Wondering how you can improve your team's tech stack, but don't know where to start?

Today we sat down with SD's Talent Community Manager (and unofficial Chief Tech Officer) Nick Sayer-Gearen to talk about all things tech, HR and innovation.

Tell us about your background experience?

I started my HR career 12 years ago as a payroll officer (I honestly believe this is the best starting ground for HR people!) and progressed through HR Analyst, Advisor Business Partner roles across public and private sectors. I made the transition to Recruitment and Operations 12 months ago and if you want to read more about that journey, I recently wrote a LinkedIn article about my journey from burnout to breakthrough!

What’s your favourite tech hack?

My favourite one right now is using the focus or do not disturb mode on my phone. I’ve created different profiles for work, home and relaxation that filter or silence notifications. I’ve found this to be a game changer to minimise distractions, allowing me to remain focused on what I’m working on.

What’s one piece of technology that has completely changed the way you work?

Omg, too many! The temptation to say ChatGPT is real, but I don’t think that completely changes the way we work, it just makes some things a little more efficient and not something to hang your hat on. I would say it would be my iPhone; the way we are connected in the 21st century is unmatched and having the ability to work on the go without needing a laptop is very freeing (as long as you know when to switch off!)… and I love my nightly scroll on TikTok…

What are your ‘must-have’ technologies for businesses?

I think the top 3 are:

1) Investing in the right tech, this starts with getting the right hardware (laptops, headsets, peripherals etc.). There is nothing more frustrating than dealing with a slow computer or hardware that doesn’t allow you to work at the pace you need.

2) Zapier – if you haven’t been “Zapped” yet, you’re missing out! The scope of automation possibilities with Zapier are endless and it allows you to connect all of your different systems and platforms to create automations that save time. I’ve recently been able to automate tasks in our ATS that were manual and took hours to complete and thanks to Zapier, they’re now done in seconds.

3) Decide on your operating ecosystem early – seamless operations and consistency comes from connected applications. For SD, we’ve been utilising the Microsoft ecosystem and the benefit of having our data storage, phone system, collaboration tools (SharePoint) in one system has saved time and double-handling for the team.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for businesses to innovate in the next 5-10 years?

Well, if I didn’t say AI, I think everyone reading this would think I’ve been living under a rock. No doubt AI will continue to grow and innovate the way we work, particularly with administrative and manual tasks. As a business, you have to balance the desire for innovation with the overall client/customer experience. Just because it saves time, doesn’t necessarily mean it generates profit or an enhanced client/customer experience. I think another opportunity for innovation is re-thinking how businesses engage and interact with their customers. Consumer behaviour is changing as younger generations come through and businesses have a huge opportunity to jump on board with this.

How do you go about introducing a new program/software to your organisation’s tech stack or to the team?

It doesn’t matter how excited or “geeked-out” I am about a new system or program, step one is to always consider how it will impact the team, how much change is involved and what will be the best way to introduce, train and support the team in using it. I like to include the team in researching the potential options, identify pain points and ensure the new solution is going to improve their way of working, not make it harder. No matter how big or small the new solution is, I create a project plan, allocate time for training and create support materials/guides to help the team transition and get comfortable with the new system. I also like to check in 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after the new system is in place to gather feedback, identify any bugs/issues and ensure the team are comfortable using it.

Have you introduced any tech-based solutions that improved efficiency in your role or team?

The last 12 months has been full of big and small tech enhancements for myself and the team at SD, and the one I’m most proud of is the introduction of SharePoint. We migrated our internal intranet over to SharePoint which has provided a centralised hub for collaboration, information sharing and productivity tools. It was a great project for me, I learned a lot about designing a SharePoint site that was functional and useful for the team. We now use SharePoint as our single source of truth for processes, induction, training and project management and it’s made life a lot easier for the team.

Another great tech-based solution was the introduction of Calendly for the Talent Partners. Calendly has provided a consistent and smooth experience for candidates and Talent Partners to book in general screening calls. With self-service functionality, automatic reminders and calendar syncing, we’ve been able to reduce the back-and-forth usually associated with booking in calls and meetings.

If you could invent one piece of technology to solve a common issue, what would it be?

Honestly, a piece of tech that would change, wash and dry bedsheets – I’m sick of fighting with the doona every time I have to change the sheets! My domestic woes aside, It’s not necessarily a new invention but an enhancement, I would make the recall email button front and centre in Outlook and would make sure emails are recalled no matter if they are within your organisation or external.

How do you think technology will shape the future of recruitment and HR?

We’ve seen so much change in the recruitment and HR space as a result of tech and AI, particularly with the streamlining or removal of manual or administrative tasks which I think will continue. In regards to HR, while tech will provide some opportunities for efficiency, I think it poses new challenges in how HR consider workforce planning, measuring performance and organisation development. HR will need to keep up with changing technology to ensure they have the right frameworks and pathways to support businesses adopting new technology. For recruitment, I think there is a huge opportunity for tech to enhance and change the way we approach the candidate journey, from sourcing through to placement, we will see tech solutions that challenge the norm and reframe how we approach the talent marketplace.

Want to connect with Nick to learn more? Click here to check out his profile and contact details.