Today, I want to focus a bit on the relationship between customers and suppliers. I meet many different suppliers, ranging from small entrepreneurs to global and established companies. I also meet prospective and current customers of these suppliers, i.e., HR employees at companies ranging from small firms with around 50 employees to global giants with hundreds of thousands of employees.
How should we behave towards each other? I believe that if we understand each other better, we can both be satisfied. Both customers and suppliers.
Besides that, you will also receive a wealth of news and inspiration from the HR Tech industry.
Have a great day ☀️
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It's a significant step for many in HR to invest in HR tech and Edtech. It's truly not a simple activity, and I've previously addressed this theme in my newsletter "Which HR System Should I Choose." Additionally, most organizations in Sweden choose to invest in a complete solution - and then they might choose a supplier only once. And then they stick with that supplier.
Furthermore, we now have the perspective of AI capabilities.
Currently, I see many starting to complement their complete solution with "extra accessories." Perhaps a recruitment robot 🤖 or digital reference checking ✍️ or something else.
Here, I notice that small entrepreneurs are often treated the same way as large established suppliers, forgetting that some suppliers may be really small companies with a brilliant idea and solution. These cannot be treated like an established supplier.
Show care for the smaller niche entrepreneurs, those who create our future opportunities 🌸
These entrepreneurs don't have the resources to respond to large-scale tenders with short response times, nor do they have the same financial or legal resources as large companies.
And to be completely honest, you shouldn't, for example, treat the large established suppliers with unrealistic response deadlines for tenders - they are also just people with children in daycare, sick leave, stress, and already planned vacations when you send out a tender to respond to during July 😅 (I've been there myself.)
At the same time, we always have an imbalance between you as a buyer and you as a seller. Of course, a seller is much more knowledgeable about buying processes and their solution and can "trick" a buyer - because the buyer is often not so accustomed to buying. This usually doesn't apply to smaller entrepreneurs but only to established suppliers where the seller only deals with "selling" and is rewarded if they sell a lot, regardless of what they do to get the deal. In the case of the entrepreneur, the seller is often the founder who has a great love for their product and does everything to make you understand the value of what they are selling. And then it's important not to exploit their willingness, make them spend a lot of time during your tender process, and then dump them when you never intended to choose them in the first place.
Small entrepreneurs can be like flowers struggling to take root 🌹🌸🌻, while the big companies are already large root systems firmly anchored in the ground 🌳. Being aware of this difference can make all the difference in how we interact and support each other.
And then we have the question of choosing a strategy, i.e., to take the best every time, i.e., a "best of breed" strategy, or a complete supplier? There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and the important thing is to choose what suits your needs best. Right now, I hear a debate about it being better to choose completeness as it helps in AI transformation. But I'm really not sure about that, rather that we should continue to choose what suits our organization's needs.
Some tips along the way for you as an HR Tech buyer:
And if it's competence in the field you desire, I recommend my own training on October 15-16 in Stockholm, which I conduct together with Thomas Eklöf, a specialist in the AI field, where we balance different perspectives on the theme of suppliers and customers.
Sign up for the course here --> Course registration Basic course digitization & AI for HR - October 15-16
Recently, a test was conducted by the Wall Street Journal, and the big winner is.....
A system that has popped up on my radar just in the past few weeks. What's most challenging is switching systems once you've started and become accustomed to one. Microsoft's Copilot took the second spot 🤔
But this could, of course, have changed by next week.
Curious about this? Read more here --> The great AI Challenge: We Test Five Top Bots on Useful, Everyday Skills
Have you missed that a new version of ChatGPT was released last week? The 4o version. And it's free for everyone. Here you can find OpenAI's own description of the differences with 4o compared to previous versions.
Do you want to benchmark your own HR tech infrastructure against what the world is doing? And then receive a report showing how it looks in the market?
You can do it alone or involve several in your organization 👯 A survey that makes you think about what you have in your HR tech portfolio 🤔
It naturally takes some time to complete. But I promise it's worth it! See it as your organization's self-reflection with feedback. Right now, about 2500 organizations worldwide are doing this 🌍 The link is open until June 26: --> Link to the survey <--
Swedish Zebrain is reshaping the coaching and mentorship market, which Nic Newman writes about in an article discussing the market's development. The trend is towards increased use of AI and democratization of coaching 👏🏻
Just over a week ago, Hailey HR follows the trend of having an all-in-one system. Many buyers want a system that covers all processes in an organization, including recruitment, which was previously lacking in Hailey's system.
At the same time, the skills platform Eightfold also launches its AI-based ATS, Talent Tracking.
According to analyst Madeline Laurano, one in four companies plans to switch ATS providers this year. Which ATS you choose sets the standard for how you conduct your recruitment and how you utilize AI, skills, CRM, and sourcing tools.
It's exciting to see how many interesting new initiatives are popping up in HR and AI. Jagannath Tammeleht has developed an HR Expert that you are welcome to try out and provide feedback on. Developing your own GPTs for specialized areas is a really hot trend that's here to stay. You can find Johannes Sundlo's GPTs, for example, at OpenAI, where it says Explore GPTs.
