Insights
News, views and opinions on the latest HR technology, trends and topics.
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Best of the HR Happy Hour Media Network 2024
Wow, I can’t believe it’s the end of 2024! This year was a kind of whirlwind in many respects, and while it was fantastic to get out on the road meeting with our clients, attending many industry events, and even finding a little bit of downtime, 2024 was a busy, productive, exciting, and at times...
Unlocking HR’s Potential in the AI Revolution with Aashna Kircher and Cristina Goldt
In the latest episode of HR Happy Hour Show from the 2024 HR Technology Conference, industry leaders Aashna Kircher, Group General Manager of the Office of the CHRO, and Cristina Goldt, General Manager of Workforce and Payroll at Workday, provided an informative and thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI and HR technology. With the rapid...
Workday Rising: Exploring AI Trends in HR with Kathy Pham and Dave Wachtel
At Workday Rising in Las Vegas, we had an insightful conversation with Kathy Pham, Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Workday, and Dave Wachtel, General Manager of Talent Products. Sitting on the beautiful Workday Forever Forward Tour Bus, the discussion centered around the evolving role of AI in HR and how it’s transforming everything from...
Event Report from Oracle CloudWorld 2024 – Enabling Skills-Based Talent Management
In September, the H3 HR Advisors team attended Oracle CloudWorld 2024 –the tech company’s massive user conference and technology showcase, which was held in Las Vegas. This year’s iteration of CloudWorld included several new HCM product announcements, updates on Oracle HCM’s overall growth and progress, and key customer success stories highlighting the impact of HR...
Event Report from Oracle CloudWorld 2024 – The Evolution of AI in HR Technology
In September, the H3 HR Advisors team attended Oracle CloudWorld 2024 –the tech company’s massive user conference and technology showcase, which was held in Las Vegas. This year’s iteration of CloudWorld included several new HCM product announcements, updates on Oracle HCM’s overall growth and progress, and key customer success stories highlighting the impact of HR...
The H3 HR Advisors 2025 Workplace Trends Report
We are excited to announce the release of the H3 HR Advisors 2025 Workplace Trends Report! This year’s trends report is our most in-depth review and analysis of the most important workplace trends that will dominate HR leader’s and organizations agendas in 2025. From our work with our client partners, the hundreds of podcasts and...
Up Close With Three Top HR Products of 2024
At the recent HR Tech Conference, Program Chair Steve Boese had a chance to meet with and dive into the product details with three winners of the prestigious Top HR Products award for 2024. The Top Products winners represent the leading innovations in HR technology for the year, and are selected by a panel of...
Workers Being Managed by Algorithms is Nothing New: Refrigerated Warehouse Example
Recently, a piece on Fast Company titled “Algorithms Control Workers, here is One Example How” caught my attention, as I was interested in some of the latest examples of how advanced technology is impacting work and workplaces. The piece detailed how one particular online platform, named Talent Finder, aimed at connecting freelance workers with project...
Labor Market Focus: How Shifting Demographics are Changing the Workforce
The Labor Market is constantly changing. Workers enter the market, others exit, but the makeup and characteristics of workers are also changing, and shifting US demographic trends are altering the composition of the labor force. In the the latest in our series Labor Market Focus, we examine some of the key demographic trends in the...
Lattice and AI Employees: Leading the Way or Moving Too Fast?
July 2024 Many workplace analysts and observers feel that one of the key skills needed for employees and managers moving forward will be the ability to successfully work with and co-exist with new technology, specifically with new forms of AI technology, like Generative AI. Recently the HR technology company Lattice took this idea a step...
Reflections on 15 Years of the HR Happy Hour Show
The original HR podcast, the HR Happy Hour Show, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. Show creator and co-host Steve Boese looks back on 15 years of the show and shares some memories from the past, and thoughts about what’s coming next. Introduction It’s often said that many HR professionals didn’t set out to be HR...
The Elder Caregiving Crisis Facing American Workers
Introduction: Caregiving in the United States As of 2020, approximately 53 million Americans provided care to an adult family member or friend. Of these caregivers, 61% also had jobs, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP study “Caregiving in the United States in 2020”, based on surveys carried out before the COVID-19 pandemic....
