More, More, More

When Less is More

Paying homage to Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell (and his appearance at and kinda weird promotion of Workday Rising ), everyone in HR tech is talking about adding more, more, more. More features, more customers, more partnerships… more everything.?

I get the inclination. Owners, shareholders, venture capitalists, and private equity firms don’t want to invest in a company that’s not doing more. I don’t get press releases from talent tech companies that say, “We’re just going to continue to do what we’re good at.”?

Maybe we should, though.?

Knowing what purpose your technology is built for is underrated. Last year, when the video conference company Zoom introduced their collaborative project and document solution Zoom Docs , I questioned out loud to anyone who would listen: Who was asking for this? I just wanted Zoom not to stutter on anything but the most perfectly calibrated systems. I wanted easier sharing on calls. I wanted a better iPad app that didn’t feel like the afterthought it probably was.?

We see this across HR tech, too: ATSs become CRMs, which become talent suites. We see it the other way: payroll systems become HR systems, which become talent systems. Now, add in the AI-ifying of everything, and it’s worse. Some product growth is natural, especially as startups develop. But some of these innovations seem closer to redneck engineering than thoughtfully deployed new solutions.?

This isn’t about being a Luddite. I openly embrace the label when it’s true. HR buyers that I speak to aren’t that way either.?

This is about knowing yourself. Being focused and great at something that’s desperately needed is a major competitive advantage. In an era of technology consolidation, it might feel like a disadvantage. But if you’re solving a real workplace problem, a problem that is difficult to solve with a generalist platform, workers are happy to jump in and use it regardless of where it sits on the tech stack. I know finance people will talk about one check to cut and IT will talk about one throat to choke but I think work leaders are figuring out that these people aren’t the end users you’re trying to serve.?

As I go through the HR Technology Conference next week and talk to vendors, I’ll be listening to how well they know themselves and their customers. Or I’ll pick up on the alternative: they are just throwing ideas up there because they sound cool or because some VC on vacation in Fiji told them they need to ship more features, attract more customers, and raise the price.?

I’ll let you know if anyone nails it.

New Employment Brand Opportunity: Safety

Do you want to get seriously injured or die at work? Neither do I. But how do you figure out if a place has a decent safety record? You’ll soon be able to find out.??

The U.S. Department of Labor launched the Severe Injury Report dashboard which will highlight severe injuries and illness in the workplace broken down by year, industry, date, and, most importantly for companies, establishment name.?

Organizations are mandated to report serious work-related incidents to OSHA within 24 hours with the data going back to 2015.?

There are limitations to the data. As law firm Spencer Fane points out, workers in 22 states covered by OSHA State Plans are excluded from the data set . Still, hopefully these state plans will follow suit. Transparency is critical to helping employees and companies make better decisions about something as critical as safety.?

Quick hits from around the web

What else is happening??

• The Not-So-Spooky Truth Behind Ghost Jobs via Reworked
• How Work Has Changed for Women in Corporate America Over the Last 10 Years via HBR
• Amazon’s New Back-To-Office Mandate Fuels Debate Over Remote Work and Productivity via GeekWire
• The ‘Next Wave’ of Microsoft’s Copilot AI Is Here via Quartz
• Walmart Says 75% Of Its U.S. Roles Now Don’t Require Degrees—And Plans New Skills Project via Forbes
• Why CEOs Should Want Better Enforcement of Labor Law via The Hill
• Employees Voted on the Worst Workplace Jargon. Here’s the Number-One Phrase That Annoys Your Coworkers via Fast Company
• ERE Media and CandE Benchmark Announce 2024 Global Candidate Experience Award Winners via ERE

RTFM: Pet Rock Edition

Finally, a little levity before this Thursday wraps up (and if you don’t know what RTFM is, well, here’s a hint ). If you thought walking your employees through the simplest HR tasks was a tedious task, imagine trying to explain how to take care of a pet rock.?

Boing Boing has a great feature on the mind behind the killer “toy” of Christmas 1975 as well as a scan of the original manual for the pet rock.?

It actually kind of makes me want a pet rock, too.

That's it for this week!?

Lance

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About The Starr Conspiracy

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