Key Insights from the 2023 HR Tech Conference: Navigating the New Horizon

The curtains of the 2023 HR Tech Conference have drawn to a close in Las Vegas.

Dec 01, 2023

Key Insights from the 2023 HR Tech Conference: Navigating the New Horizon

Contents

1. AI is everywhere… but how?2. Skills are still a thing, with a new obsession with content.3. HR becoming a strategic partner — all enabled with data.

The curtains of the 2023 HR Tech Conference have drawn to a close in Las Vegas, but the insights it has delivered are only just beginning to ripple through the HR sector, sparking conversations and inspiring shifts in strategy and the overall development of the HR industry.

The HR Tech Conference stands as one of the largest expos and gatherings of HR professionals, and this year, its influence has grown even further.

One of the most exciting insights that we especially celebrated at this conference was the prediction that investment in learning & training would grow exponentially this year. It’s heartening to see learning & training organizations finally gaining recognition for their role in helping our people grow and develop as valuable individuals in their workplace.

Without further to do, here are the three key themes from this year’s conference that captured everyone’s attention:

1. AI is everywhere… but how?

It’s all about AI, AI, and AI…

Almost 70–80% of the speaker sessions, panel talks, and vendors at the conference were dedicated to AI, showcasing how their AI can automate or make work less burdensome. Unlike last year when AI was the new, astonishing thing — mostly explaining what it is — this year, we’ve moved past the ‘wow’ factor. Now, it’s about how to practically implement and tailor AI in the workplace.

Highlighting Josh Bersin’s session, he stated, “AI will replace everything very soon.” This bold claim infused HR professionals with both excitement and a sense of urgency towards AI and the evolution of our businesses, yet it also left a haze of uncertainty about its practical application in our work. Currently, AI is mainly used for hiring in human resources. Its use in training and development is still limited. However, with expected increases in investment in Human Resource Development (HRD) organizations, there is potential for a significant expansion in the use of AI for learning and development purposes.

Following the sessions, we identified three critical criteria for enhancing employees’ adoption of AI in their workplace: ease of use, simplicity of features, and seamless integration. To meet these criteria, our team at CLASSUM ensured that both our app and website offer user-friendly UI/UX suitable for deskless and remote employees. We designed our features like LEGO pieces that can be added or removed according to users’ preferences. To streamline the learning experience, we enabled integration with platforms such as Okta, Zoom, Padlet, and Kahoot!, allowing users to minimize the time spent navigating between apps.

Professionals are now keenly plotting the integration of AI into their workflows, and as AI starts to redefine what efficiency looks like for tasks traditionally done by humans, it invites us to reconsider the human role in an AI-enhanced future.

2. Skills are still a thing, with a new obsession with content.

Along with AI, we were surprised to find that skills are still a significant topic, actually one of the most emphasized topics at the 2023 HR Tech conference.

Yet, a new concept that emerged this year is the heightened demand for quality content. This requirement was especially strong among large organizations, those with over 5,000 employees, who are eagerly seeking out innovative and tailored learning materials. As these companies grow, the need for customized content that is not only abundant but also particularly relevant and flexible becomes increasingly important.

The discussions have progressed from simply identifying necessary skills to putting in place practical strategies for applying these skills. The priority now lies in developing clear plans for skill recognition and cultivation to ensure a workforce that is both skilled and agile.

If you’re on the hunt for top-notch content, CLASSUM is an excellent choice. We offer access to over 100,000 courses from premier content providers, covering a wide range of topics from marketing and design to business, as well as specialized industry-focused courses in areas like entertainment or for those aspiring to excel as musicians and artisans. For trendy content that keeps your employees continuously upskilled and reskilled, CLASSUM is the smart choice for you.

3. HR becoming a strategic partner — all enabled with data.

Here’s some good news: over 50% of HR organizations are now stepping up as strategic partners, and people are starting to take notice. What’s at the heart of this change? Learning analytics.

It’s become more crucial than ever. This data-driven approach is making its mark in strategic HR functions, with companies rich in data tapping into those insights to make smart choices about how effective their training is and how skills are developed.

Interestingly, it turns out that the companies leading the charge in strategic thinking have over twice the amount of learning-related data than other companies. This highlights just how much data is becoming the lifeblood of strategic HR planning.

Josh Bersin, the keynote speaker at the 2023 HR Tech Conference, emphasized that ‘Employee listening’ is the most crucial factor in the workplace. He pointed out that the current level of employee distress is the most alarming issue he has encountered in his career, with concerns spanning payroll, labor unions, inflation, and more. In these times, Josh suggested that ‘Employee listening’ should be at the heart of HR practices. Unlike the past, when employees were seen as replaceable components of the labor market, they are now viewed as individuals with valuable and boundless potential in the workplace.

To share some tips into how our team at CLASSUM approaches ‘employee listening’, we regularly conduct competitive campaigns through our Challenge feature. This allows us to undertake ambitious initiatives, set collective goals, and share in the excitement of achieving them. At CLASSUM, our team appreciates using the 1:1 feedback room and anonymous posting to consistently gather candid feedback from our team, foster improvements, and exchange ideas in a secure space where everyone’s values and opinions are acknowledged.

As we reflect on HR Tech 2023, it’s clear that the HR industry is not only adapting to changes but also leading the charge, carving out a future where AI, skills enhancement, and data analytics are not just additions but essentials in our everyday operations.

For those of us in Learning and Development (L&D), this entails skillfully mastering AI, refining our skills thoughtfully, and leveraging analytics as a fundamental part of our strategic arsenal. The transformation of HR into a key strategic contributor is not merely an optimistic goal — it’s a reality unfolding before us. By adopting these AI-driven tools and methodologies, we’re not just adapting to change; we’re leading it, steering our workforce to not only prepare for the future but to actively shape it.