Watson Wyatt Goes Trend Spotting

December 27, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - In identifying its top human resources technology trends for 2002, Watson Wyatt Worldwide examined those that produce tangible bottom-line benefits, finding that trends will be driven largely by costs.

According to the consulting firm, the top ten HR technology trends for 2002 are:

  • enhanced workplace portals, intranets and online solutions, including e-Health tools, defined contribution health care models, compensation systems and performance management tools
  • greater access to corporate systems and HR information from home or travel, for employees
  • a greater reliance on return on investment (ROI) tools as management exerts pressure on HR to justify investments in HR technology through ROI analysis and business case development
  • a growing focus on optimizing current HR systems, such as improving legacy systems and connecting existing disparate systems
  • an increase in the use of virtual workplaces, such as online meetings, project team workspaces, web conferences, and video conferencing
  • an increased reliance on analytical decision support to measure the success of their HR practices and to predict future results
  • an emphasis on business continuance planning, spurred by the events of September 11
  • an increased standardization of extensible mark-up language data schemes and structure
  • attention to small cost-saving measures that add up, such as the adoption of technologies that improve data accuracy and ease data access
  • a rising demand for better collaboration between vendors.

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