’s predictions are hardly surprising.

Collaboration fatigue is another emerging threat, whereby remote workers are growing increasingly tired of the incessant number of video calls and additional ‘together-but-apart’ online experiences filling their days. Scheduled meetings, as opposed to ad hoc ‘water cooler moments’ and chats, are now commonplace, resulting in packed schedules and leaving employees with little time to catch their breath in between. As I’ll discuss later, IT teams are now tackling this emerging and growing issue to get staff back in the office, and communications across multiple platforms.

IT teams are preparing for another 12 months of uncertainty

To survive the mass disruption and separation of COVID-19 in the long term, IT teams, including those working directly with CIOs, will continue to play an increasingly important role in addressing the ensuing challenges their organisations face. This will have a significant impact on CIOs. Experts have long predicted the role will evolve from that of Chief Information Officer, to Chief Influence Officer. Now, more than ever, this shift seems inevitable – CIOs will be pulled into a broader range of business decisions, including establishing the cultural and corporate values that, for so long, have been the dominion of a CEO. When more change is called for, I predict the CIO will be the first port of call for many businesses to help find savvy solutions.

Here are some of the ways today’s IT leaders and their teams are reacting to (and even exploiting) this change:

1. Cross-platform communication to combat collaboration fatigue

To help their businesses stay aligned and reduce collaboration fatigue, IT teams are providing solutions to help facilitate a return to the workplace where social distancing and robust cleaning measures must be put in place to comply with current COVID-19 guidelines. Digitised floorplans and signage, track-and-trace apps, and sensor technology, for example, can all help office managers optimise cleaning rotas and monitor both environmental conditions and occupancy levels.

Hybrid working models, however, are likely to exacerbate a streamlined return to work, where staff may want to pop into the office on an ad-hoc basis or coordinate their office visits with other team members. This is where intelligent and integrated solutions will help, providing the agility for office managers to adapt their spaces to changing workforce dynamics, while reducing transmission risks and building staff confidence in a return to work. For CIOs and their IT teams, this may mean installing, maintaining and monitoring a new range of building technologies to optimise their offices.

To further reduce collaboration fatigue, IT teams are also implementing a range of cross-platform communication tools to keep digital communications fresh and allow people to use the best platform for their needs. Deloitte recommends “workforces need to be given ample information through their preferred modes of communication”. So, this isn’t a one-size-fits all technology solution, far from it.

This demand for cross-platform, personalised communication tools places additional strain on our traditional networks, where network stress testing and redundancy solutions are in high demand, to boost performance levels. Cloud-based solutions have helped. In fact, 83 per cent of companies claimed the cloud helped ensure their survival during the pandemic, by expediting the delivery of remote working tools and enabling cross-platform communication. Going forward, IT leaders will continue to capitalise on the agility of the cloud.

2. Getting agile with the cloud

Network considerations aside, many businesses are stepping up their game in the cloud. Cloud-native and microservices-focused e-commerce platforms, for example, are providing flexibility, allowing organisations to respond to continued supply chain disruption with ease. Microservices are the next iteration of the agile DevOps methodology, whereby small, standalone applications can be used to finetune e-commerce platforms. Research reveals significant growth in both these areas since the pandemic began, thanks to the agility they provide.

Such solutions will help organisations push into new areas during the next few months, helping them maintain the digital momentum built during the initial lockdown. From a budgetary perspective, cost-effective and agile solutions such as the cloud, DevOps, and microservices are important trends. Research reveals companies spent the equivalent of $15 billion extra every week on technology during the first three months of the crisis – but now a 7.3 per cent shrinkage in IT spending is predicted for 2020. As such, IT leaders are now focusing on streamlining operations and modernising their existing technologies and processes to ensure their business’ continued survival.

3. IT teams and AI will take a more prominent role

With revenues down for many, CIOs are rearranging their spending to prioritise both the customer and employee experience. Product and service personalisation, for example, is one leading digital trend with a human focus, which allows businesses to optimise their consumer experience and increase customer engagement.

Automation, AI and machine learning are helping businesses continue to streamline their operations and user experience. Accenture predicts human-AI collaboration is now a requirement to help businesses pivot by taking automation technologies to the next level and using them to not only efficiently execute tasks but also transform business processes.

For example, we’ve seen an increase in demand for chatbots and voice technologies in customer communication since the pandemic with 30 per cent of web browsing predicted to occur without a screen in 2020. AI-powered security tools can also help IT teams achieve more with less, while providing productivity gains across the business.

From robots in the wild to robotic process automation, automation technologies have also played a vital role in the survival of more than three-quarters of companies during the pandemic, according to a recent survey, by helping them cope with labour shortages and optimise their supply chains. Further research from IDC also reveals that cloud-based and AI technologies will continue to play a significant role in the public sector when dealing with the disruption caused by COVID-19, helping hospitals speed up COVID-19 diagnosis and testing, while providing automated remote consultations to self-isolating patients through chatbots.

4. IT professionals now recognise a different skillset

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen a rise in demand for certain skillsets and roles. IT teams are continuing to upskill and train themselves to keep pace with these ever-changing requirements, while adopting lifelong learning mindsets to truly futureproof their careers. According to our global head of technology, James Milligan, cloud architects and engineers were in the greatest demand at the start of lockdown as businesses and educational institutions worked at breakneck speed to introduce working/learning from home initiatives.

As we continue to operate through the pandemic, Milligan also predicts a surge in demand for data security experts, data analysts, data scientists and machine learning experts, as well as change management specialists and agile experts, as businesses continue to adapt to the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape. Recent research also predicts data analytics, machine learning, and cybersecurity will continue to be in-demand areas of expertise for tech workers as we continue to live with COVID-19.

As IT teams increasingly work with other departments, soft skills will also be in high demand, with the European Commission highlighting leadership, emotional intelligence, adaptability, creativity and critical thinking as important post-COVID skills, alongside technical knowledge, data literacy and digital and coding skills. When it comes to programming languages, R has seen a recent resurgence during the pandemic, but C, Java and Python remain the three most in-demand syntaxes.

Disruption is fast becoming second nature to everyone – not just those working in technology. The pandemic has changed the way we work for the better, forever. These changes will impact CIOs and IT teams, increasing their influence across the business.

Going forward, I anticipate our IT teams will continue to take on a more transformational, business critical role to keep the world up and running now, and in the years ahead.