Talent managers in most Indian corporations are facing the adverse effects of a slow job market. Hiring plans in Indian corporations are at an all-time low despite several positive messages in the past several months, all of which turned out to be false signals. The single largest impact of these conditions on the talent market has been the impact on productivity. Whether per unit output expectations from human resources have inflated, or whether it stems from disengagement, it is not secret anymore that most HR managers are reporting lower than expected productivity from their employees.

With talent becoming the single-most important point in a business leader’s agenda, conversations on productivity have become common. Most leaders are looking for ways to improve employee productivity without adding headcount. Some recent technological advancements in the human resources space are compelling business leaders to take serious note of using technology for improving employee productivity.

1. Wearable technology- The University of London conducted a series of workplace experiments and concluded that wearable devices that measure posture, sleep, and temperature increase productivity by 8.5 per cent and job satisfaction by 3.5 per cent.
2. Mobile apps- CedarCrestone, a consulting firm, recently concluded that HR departments who mobile enable their administrative HR processes, such as payroll and leave management realise higher productivity and happier employees in a very short time. Unlike most other technology implementations, mobile apps do not face typical change management and adoption challenges.
3. Social onboarding- Companies which invest in social onboarding realise higher engagement levels and faster onboarding of new hires. Social onboarding involves not just the investment in a social tool, but also the investment of creating a strong process around engaging new hires before and after appointment.

As business leaders continue to investigate ways to improve employee productivity, some simple technological investments can translate into significant returns.