HR function transforms to integrate people and technology: Brosa

The integration of people and technology has transformed the HR function to be insight-driven, said Beth Hall, head of people and culture at furniture company Brosa.

Hall told Digital Nation Australia that HR has become a driver of growth for the business as it has leant on technology to respond to changing business needs, fast.

“Technology has taken off within the HR field and the smarter use of technology and getting that marriage between what is the right tech, what is the right human element and when is technology not appropriate and when art and science come into HR,” said Hall.

Hall asserts that the compliance element of the HR function is one area where digital can drive improvements and efficiencies.

“There are lots of human resource information systems that can do a lot of the mechanics behind what rules we can and can't do around awards and agreements for certain team members. There's all of that that you can digitalise,” she said.

“There's some cool tech around reward and recognition where you can start to digitalise peer-to-peer recognition that almost gives them the ability to collect coins.”

Learning management systems are another key tool in the modern HR leader’s toolkit, Hall said. 

“I was delivering to 22,000 people across 19 countries. I had to scale it quickly, what did I use? A learning management system.”

Despite the benefits of the rapidly digitised HR environment, Hall does implore HR leaders to determine the key moments that are better delivered in person, rather than relying on digital.

“When you're having conversations that affect people's lives, [tech is] not appropriate. When it comes to things like mental health, there are lots of great tools out there to promote wellbeing and to drive a wellbeing culture, but ultimately there's still a need for psychological safety and acceptance from peers and managers,” she said.

“When we think about inclusion, and diversity, equity and inclusion, there are parts that technology can play in order to accommodate it and allow it. But there's a cultural need that is just far more than tech can support.”