And of course, HR Tech analyst Josh Bersin, together with his institute, has been quick to develop an advisor for HR based on all their experience, various reports, books, and case studies to guide global organizations on the HR journey. It's called leo™ and was released a week ago. You can also link it to your own business and combine it with your own data.
Curious about this? Read more here.
If preboarding and onboarding are done correctly, the employee will quickly integrate into the organization and can more easily feel like part of the community.
The benefits of digital onboarding - Akavia Aspect
I'm interested to read about the most attractive employers of 2024 and immediately find them on my own list of employers who work on their employee experience and utilize modern digital methods in their interactions with employees. Do you also want to develop your employee experience? Take a look at our webinars describing this. You can access them by registering your interest here.
Are you curious about who Sweden's most attractive employers are this year too? Check here --> Top 10 - Sweden's most attractive employers 2024
It's remarkable that it's so difficult to recruit, despite being in a recession with high unemployment. It indicates that there are significant systematic deficiencies in the education system and there is also a major matching problem in the labor market.
Want to know more? Read this article --> Challenge of finding the right skills
Have you thought about what new approaches you need to solve the problem? Tech, AI, or simply new basic systems with the right capabilities? Maybe Skills tech or more TA solutions. There's a lot of new things to consider in this area. Reach out if you need help. Contact details at the bottom of the newsletter 👇
Read the article here --> Ikea Creates Training Ecosystem to Support AI Literacy for 3,500 Employees
After speaking with dozens of HR leaders, Jeanne Meister has identified 13 HR jobs for the future (a combination of new jobs and new workstreams). Each job is arranged on an x and y axis; the x-axis shows time - from now until 2030 - and the y-axis shows "technological centrality" (i.e., to what extent these jobs require low to moderate or moderate to high levels of technological and generative AI knowledge).
Read more about this here --> 13 HR jobs of the future
On the same day Meta announced the news, I was in Norway where many are users of the Workplace product. It was previously called Facebook@Work and has been really good for those who were accustomed Facebook users. Now all users are being moved to Workvivo - by Zoom.
I am incredibly proud to be one of the top 100 HR Tech people in the world in 2024, as announced by Human Resources Executive magazine.
I can hardly believe that my photo stands next to people like Hung Lee, Stacey Harris, Rebecca McKenna, and Jason Averbook, whom I really look up to.
We are now three(!) Swedes 🇸🇪 on this list. Myself, Johannes Sundlo, and Daniel Kjellsson.
You can read more about the award here --> 2024 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers
Cornerstone Galaxy is an AI-driven platform to support companies in meeting the demands of change and developing flexible workforces. Galaxy integrates various data sources, such as performance data, training history, and skill profiles. It can provide insights to help companies better understand their workforce.
Below you'll find some upcoming HR Tech-related events. Concurrently, there are numerous webinars from various system providers, industry organizations, and magazines. However, they usually don't fit here. Perhaps if it's me speaking 🫣 Of course, I have some self-interest 😍
On the link, you'll find a review of HR Technology Europe, which took place on May 2-3 in Amsterdam. And it's coming back on March 4-5, 2025!
If you want to stay ahead in HR Tech, there are really two events to attend. HR Tech in Amsterdam and HR Tech in Las Vegas. And I choose both 👯
I personally prefer events I can attend physically as I learn much more from them. But if you don't have that opportunity, you'll also find two major digital events in the list below. Additionally, you can attend HR Days both digitally and in person.
Learn more and book your spot here --> HR loves tech & AI - Sweden's HR association
Isn't it time to educate your HR organization in the field of tech and AI? You can use the transition support for this course.
Learn more and book your spot here --> Basic course digitalization & AI for HR
Are you joining me in Las Vegas this year? Please let me know if you're planning it at anna@hrdigi.se.
I travel as usual 🧳✈️
You can read more about the event here.
Our best local event for innovation inspiration!
Learn more about HR Days here.
Sweden's leading suppliers of HR and personnel systems gather and present their news at Forum4IT
You can learn more about the event here.
You can learn more about the event here.
Gartner Reimagine HR September 17-18 London
Unleash World October 16-17 Paris
Right now, the podcast is on summer break ☀️🌻🎣 and will return after the summer. We have a fantastic list of inspiring guests for next season, but we always welcome suggestions at hej@hrdigi.se.
You can find all episodes here if you've missed anything during the spring 🎙️
I also want to take this opportunity to thank all listeners during the season as we passed 50,000 listens 👏🏻
The goal of the newsletter is to write about news in the HR Tech market and the area of digitalization and innovation for management and HR, and also to talk about episodes of the HR Digitalization Podcast.
Remember to ► click on subscribe ︎
My name is Anna Carlsson, and I'm a curious HR Tech analyst with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of business, human, and technology. I believe that technology isn't a side activity in HR; digitalization is fundamental to making room for a more human-focused workplace. My passion is leading the movement for future HR by creating it together with customers and colleagues, as well as educating and developing organizations and individuals.
I run HR Digi, which includes the HR Digitalization Podcast, where I'm also the podcast host. Within HR Digi, we offer consulting, advisory support, training, and inspiration to create a modern digital organization.
I'm also now on the list of 2024 top 100 HR Tech influencers 👏🏻
👉 Book a digital coffee with me so we can discuss how I can support you in your work.
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