The Childcare Crisis Facing American Workers
The Covid-19 pandemic challenged the economy and the workforce like no other event before, and for childcare in particular, its lingering effects have continued to leave a lasting impact. During the early pandemic years many day cares were forced to close, due to health protocols and staff shortages. At the same time, most schools shifted...
Preparing the Next Generation of Workers Requires Creative Thinking and Chicken Nuggets
Lots of people enjoy the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A. In fact, some peoples’ enjoyment of Chick-fil-A borders on obsession – as evidenced by the incredibly long lines seen at most Chick-fil-A drive thrus and especially at their airport terminal locations pretty much all the time. I get it, Chick-fil-A is a pretty solid if not better...
Benefits Open Enrollment Planning: Employers Assess Coverage of Popular Weight Loss Drugs
While for most US organizations, Benefits Open Enrollment for their employees occurs in the Fall, the details, coverages, and costs of benefits are being brokered now. Open enrollment season is just a few short months away, and employers should be having renewal discussions with their benefits broker or agent in the June and July window, and...
Cornerstone is Diving into AI Skills Intelligence Capabilities
There’s big news in the world of talent management. Workforce agility solution provider, Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. has acquired SkyHive Technologies to infuse AI skills intelligence into the platform. This announcement comes on the heels of Cornerstone’s launch of Cornerstone Galaxy and will enhance the platform with labor market data. Trish Steed, Co-Founder and Principal Analyst...
Mental Health Awareness Month and the Importance of Self-Care
With Mental Health Awareness Month taking place this month, it’s a great opportunity to take some time to reflect on our own personal and work lives, and think a bit about how our habits, choices, and how we decide to manage our busy lives ultimately impact our mental health and wellbeing. Obviously, so many people’s...
HR Technology Solution Review: Indeed Smart Sourcing
In the 20+ years we’ve been working in HR and with HR technology solutions, we’ve seen almost impossible to believe advances in technology capabilities, a revolution in software delivery methods, a seismic shift (for the good) in user experience and design, and the development of fully mobile, smartphone-driven solutions. Now, the next wave of innovation...
4 Ways to Nurture and Support a Mental Health-Friendly Workplace
Workplaces undergo the process of continual growth and change as research and data become available. One area of organizational development that has garnered increased awareness in the last few years is support for employees’ mental health and well-being. Through evidence-based research, workplace views have been broadened on how mental health and stress can be addressed,...
Labor Market Focus: Employment Prospects and Participation Improving for Disabled Workers – But Challenges Remain
One of the notable labor market developments of the pandemic era was the increase in employment participation and opportunities for people with disabilities. Understanding these communities is an opportunity for organizations who continue to deal with persistently tight labor market conditions. In 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22.5 percent of people...
Navigating the HR Technology Buying Process: Why HR Professionals Must Stay Informed
by Trish Steed In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, Human Resources (HR) professionals play a pivotal role in shaping the technological infrastructure of organizations. As businesses increasingly rely on innovative solutions to streamline operations and enhance employee experiences, understanding the HR technology buying process has become imperative for HR professionals. Here’s why: HR Technology as...
The Surprisingly High Costs of Manual HR and Payroll Processes
For HR and Payroll organizations, it’s clear that many administrative processes are required and necessary for their teams to fulfill their duties and responsibilities to the organization and its employees. No matter how much we might not care for these administrative tasks, they remain necessary for the organization to remain in compliance, to carry out...
Labor Market Focus: Labor Unions Had a Big 2023 but Face an Uncertain Future
Recent high-profile organized labor wins at odds with the overall decline in union membership – with implications for the labor market in 2024 and beyond. By the mid-1950s, unions in the US had successfully organized approximately one out of every three non-farm workers. This period represented the height of organized labor’s power, as the numbers...
Labor Market Focus: Older Workers Increasing in Numbers and in Earnings
While most of the news reporting and analysis of the US Labor Market tends to focus on the “headline” numbers like the unemployment rate, monthly gains/losses in total jobs, Labor Force Participation rates, and aggregate US job openings, there are probably hundred of other interesting and important labor market data points that are worth our...
