Times Ascent: Cognizant’s Vice President of Human Resources Says HR can Turn the Digital Wave Into Competitive Advantage

“In today’s digital era, technologies such as social, mobile, analytics and cloud (SMAC), sensors, machine learning and the Internet of Things are evolving and instrumenting our lives at a pace never seen before,” writes Sriram Rajagopal. “They are reshaping not just business models, but also the human resources function.” Excerpts:

“To successfully attract the best talent in this new environment, companies must treat social channels as not just online job boards, but also compelling employer branding networks. Recruitment teams must invest in creating communities of ‘employer evangelists’ and put the social networks of their employees and alumni to optimal use in enhancing their brand and reach.

Millennials now constitute the biggest demographic in an organization’s workforce. They seem to effectively assimilate concepts that are ‘gamified’. In the HR context, this involves gamification of learning and processes. HR professionals can further apply game mechanics to processes such as performance management, time management, and refreshers on policies and benefits.

Armed with new-age analytics capabilities, the HR function can now move from a rear-view mirror (historical) mode to a forward-looking (predictive and forecasting) mode. Employee data that existed in silos can now be combined for HR teams to get an integrated view of the workforce and leverage valuable decision support patterns. To maximize the potential of analytics, HR teams must develop contextual data analysis and inference skills.

Thanks to the fast-evolving technological landscape, HR leaders are much better positioned today to enhance the employee experience and deliver greater value to the business.”

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