HR Tech Insiders

Pandemic, massive racial and political unrest, economic disruption, men in space, generational conflict, cities burning. You could be forgiven if you think we’ve been transported back to the 1960s. For a long time, nothing much happened. Then, whammo. It’s all happening at once.

The progress toward a society rooted in equality stalled some time ago. It took a political administration that says the quiet part out loud to pull the covers off the thing we didn’t want to see: We live in a class-driven society. And the primary determinant of class is skin color. Our organizations are reflections of the structural forces that drive unequal access to resources, education, jobs, and technology.

What is Blockchain? Isn’t it something to do with cryptocurrency? Why should I care about blockchain as an HR professional?  If you are asking these questions, you aren’t alone.

Blockchain in Simple Terms

You’ll often hear blockchain described as a “distributed, decentralized, public ledger” or a “record-keeping technology.” It’s widely associated with cryptocurrencies since it was first officially outlined over 10 years ago as the protocol used in the creation of the Bitcoin network. 

Often touted as complex — and it is if you really dig into the details — the broader concept of the technology itself is easier to grasp. Essentially, blockchain is a shared database or ledger that houses records validated by a community rather than a single entity. Each block contains data and is akin to a page of a ledger. As new records are created, the blocks are linked to the previous block to form a chain.

In my last column, I set out to articulate what the team at H3 HR Advisors was considering the primary challenges facing HR and business leaders as they continue to deal with the coronavirus impact today and to plan for a still-uncertain tomorrow. One month later, while perhaps a few elements of the complex array of moving parts impacting work and business have become more clear, many — if not most — have not. And, while perhaps some of us are working more actively toward the restoration of the “normal,” most of us are probably not quite there yet.

A Beginner’s Guide to AI in HR

Technology plays an important role in human resources management.  As more HR professionals and employers are likely to embrace artificial intelligence for HR in the coming years, it’s important to get a good understanding of how human resources can utilize AI to get more out of their teams.

Cutting-Edge Roster Explores the Hottest Topics Impacting HR Including AI, Blockchain, Diversity & Inclusion and More

Human Resource Executive^® and the HR Technology Conference & Exposition^® today announced the release of its 2020 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers list. From the executives guiding workforces through today’s unique challenges to practitioners pairing expert strategies with forward-thinking HR technology tools, the second annual list recognizes the thought leaders actively shaping HR’s new agenda and championing the critical role technology plays in this modern age.  

Olympic Gold Medalist and Bestselling Author Will Share Messages of Perseverance and Resilience HR Leaders Can Use to Build Inclusive Workplaces

I’m not sure if it is too early yet to be thinking of the post-pandemic world, the so-called “new normal” or whatever phrase gets coined to describe the changed environment and workplaces that we, collectively, are going to concurrently inherit and create.

Women are making big strides in the workforce in 2020, yet they face big challenges going forward.  A U.S. Labor Department’s report in December showed that women make up the majority of the workforce at 50.04%.  Yet, even with the mass number of women in the workforce, the percentage of executive-level roles held by women remains relatively low. Only 6% of the Fortune 500 have women as CEOs and only 2% or 60 of the Russell 3000 companies (the 3,000 largest companies domiciled in the U.S. and U.S. territories) have a board made up of at least 50% women according to Equilar.

Nobody would argue that those percentages aren’t low, but they are up from what it was just a few years ago. Change, although slow, is happening as reflected in the increase seen for the past nine consecutive quarters in the Equilar Gender Diversity Index (GDI), a quarterly update of female directors in the Russell 3000. Additionally, according to the Women in Workplace 2019 report by McKinsey & Company and Lean In, more companies have higher numbers of female C-level executives than in previous years.

Though the numbers are improving, the question remains, how do we help our organizations create a culture of inclusion and diversity.

As workforces around the world adjust to the changes being ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic, technology will likely be more important than ever.

At IBM, the company’s investments in online learning and collaboration tools are paying off, says CHRO Diane Gherson. Employees are using the tools to aid other employees in addition to getting their own work done. 

“Every minute, I’ve been getting messages about employees assisting each other on these platforms,” says Gherson, HRE’s 2018 HR Executive of the Year. IBMers have created pages of resources on topics ranging from technical advice to taking care of toddlers while working. “It’s been incredible, this rallying around. It’s led to a community that people can go to for help when they have specific questions.”

Even when the bulk of IBM’s workforce returns to the office (as at many organizations, a number of IBMers have continued their on-site work), health and safety will be paramount, says Gherson.

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