Last year we saw some insane new leaps in the technology world, including the new “king” of smartphones, a computer that can learn (kind of) like a human, and even exploding tablets.

The workplace experienced a similar leap, particularly in human resources—in fact, Capterra caught a number of 2016 HR trends early, including gamification in recruiting, candidate experience, and real-time feedback systems.

Now we’re back, intending to call the most important HR tech trends again this year.

As Gartner can tell you, trends will always have ups and downs, yet they also have a certain level of predictability. Using research from Gartner and from my own observations, these are the four HR tech trends you should expect to see over the course of 2017.

1. Ongoing Performance Reviews

What’s happening?

We’ve known for a while that performance reviews work better when they occur more frequently. 2017 is the year we stop beating around the bush and finally let performance reviews become a regular, not-so-scary part of talent management life. More and more companies are finally starting to adopt the ongoing model of employee management.

And that’s a beautiful thing, because it makes for higher successes in your bottom line, and generates better performance, since errors are caught quickly and good work is consistently praised. Also, Millennials love it, which is great news if you’re angling for new talent.

So you should…

Start with a performance appraisal software. Once that’s set up, you’ll have a comprehensive, easy way to keep track of your employees and keep up with how they’re doing.

If your style is more traditional, consider Saba Cloud, which is an ongoing performance review software that features graphical tracking and in-app goal setting templates, which is not so different from the programs you might use for a less frequent performance reviews.

If you’re more of a gamification sort of person, check out our list of free gamified performance appraisal tools. Free and gamified because the more good things, the better.

Once you have tracking setup, you can use it to gather enough information for weekly or monthly check-ins. These informal meetings should be painless—see how your employees are           doing, make note of trends you’re seeing, and make the small adjustments that prevent bigger issues down the line. It’s easy, you just need to get started.

2. Predictive People Analytics

What’s happening?

How do you know who to hire? How do you know what your employees want in the workplace? How do you predict how a new update or change in your workplace is going to go over? Enter people analytics.

If your workplace predicts its staff’s behavior, thoughts, and desires correctly, you will be able to anticipate how to effectively implement company-wide large and small changes with employee buy-in.

So you should…

Start by asking your colleagues questions. A lot of questions. You can accomplish this easily in-house with some simple survey software. You don’t need the fanciest program out there. Just look for a program that has hefty enough reporting that you’ll be able to visualize upcoming trends. Consider graphical reporting features, if you’re a visual thinker.

A few graphical survey softwares include SmartSurvey, which offers robust graphical reporting, the heavily graphic based GetFeedback, and the QuestionPro, which can deliver your reporting in an infographic.

3. Social Media Takes Over Hiring

What’s happening?

You probably already use social media somewhere in your hiring process—many companies rely on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Google Plus  to scout out potential hires for a cold-call, to advertise an open position, or to check out applicants personal lives (though I wish you wouldn’t). The rise of this HR tech trend matches the rise of social media as a whole, and it’s only ever going to get bigger.

So you should…

Start by giving up on complaining how much LinkedIn has become like Facebook. While irritating, accept it as another casualty of social media’s ubiquity. Then embrace social media as a platform to use. Learn the best times of day to post, study what kinds of post work best. If you take a basic copy of your job advertisement and change and tweak it for each social media platform, you’ll be in better shape than many of your competitors.

4. Continuous Learning Goes All Digital

What’s happening?

Many fields, like architecture, engineering, and construction, demand constant HR updates as information changes, updates, and improves. In Ye Olden Dayes, you could expect to sit in a classroom or listen to tapes to gain this new information. You might have to attend lectures and take tests involving pencils and paper.

Positively barbaric.

That’s all going away completely in 2017. Everything is, perhaps unsurprisingly, digital now, including lessons, quizzes, and certifications. Even onboarding is going digital with systems like BambooHR, Zenefits, and ApplicantStack entering the market, and I predict that by the end of 2017, everything you need to learn on the job you’ll find on your phone or computer.

So you should…

Go digital.

This is one of those times when the first step is the hardest one. Taking all of your training and making the switch to digital is going to be a bear. I won’t lie about that. But it’s completely worth it for the easy employee tracking, the accessibility, the save on paper… it all stacks up to one of the best choices you can make for your business.

Look into learning management for software that allows you to fit everything your employees need to learn into easily managed and tracked system, like Moodle or Edmodo, the most popular choices on the market today. You can also check out my other blog if you want more information on how to find a system that works for you. The sooner you have one, the sooner you can jump on this trend.

What HR Tech Trends Are You Expecting For 2017?

Naturally, you shouldn’t leave it all up to me. If there’s a new feature or change you want to see in your workplace in the new year, now is the perfect time to make it happen yourself. Trends happen because people want them to, so don’t be afraid to start a few yourself.
Do you think my predictions are on point or a total jab in the dark? What do you foresee in the coming year? Tell me all about it in the comments.