Technology, the workplace and people management

Technology has become increasingly integrated in different facets of our lives, and not least at work. From how it's used to support functions, manage people to how it enables community, it’s important that we explore people’s perceptions of technology and how those perceptions influence their engagement and participation. The CIPD, in partnership with HiBob, has commissioned a survey of over 2,000 HR and other bosses to understand their views on technology and gain insight on what’s practised in their organisations.

From October 2022 to May 2023, we’ll unveil new findings and implications on different aspects of technology and its impact on the workplace and people management. Among the issues, we’ll explore what bosses think about using software to monitor remote workers, and examine their approach to using artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, in areas such as recruitment and performance management.

The series will also cover HR software – specifically, a look at the three-year software investment plans of HR bosses within the context of their organisation’s business focus. We’ll delve into the types of HR software that organisations with 50 or more employees have and use, and what HR bosses like and dislike about it.

Foreword from HiBob

Despite the difficult economic climate, it is still a jobseeker’s market and candidates are demanding more from their employers in terms of flexibility, employee experience and career progression. As a result, attracting top talent has become more challenging – a fact not lost on the HR professionals surveyed for this report series.

This study demonstrates that for HR decision-makers, retaining talent and improving company culture have risen to the top of their priorities. Progressive businesses understand that a healthy culture based on transparency and communication drives sustainable growth and positive business outcomes, and that it is intrinsically tied to being able to attract and retain the best talent.

Interested watchers of the industry may already have observed that the HR function is steadily repositioning itself from cost-centre to profit-centre. Many HR teams have a wide portfolio of responsibilities, including equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), engagement, performance and workforce planning – all cornerstones of strategic people management and indicators of modern, progressive employers.

With a broad and complex remit, HR is turning to technology to help streamline processes, reduce administrative burdens and costs while competing more effectively for global talent. Understanding the impact of technology on people is therefore critical.

It's clear the way we lead and manage people must evolve in line with a shift in focus from pure financials to creating cultures align with values. New management styles, more diverse teams and democratic outlooks are on the horizon with many organisations evidently moving towards a digital-first, hybrid working model centred around people. This research will do much to inform employers, business leaders and policy-makers on how best to negotiate this rapidly shifting landscape.

Read the latest article in our series below.

‘Tech savvy’
HR practice

How does becoming ‘tech savvy’ improve your professional standing and the HR practice in your organisation?

More in this series

Thought leadership

Technology and data use in HR functions

Perspectives on what activities fall within HR and how technology and data are used in them (or not)

Thought leadership

Using AI responsibly in people management

What use of artificial intelligence is ‘acceptable’ in people management and how can this be done responsibly?

Thought leadership

Bringing on the brain bots – a missed opportunity for HR?

Should HR be more involved in introducing or implementing intelligent automation?

Thought leadership

HR software investment a part of changing business priorities

Business focuses are shifting towards the longer term and investment in software will be key

Thought leadership

What monitoring is acceptable regarding remote workers?

This first article from our Technology, the workplace and people management series examines employers’ perspectives on monitoring remote workers

About the research

This survey gathered responses from 2,119 people in the UK who work at organisations with 50 or more employees worldwide. This included responses from 1,305 junior managers or above in HR or who have major HR decision-making responsibilities (‘HR bosses’), and 814 senior managers or above from other functions who don’t have HR decision-making responsibilities (‘non-HR bosses’). YouGov administered the survey online from 24 June to 10 August 2022 on behalf of the CIPD.

The figures quoted in the first four articles of the series are representative of UK employment by organisation size and sector. Rim weighting was applied to figures in the first four articles using targets on size and sector drawn from Table 2 of the Business Population Estimates 2021 published by the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

For the fifth and upcoming sixth articles of this series, the figures are not weighted and the 1,174 responses used were drawn from our original survey sample of 1,305 HR decision-makers. Excluded from our analyses were those who said they had no knowledge of HR’s remit, HR software used or workforce metrics reported to management in their organisations. Almost all (92.4%) who were excluded worked outside HR but have major HR decision-making responsibilities. The table below summarises the types of organisations where the 1,174 respondents worked.

Industry group	50 – 165 employees	165 – 550 employees	550 – 5000 employees	> 5000 employees
Manufacturing and production	41	35	41	41
Education	69	72	43	16
Healthcare	38	31	30	30
Private sector services	126	124	129	122
Public sector services and police and defence	11	24	64	54
Voluntary	9	14	7	3

In addition to those provided by YouGov, the CIPD conducted further analyses of the survey data. The CIPD’s additional analyses were used in this thought piece series as follows:

HR software investment a part of changing business priorities

Figure 6: Top considerations when choosing HR software

Bringing on the brain bots – a missed opportunity for HR?

Figure 1: Departments involved in the decision to introduce or in implementing intelligent automation

Figure 3: Main reasons for not introducing intelligent automation

Figure 4: Main motivation for introducing intelligent automation

Figure 6: HR involvement in the decision to introduce or in implementing intelligent automation is more likely where jobs are created or lost

Using AI responsibly in people management

Figure 5: Ways to ensure AI is used responsibly at work

Technology and data use in HR functions

All figures

‘Tech savvy’ HR practice

All figures

About HiBob

HiBob is on a mission to transform how organisations operate in the modern world of work with its HR platform ‘bob’. Leading the way for the future workplace, bob offers resilient, agile technology that wraps all the complexities of HR processes into a game changing, user-friendly tool that touches every employee across the business. HiBob is used by more than 2,500 multinational companies – including Cazoo, Monzo, Happy Socks, Fiverr, and VaynerMedia. Organisations using bob are able to accelerate hiring, retain the best talent, upskill and elevate employee engagement.

More thought leadership

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Critical role of HR business partnering in HR operating models

How can people teams balance line managers’ need for operational people management support while growing their team’s strategic influence through the HRBP role?