Best of the HR Happy Hour Media Network 2023
Wow, I can’t believe it’s the end of 2023! The “return to normal” year was a kind of whirlwind in many respects, and while it was fantastic to resume business travel, office meetings, and large events, it made for a crazy, exciting, and at times exhausting year. For us at H3 HR Advisors, 2023 marked...
HR Technology News: Paycom’s GONE™ Time Off Request Automation Empowers Employees and Supports Managers
Since the publication of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink in 2009, the concept of autonomy as a key factor in sustaining employee motivation has been popularized and generally accepted by HR leaders. The importance of autonomy can perhaps be best understood by examining the opposite of employee autonomy –...
Insights from Oracle CloudWorld 2023: HR Strategies for the Future
In a rapidly evolving world where businesses must adapt to ever-changing circumstances, HR practitioners, managers, and executives continually seek strategies that will lead to long-term success. At Oracle CloudWorld, Yvette Cameron’s session “5 Critical Strategies for a Decade of Success” provided invaluable insights for navigating the complex landscape of the next decade. These strategies offer...
First Look at New HR Tech: Benchmarking and People Analytics Solutions from Paychex
One of the highlights of the annual HR Technology Conference each year is the opportunity to get hands-on demonstrations of the very latest innovations in HR tech from the industry’s leading providers. New ideas, solutions, and categories are constantly on display in HR tech, (small “t”) and at HR Tech, (capital “T”). And it is...
Oracle CloudWorld 2023: Continued Innovation, Momentum and Leadership in HCM Technology
The team from H3 HR Advisors spent some time with the Oracle team at the recent Oracle CloudWorld event in Las Vegas. CloudWorld is kind of a whirlwind, with tens of thousands of attendees descending for three days of technology, innovation, networking and more – and in 2023 the size and scope of the event...
Executives Want Employees Back in the Office, But Don’t Really Know Why
Returning to the office has been a topic of great interest, debate, and in many cases, tension between the average worker and their manager, leaders, and C-suite executives. But while many of these execs are losing patience with remote work, they don’t usually have a good reason why. Recently, Mike Hopkins, Amazon’s senior vice president...
The Evolution of Talent Management: Reejig and the Skills and Work Ontology Approach
One of the most vexing and challenging dilemmas that can face human resources and talent leaders is when the organization is simultaneously hiring aggressively for certain roles while having to let others go due to a lack of meaningful work for some individuals. This situation destroys the morale of the organization and leads to rank-and-file...
NeoCon 2023: Employee Experience is More Than Software
A few weeks back I received an invitation to attend NeoCon 2023, the world’s leading event and showcase for the commercial interior design industry. Located at the famous Chicago landmark The Mart, and with nearly 1 million square feet of exhibition space, NeoCon featured innovative products and services from more than 400 leading companies and...
HR Technology Solution Review: Oracle Grow
Oracle Grow advances the capabilities of the industry-leading Oracle Cloud HCM by connecting learning, skills growth, and career mobility in one personalized experience. With most organizations facing the dual challenges of employee retention as well as the need to remain agile and to keep their employee’s skills up to date and relevant, HR leaders need...
NEW on the HR Happy Hour Network: Oracle Grow Connects that Learning, Skills Growth, and Career Mobility
With organizations and business leaders cognizant of the need for better data, which is critical to the success of their organizations, many don’t believe they have the tools to be successful, which is eroding their confidence and ability to make timely decisions. A new study called The Decision Dilemma by Oracle and Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, New...
Evolving the Search for the Right Candidate: Introducing Pay for Results by Indeed, the World’s Largest Job & Hiring Site
In a world where you must often choose between quality or quantity, it would be ideal to have the ability to have both simultaneously. About ten or so years back I was at a user conference for one of the leading recruiting technology companies focused on the then-new category of video interviewing. In fact, at...
Focus on Healthcare: Connecting Better Employee Experiences with Improved Patient Outcomes
For healthcare organizations, delivering the highest quality care, improving patient outcomes, and meeting the needs of patients, families, and partners demands having the optimal amount of talented people with the needed skills and competencies in the right places at the right time. Managing these talent needs requires modern, integrated, and innovative HCM technology that helps...
