How technology will change your job – and make it better

Since technology became miniaturised and portable, there is no escape from it. I commute with a carriage full of ‘Snap Chatters’, my latte is purchased from a pop-up office (otherwise known as a coffee shop) and my children are surgically attached to their mobile phones. Technology is like garlic bread, as Peter Kay said ‘It’s the future – I’ve tasted it’.

Companies have needed to embrace technology just to keep in step with employees’ expectations and new ways of working. Today, there are multiple systems in the workplace ranging from HR self-service, intranet, online training, time recording, payroll and a benefits platform too.

With so much technology in the workplace, ease of access is crucial. Appreciating security is all-important. Navigating too many barriers and several passwords could leave you thinking - is there a better way of doing this?

The popularity of single sign on

Single-Sign-On is making its way to be the standard access method used for all systems, especially as agile working and flexible working practice is very popular with today’s employees.

You also need the systems to ‘talk’ to each other. In this way your input only needs to be in one place and then bingo, everywhere else is up to date. So, less time keying things in and more up to date results at your fingertips.

At least that’s what technology should deliver. It’s about streamlining processes, reducing administration time and letting you get on with other probably more important things.

Making your job better

Technology not only drives efficiencies but can make your job better by giving you back meaningful data and information. By understanding the demographics and analysing data such as absence, claims and benefits, HR can build up an invaluable picture of the workforce, which will help shape future strategies and processes.

It’s a cliché but it’s so important to know and understand your workforce otherwise employers will not know what issues exist. On this basis, solutions can be created to help address them.

Lastly, innovation moves quickly, so make sure that any technology you choose is future proofed and scalable. Don’t get stuck with version one when your competitors are benefitting from version 10!

Sam West is workplace benefits consultant at Barnett Waddingham.

This article was provided by Barnett Waddingham.