In a press release prior to the event, the HR Technology Conference & Exposition stated there would be 80+ product launches announced. While there were announcements across many technology areas, a few segments in particular yielded a deluge of new products and enhancements.

Technologies that support employee recruiting, including solutions that make the process easier for both companies and candidates, saw a lot of activity. This is not surprising with the challenges companies are having getting positions filled. While employee recruiting technology has historically focused on internal operations and efficiencies, candidate experience is now an increasingly important part of the employee journey. Some examples launched during HR Tech (among the many) include:

• Technology that allows candidates to scan a QR code that will then link to a chatbot that can perform an interview for possible follow-up. (alive5)
• Artificial intelligence (AI) recruiting platform to eliminate manual tasks, enable fast engagement of candidates, and help to remove bias with integrated analytics (AspireHR)
• An SMS communications system to automatically send job postings and relevant content to preexisting talent networks (Dalia)
• Recruiting intelligence platform that allows hiring managers to see traits of top performers and leverage those insights into an ideal candidate profile (Sonar Talent)

Technologies related to rewards and recognition, employee feedback/listening/insights, communications, and employee wellbeing, community ,and culture also saw traction. A sampling of announcements shows a broad range of offerings.

Rewards & Recognition

Workhuman announced an integration with Microsoft Teams that will make it easy for employees to use the Workhuman Cloud – Social Recognition tool right within their workflow. Employees can now launch a recognition nomination, receive an award recognition, and review the award social feed within a Teams channel.

“Integrating with Microsoft Teams puts Social Recognition in the ‘ecosystem’ where employees work and creates a culture that supports recognition and belonging. It removes the need for people to log in to another platform and makes recognizing a colleague or team seamless,” says Chris Campbell, SVP of Product at Workhuman. “The integration with Microsoft Teams injects human connection into everyday tools employees are using to stay connected with their coworkers, especially during remote work. Social Recognition also elevates the award recipient’s experience above email notifications to create a moment of surprise and delight during the workday.”

Other recognition-related products were presented by Awardco and Motivosity.

Employee Feedback, Listening, and Insights

Oracle updated its human capital management (HCM) solution with enhancements that focused on performance management, employee listening, and skills management. The update centers around a portal which will make it easier for managers to see skills gaps more quickly, evaluate team performance in an equitable manner, and support team needs.

“Organizations and employees are demanding more of their managers than ever before. To meet these demands, these leaders need to know their teams better than anyone else in order to prevent burnout, identify skill gaps and opportunities, and provide growth and career guidance,” says Yvette Cameron, senior vice president of global product strategy, Oracle Cloud HCM. “With the latest updates to Oracle Cloud HCM, we’re giving employees a stronger voice and empowering managers with advanced visibility into their teams so they can take the actions needed to better guide their teams to success.”

Another big name in the HR tech market, ADP, announced a Voice of the Employee solution, which had previously been mentioned in the company’s Q4 earnings call. The solution is described as a robust and listening tool that uses surveying instruments from the ADP Research Institute.

Communications

Workai, a Poland-based employee experience (EX) startup, premiered in the USA and announced a mobile employee app for its Experience Platform. Workai Mobile encompasses internal communications, social engagement, and knowledge management into one mobile app that helps companies communicate with frontline and remote workers. Another communication platform was launched by TeamSense that connects hourly employees and their employers, enhancing attendance data so that managers can gain insights. The Manager ToolBot was introduced by MeBeBot. The AI Intelligent Assistant helps to ensure real-time communications within workflow.

Wellbeing, Community, and Culture

These announcements were interesting to sift through.The concept of wellbeing has evolved into a broad one, and includes not just physical wellbeing but other factors such as emotional, financial, and social wellbeing. Support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives was also noted.

Some product announcements included:

• A Total Life Awareness Platform from SPOTLYFE that shifts the workplace mindset from always-on and reactionary to intentional and purposeful, leading to cultures where people stay longer and contribute more. Assessments are used to direct intentional micro changes to help employees improve friction points in their lives.
• Finwello introduced an Employee Financial Wellness app that uses behavioral science and insights to support employees in building positive financial habits.
• “Dost – an inclusive communications assistant” for Microsoft Teams and Slack was launched by ishield.ai. Dost aims to eliminate toxicity, bias and microaggressions towards gender, race, age, etc., from all text and images in employee chat. Dost provides a real-time, 1:1 nudge to the sender, explains the issue found, and suggests inclusive alternatives.
• The Klnch People Platform was announced by Klnch. The platform uses a patent pending Human Aspect Value, and provides real-time, user-driven insight into the wellbeing of any organization. Know when to pivot, intervene, or celebrate and show employees you care by listening and improving communications while reducing time spent on traditional surveys.