Layoffs and Worker Shortages at the Same Time: A US Labor Market Update for Early 2023
It’s been an active and interesting start to the year for followers of the US labor market, with several notable data points all dropping in the space of a few weeks. Let’s consolidate and share the most notable labor market news and updates at the start of 2023 and then try to put these data...
A New Year, New Challenges, and Preparing for Uncertainty
Happy New Year! Well, perhaps it is a bit late to express Happy New Year wishes, but it’s a few days early for Lunar New Year! So please accept our best wishes for a fantastic year ahead. As we begin 2023, our team at H3 HR Advisors is tremendously excited for what this year has in...
The Ultimate Book List for 2023
Happy Holidays! As we all observe the traditions that are important to our individual and family cultures, I want to take the time to give each of you a gift. My idea is to compile a reading list that will appeal to you and every person on your gift-giving list. I contacted a group of...
Best of the HR Happy Hour Media Network in 2022
While 2022 largely marked the end of the pandemic era and the beginning of what’s next, it remained a strange and at times challenging year. For us at H3 HR Advisors, 2022 marked the return of business travel, speaking in-person at many events, moving from Zoom meetings to “real” meetings with partners and clients, and...
In France, a Man Wins the Right to Not Have Fun at Work
In what could be seen as either a landmark ruling confirming worker’s rights to a more clear separation of work and life, or a warning to those company cultures that take the “play hard” idea too far, this past week the highest court in France has ruled that a man fired by a consulting firm, largely...
The Connection Between Customer Experience and Employee Experience: Live from Paycom and the OKC Thunder
On the HR Happy Hour Media Network and in the other work we do at H3 HR Advisors, we have talked quite a bit about the importance of employee experience and how improving employee experience has been one of the main focus areas for HR leaders and for the HR technology industry. Throughout the close...
isolved Connect 2022 – How the Right HR Technology Can Improve Your Organization
At the recent isolved Connect event in Nashville, Trish McFarlane and Karen Steed sat down with isolved executives and customers to discuss highlights of the event as well as how the right HR technology can improve your organization. This podcast series focused on how to connect with your employees and support your customers. Listen in!...
HR in Healthcare: Meeting the Challenges and the Role of HCM Technology
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthcare is the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy. Healthcare employs over 18 million workers, about 12% of all employed Americans. Additionally, women represent nearly 80% of the healthcare workforce. The CDC also notes just some of the many job-related hazards facing healthcare...
U.S. Approval of Labor Unions Tops 70%, the Highest Point Since 1965
According to a recently released poll from Gallup, seventy-one percent of Americans now say they approve of labor unions. Although statistically similar to last year’s 68% approval rating, it is up from 64% before the pandemic and is the highest Gallup has recorded on this question since 1965 – almost 60 years ago. The latest...
Live from HR Tech: Managing Payroll by the Sound of Your Voice with Paychex Voice Assist Technology
At this year’s HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas there was no shortage of innovative, ground-breaking, and simply cool new solutions for attendees to see, touch, and in one case, speak with! I was fortunate to have a few spare minutes during the Conference to take a kind of whirlwind tour of the massive HR...
Companies Continue to Mandate Return to Offices, Employees Continue to Push Back
An increasing number of company leaders have determined that in-person work is preferable and more conducive to business success than remote work has proven to be and have made their feelings known to the rank and file. The Wall Street Journal is the latest company to join that chorus and has informed employees that...
Changing Jobs During the Great Resignation Proves Valuable for US Workers
Workers in the United States who changed jobs during the Great Resignation saw a median increase in compensation of 16.1%. That’s over twice the median compensation increase in annual pay for those who stayed in their former jobs, which registered at about a 7.6% increase. This data is from a recently released report from payroll...
Celebrating the Next HR Happy Hour Network Milestone
We are excited to share the latest HR Happy Hour Podcast Network milestone – we recently surpassed 3 Million downloads! While it isn’t necessarily good form to pat ourselves on the back, we noticed a couple of months ago we were approaching the 3 Million figure, and we wanted to use that milestone to take...
10 Tips to Maximize Your HR Technology Conference Experience
For the past decade, I’ve been sharing my ten best tips to make the most of your time at a conference. With The HR Technology Conference a few weeks away, I thought I’d share some of those tips again. One thing I’ve learned is that in order to get the most value out of your time...
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