HR Tech Recap and an Update

HR Tech ended only 20 days ago, but already it feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, I have undergone two major surgeries for my Parkinson’s disease, both of which were very successful. I am now in a bit of a holding pattern, as my body continues to heal and recover, and while I await my DBS system to be turned on in a few weeks. But I wanted to revisit the series of tweets I shared immediately after the event, recapping and building on a few thoughts.  

This year was my 10th year attending the HR Technology Conference. Some things are different and some things have stayed the same, both in life and in HR Tech.

In 2009 we were talking passionately about Employee Engagement. In 2010 we were talking about Employee Engagement. And in 2019 we were still talking about…Employee Engagement. So either (a) we’ve created a classic, (b) we don’t know what we’re doing, or (c) this stuff is really freaking important and really freaking hard. 

The year 2009 found us in an emerging wave of consolidation across talent management suites. This year was more about integration across end-to-end HR, with a focus on data security, speed, and analytics. In other words, not just buying from one logo. We’ve also seen that people understand and even expect that their providers will have a more fulsome suite of offerings, so a suite offering is no longer differentiating. What people do want answers to is, What's so special about your suite? Why is one vendor’s point of view on the HCM suite a better match for them than someone else's?

In 2009, PD was the last thing on my mind. By 2015, it would become one of my driving forces. As we began the HR Gives Back effort, I had no idea how much it would come to mean to me and to so many others. So many of you have been incredibly generous in support of the Michael J Fox Foundation.  I’m still just short of my goal, so if you haven’t donated yet, please consider joining me with your support.

And last but not least, in 2009 I was a new kid and had no idea how important this community would be to me. To all of my clients, friends, and colleagues, your love and support have meant so much to me in the last few weeks. I can’t wait to be back, full speed, looking at the trends for the next decade in HR Tech