Dive Brief:

• A new study from LIMRA found that most employers (70%) use technology for payroll, but only 24.5% use technology for other HR functions, such as education, benefits and communication, reports Employee Benefit News (EBN). LIMRA, a research, consulting and professional development organization, polled 1,403 private employers.
• The study, Convenient and Connected: How are Employers Using Technology Today?, also found that company size, location and industry influence HR’s use of technology.
• One-in-10 companies are looking to adopt enrollment technology, while 25% want to switch to a new benefits platform, says EBN.

Dive Insight:

The study results show that employers aren’t leveraging the use of technology to the extent that they could. Cost might be a factor for some employers, especially small companies. But technology evolves quickly, requiring employers to “get up to speed” as fast as possible. Employers can provide training in technology as a long-term investment.

Employers recognize that the digital era is now and that they must be a part of it to be competitive. Technology is driving the way workers are learning how to do their jobs, as well as the way they're actually performing their jobs. Artificial intelligence is storming its way into the workplace, threatening automation and a transformation of what work actually looks like.

But for any tech adoptions to work (especially AI-based solutions), the company culture must first be prepared for change to the status quo. If the employees don't feel as though they trust the company, tech adoptions will be met with confusion and perhaps even suspicion, even if they are ultimately meant to help employees do their jobs better.