“I want to bring the tech world and the HR world closer together” – Anne Jaakke, Jury Chair HR Technology Awards.

The HR Technology Awards will be presented for the first time this year. There are two categories: Best HR Technology Transformation and Best HRIT Product Innovation. The award ceremony will take place on September 19 in Eindhoven.

The HR Technology Awards is in collaboration with Founding Partner SuccessDay and Partners Mercer, Randstad and UiPath. Anne was asked to be part of the jury because of her passion for the field HRM and her expertise, by Bas Eggelaar, Founder of SuccessDay.

In the current tight labor market, better HR services are more necessary than ever, says jury chairman Jaakke. ‘If my washing machine breaks, I can reach Coolblue by phone until midnight, and there will be a smiling technician at my doorstep to replace it by seven in the morning. But when I apply to an average company, it’s still a miracle if I receive a formal written response within thirty days. I believe that a real revolution is needed in recruitment. The hiring process should be completed within five days, preferably within 48 hours for operational roles. If HRM and tech companies join forces, it’s doable, even with a “wow factor”.’

Gamechanger

According to Jaakke, the entire candidate journey, from advertising to the first face-to-face contact with the recruiter or manager, can be easily automated. Organizations can send personalized automatic messages and video messages at different stages, answer online questions, chat with candidates, and use artificial intelligence to assist with selection. Once the candidate is hired, the onboarding process and everything that follows can be further automated and enriched beyond what most companies currently achieve.

Why isn’t this happening everywhere? Jaakke explains, ‘Technology in the HR world is often seen as both a solution and a problem. The HR team wants to accelerate or automate the process and is interested in the latest cool HR-Tech services or gadgets, but at the same time, they dread the many hoops they have to jump through internally. These may include discussions with IT about integration and priorities, with Finance about budget, and with Procurement about procurement processes. Implementing HR-Tech requires both perseverance and patience and a drive to make it happen.’

According to Jaakke, a lack of interest from HRM and a lack of knowledge about the subject among CHROs are concerns expressed by HR technology vendors. ‘One of them said to me; “Talking to HR directors about innovation is like talking to a turkey about Christmas.” CHROs tend to avoid discussions about IT systems and applications, much like turkeys avoid Christmas. On the other hand, sometimes products do not align with the organization’s current needs. I am committed to bridging these two worlds. I firmly believe that HR-Tech can ensure employees receive the same level of service as customers, and it can truly be a game-changer.’

Online visibility

Her passion for HR-Tech dates back to her time as Global HR Director at Hunkemöller International, a position she held from late 2014 until early 2020. During that time, she was preparing a presentation for their annual event in AFAS. While searching on YouTube for juicy material about their competitor, Victoria’s Secret, she came across a video of a former Hunkemöller employee expressing her dissatisfaction with working there for twenty minutes. The video had already received 70,000 views… It was shocking, and I thought, how could this not have been noticed earlier? And what can I do about it?’

Over the following months, Jaakke sought answers to questions such as how the HR team can keep track of what is posted on social media, on which platforms (former) employees are active, what the HR team can do in such cases, and how to ensure that online visibility and reputation are better than those of the competitor. Another question that arose was: why does Marketing only focus on prospects and customers and not on (future) employees?

Her to resign two weeks before the Covid epidemic broke out and start the HR tech startup Fanployer. She calls it ‘an MBA in one’. ‘I learned so much from it, not only about entrepreneurship but also about what’s happening in the world of HR tech and start-ups and scale-ups. As a coach and boardroom consultant, I also saw that HR innovation often consumes more energy within large organizations than it yields.’

This experience partly prompted her to resign two weeks before the outbreak of the Covid epidemic and start her HR-Tech company called Fanployer. She calls it an “MBA in one”. ‘I learned so much from it, not only about entrepreneurship but also about what’s happening in the world of HR tech and start-ups and scale-ups. As a coach and boardroom consultant, I also saw that HR innovation often consumes more energy within large organizations than it yields.’

Virtual reality

This was one of the reasons why she gladly joined the jury of the HR Technology Awards. Building bridges, connecting parties, and encouraging changemakers to keep going is what she enjoys doing. Her appointment to the jury was due, in part, to her being named CHRO of the Year in the Netherlands in 2016 and in Germany in 2017, her four years as a jury member in the CHRO of the Year election, and her reputation as an innovation driver.

Passionately, she talks about the possibilities that digitalization offers. ‘Take virtual reality: at Hunkemöller, we were already looking into using it to train store staff worldwide in measuring underwear correctly. But I am also on the advisory board of a company that uses VR to enable teams to design new products together remotely.’

Also, chatbots like ChatGPT are providing unprecedented new possibilities according to Jaakke. ‘A recruitment team can use this, for example, for employer branding or simply for writing job advertisements. Unfortunately, it is often easier to do at home than at work because some corporates even block the use of Google, let alone AI.’

Awareness

She attributes the slow adoption of HR-Tech to a desire to hold on to what is familiar, a lack of knowledge, and traditional leadership. ‘There are few visionary leaders who also have execution power. Additionally, organizations often prioritize short-term goals, while HR-Tech requires larger investments, and the results may not be immediately visible but will become apparent in the future. Furthermore, a culture of not being allowed to make mistakes, compliance, and security regulations often prevail. Such a culture restricts an organization and stifles innovation.’

She emphasizes that having the CEO and CHRO in the driver’s seat regarding technological innovation is extremely helpful. ‘If the top sucks, it all sucks,’ she says. Therefore, she focuses on CEOs and CHROs through coaching, consultancy, and leadership programs. ‘Transformation comes about through awareness, and that’s why I provide them with plenty of opportunities to reflect and brainstorm together and provide them with an energetic boost for themselves and their leadership team.’

Innovation day

A good first step that CHROs can take towards HR-Tech is organizing an innovation day for their team. ‘Let four or five suppliers with completely different products/services give online demonstrations. This will increase internal awareness of the technology and bring those two worlds closer together.’

A significant task for suppliers is the integration of systems. It is essential to ensure that HR-Tech aligns with the existing IT infrastructure and does not require excessive internal IT support.

Her final message to market players is: ‘Continue developing new products and services, and try to look at them from the perspective of HRM and learn their language.’ And to HRM: ‘Take the time to reflect, show interest, and organize an innovation day as soon as possible.’