How to use technology to build a people-centric work culture

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With the rapid changes in HR and technology – especially AI – the future of work looks very different than it did a few years ago.

There have been major advances in HR, technology, sustainability and culture.

As the founder of a software company, I have witnessed the evolution of HR first hand. Since we were a team of 10 to scaling up with 70-100 employees and now leading a team of over 400, I've seen the practices we've adopted and those we've moved away from.

I have also been a part of our journey to embrace technology as we mature, recognizing the critical role of automation in our day-to-day operations.

Additionally, I experienced the shift to remote work during the pandemic—how technology supported us, from employee screening to onboarding and how we managed remote engagement programs. It reinforced the value of technology-enabled HR processes in our organization.

In this article, I would like to share some ideas about using technology to achieve a sustainable culture.

What do we mean by a “sustainable culture”?

Sustainability is as simple as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

When we hear “sustainability,” most of us first think of green initiatives and environmental impact. But this is only one leg of the stool.

There are three pillars of sustainability – Three Ps:

Profit (Economic)
Plans (Environmental)
People (Social Aspect)

These three interrelated pillars are essential to creating a sustainable future for our businesses and our world.

While environmental sustainability has received considerable attention, organizations increasingly recognize the importance of focusing on other pillars of EARNINGS AND the people.

Without sustainable profit, organizations cannot secure a sustainable future, and without sustainable practices for people, organizations fail to utilize their most important resources.

Technological progress and digitization can significantly affect the three pillars of sustainability in the context of HR.

1. Profit

The Profit Column rotates effectiveness and cost reduction, data-driven decision making and global talent access.

To increase efficiency and reduce costs, my company adopted a human resources management system (HRMS) to facilitate our human resources processes. By automating routine tasks such as payroll and employee onboarding, we reduced administrative overhead, saved time and consolidated resources. We've freed up our HR team to focus on higher-value tasks like employee engagement and talent development.

HRMS also helped in the improvement employee onboarding. We don't overwhelm new hires with policy documents. Instead, we use an AI bot that retrieves data about policies, organizational structure, designations, etc., from our HRMS. New employees can use the bot to ask any questions related to them, such as what to do in certain situations and who to contact for specific types of help.

To enable us to make data-driven decisions, we created a data lake from the various tools we use. The data lake feeds dashboards that give our Employee Relations (ER) team a holistic view of our resources, which is especially useful for performance appraisals and reviews. ER reps can see how many functions the employee has worked on, what their defect rate is, how many times they've been rated by customers and peers, etc.

2. The planet

To make our company greener, we rely on paperless operations, telecommuting and sustainable use of resources.

We implemented a company-wide digital document management system that allowed us to move away from paper-based contracts. it digital transition saved millions of sheets of paper and significantly reduced our environmental impact. It also reduced the costs associated with document storage and printing.

During the pandemic, we moved to a permanent remote work model. We operate a hybrid modeldrastically reducing the need for more office space. This change reduced the company's energy consumption and our employees' commuting emissions, aligning with our sustainability and financial objectives.

Speaking of office space, we reduced our energy use by 40% over our old space in part by fully leveraging IoT. We can now track real-time data on lighting and cooling, contributing to our overall sustainability goals.

3. People

The third pillar is about employee well-being, diversity and inclusion and continuous learning and development.

People cannot do their best work when they are not healthy – physically and emotionally. Our employee wellness program includes a dedicated wellness center accessible via digital platforms. The program provides virtual access to mental health services, physical wellness tips and mindfulness resources. This initiative has improved employee satisfaction, reduced burnout, and increased employee retention and performance.

Another tool that increases retention is our comprehensive learning management system (LMS), which provides employees with access to online training and courses. By investing in continuous learning, we equip employees with skills for future roles by building a more skilled and agile workforce.

It's about people

After all, the heart of sustainability is the people. AI can help us make smarter decisions and automate tasks, but we humans still make sense of it. After all, a bot might be able to onboard a new employee, but can they really appreciate a nice cup of tea with them afterward?

Sometimes, the best solutions come from a good old fashioned conversation.

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