We did it! What a great few (hot) days of sessions and networking at SHRM 2015 in Las Vegas.
As I head back home, I am re-energized to tackle some of the obstacles we face as an industry. Here are my top three takeaways from this year’s event.
1. HR Hustle: Fight on like JHUD
Watching Jennifer Hudson belt out songs Tuesday night had me thinking about her uphill journey to success. From finishing ninth in American Idol, to having critics tear apart her 2009 album, to now becoming a household name, JHUD had the tenacity and the grit to make a comeback.
Like Jennifer Hudson, HR has its own uphill battle. We have many critics who want to “blow up” our department. Rather than feeling defeated or panic, we need to bring our “A” game to the table. By doing so, we will have our own former critics eating their words.
To make this comeback, HR needs to step out of its bubble and integrate with the whole company. As Jennifer McClure (@JenniferMcClure) said in her session Monday: “Come to your executives with opportunities and solutions that not only help HR, but help the overall business.”
2. HR Technology is Powered by People
Walking through the exhibit, I saw some great products that are really working to help move human resources forward – BambooHR, Empower, and Payclarity, to name a few.
But remember, even the best technology vendors can’t solve your organization’s problems unless the right people and team are in place to make something of the solution. You must use these tools and leverage their capabilities for your business and strategy- even the best HR technology can’t help you if you log in once every 10 years. Joking aside, under-utilized technology is all too common. We know you are busy, but not utilizing tools is wasting your organization’s investment-let us take some of that weight off your shoulders.
3. Real-time Data: Is There Any Other Kind?
I was cheering when Marcus Buckingham (@mwbuckingham) brought up the importance of real-time data in his keynote. It’s not enough to have big data. You can have all the data in the world, but if it’s old, it’s obsolete. In order to make decisions for today and the future, we must leverage real-time data, no matter what department, HR, Finance, Marketing.
Why would you use salary data, email open rates, or sales numbers from the past to make decisions when there is data from today?
The challenge: are you leveraging right data, tools, and people to make strategic decisions with this info?
What did you take away from SHRM? Let us know in the comments!
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