Recently, we traveled to Las Vegas for HR Tech, the world’s leading event for HR innovation. We had a fun few days exhibiting on the conference floor, meeting other companies, and attending talks by leaders in the space.

So today, we thought we’d share the Top 3 Things We Learned at HR Tech 2023:

3. AI is all the rage. The technologies are impressive but also a little creepy.

AI was THE buzzword at HR Tech this year.

So many companies were focusing on it. Most sessions had AI in the name and most vendors were highlighting it on their booths.

By the end of the conference, the term actually felt a bit watered down, and it was hard to tell whether the technologies labeled as “AI” were true artificial intelligence, another kind of machine learning, or more of a marketing tactic.

Overall, it caused either confusion or a lack of uniqueness in the vendor space.

Being one of the few exhibitors not focused on AI actually drove a lot of conversations and interest.

Of course, for process improvement, data sourcing, task execution, and other logistical areas of the HR world, AI certainly has its benefits.

But, we encountered a number of technologies that were replacing important (and valuable!) human interaction with AI avatars. Although efficient, this seems like a technology that would quickly dehumanize the workplace experience. (And they were also a little creepy.)

And that brings us to…

2. Well-being in the workplace is at an all-time low.

People are struggling.

Whether it’s due to current world events, inflation & interest rates affecting personal financial situations, rounds of layoffs in the tech world in general, a lack of human connection in a remote/hybrid workforce, or general post-pandemic anxiety, workers are stressed.

And companies and their HR teams are trying to figure out how to help.

Dr. Jarik Conrad, the Executive Director at Workforce Institute and Vice President of Human Insights at UKG delivered an excellent session related to this, explaining how important prioritizing emotional intelligence is (both at a personal and organizational level) in improving our well-being while we live in such a hypercharged world.

One of the slides from Dr. Conrad’s session, his (well-researched) tips on how to function at your best. 

We also saw a wide range of technologies with the goal of helping organizations build a culture of connection because keeping a distributed workforce engaged is a top priority for productivity, retention, and employee well-being.

1. Employer Branding Needs More Attention

An authentic Employer Branding and Employer Value Proposition narrative are goals for most organizations in attendance, yet the path to getting there hasn’t been clear for most attendees we spoke to. So, they were happy to meet EditMate.

Attracting the younger generations entering the workforce is important for most large organizations, and the way for employer brands to do that is by connecting those young people where they already are: actively engaging with video & social online.

Even as it relates to consumer branding, GenZ wants to know about the companies making the products, not just the products themselves. They want to align with a company’s values & mission and now expect to be able to easily find content that educates them about it.

Both active and passive job seekers now want to be able to learn about an organization by watching videos, hearing from real employees, and getting an authentic sneak peek into company culture.

And not just on Career Pages but also on YouTube, Linked In, Instagram, and everywhere else they’re hanging out online.

For nearly the last decade, all brands have had to operate like media companies, producing regular & consistent content for all of their channels. And now, it’s time for employer brands to be doing the same. 

So, now is the time for modern, social, and authentic employer branding to become a priority.

From everything we learned at HR Tech, it’s clear that people everywhere are craving authentic human connection.

Without it, well-being suffers as does recruitment efforts, retention, and productivity.

Even in a remote setting where colleagues aren’t working in the same room, people want to genuinely connect with (whether it’s over Zoom or pre-recorded video) and hear the stories of their real teammates, not their scripted AI avatars.

Learn how EditMate can help your organization tell your authentic employer brand story here.