Enfuse Group’s Joe Taylor on keeping the human touch in people technology transformations
Amid the constant uncertainty of the modern economy, adaptability is more important than ever before – but change can be a frightening prospect for staff and management alike, leading to poor implementation. Joe Taylor, a principal consultant championing people technology transformations at Enfuse Group, explains how aligning technology with employee needs can lead to lasting and successful transformations.
People technology is a deceptively simple phrase. While most of us are not familiar with it in our daily lives, Joe Taylor tells Consultancy.uk that it impacts staff constantly in the modern workplace. Simply put, it refers to the tools and systems that support the entire employee lifecycle — from attracting and hiring talent, to welcoming and training new hires, to managing career paths and performance, and optimizing daily workforce operations ensuring compliance and correct pay.
“This includes solutions such as Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), onboarding platforms, HR and employee experience tools, Learning Management Systems (LMS), and Workforce Management (WFM) software,” he notes.
Taylor has been championing people technology transformations within Enfuse Group, the consultancy which he joined three years ago. This function is something which he believes can help clients adapt to key market challenges on several important fronts.
“Firstly, competition,” he explains. “The market is fierce with newer entrant meeting new and unmet customer demands, tastes and behaviours so there has been a mindset shift away from seeing People Technology simply as a cost to be ‘managed’ to becoming a key competitive advantage – something that fundamentally enables a successful business. Whether it’s reducing time-to-hire from 14 days to four, or enabling quick shift management and extra work opportunities, speed and efficiency matter in this competitive landscape.”
“Secondly, compliance and working patterns. New employment legislation demands more in terms of real-time compliance management as well are reporting. Legacy systems were not built to handle multifaceted compliance rules, global mobility, hybrid working, the ‘Gig’ economy or compressed working weeks but these are now the norm and systems need to support this. Thirdly, expectations. Digital-native employees expect a personalised and engaging experience that can be self-served and completed on their phone. This isn’t just a ‘nice perk’ but meeting (and exceeding) these expectations result in business benefits such as cost savings, error reduction and increase in compliance.”
Changing industry
Of course, no conversation around technology now is ever far from artificial intelligence, either. According to Taylor, AI is “redefining what people technology can do” – from offering 24/7 self-service and task automation, saving time and money, to predictive insights such as identifying potential “flight risks”. And he maintains that while talk around AI remains centred on its ‘potential’, “this isn’t something for tomorrow, it is today and leaders are looking to leverage this now”.
As a result, the people technology function itself is transforming rapidly. There had already been “significant investment in this area particularly post-pandemic”, and all parts of the people technology space are transforming according to some common patterns.
Taylor says, “Firstly, proactivity. Previously legacy systems only enabled a ‘rear view mirror’ which often was too late, now there are greater opportunities for forward views, like forecasting turnover risk or identification of skills shortages. This takes the burden away from managers having to complete analysis and deal with the ‘fires’ and focus more on proactively dealing with issues. Secondly, personalisation. Previously legacy systems often the ‘one-size-fits-all’ method but now there are the opportunities for personalised learning and development plans based on different styles... Lastly, experience. A greater focus on engaging experiences for employees redesigned; with self-service and quick allowing employees to focus on their jobs.”
But of course, this is all easier said than done. Every transformation around technology risks failure, if bosses end up “losing sight of the ‘People’ aspect”. If firms choose a solution which “isn’t based on the needs of your users”, then they could forfeit “all the benefits you are seeking to achieve.” One of the things Taylor deploys to help remind clients of this is his background in sociology – which he has a degree in.
“I’ve always been fascinated by people,” he remembers. “This has motivated me to pursue a career that allows me to make a positive impact on people’s lives. From working with local authorities to support vulnerable residents right up to designing, deploying and embedding a new solution that improves the experiences of 177,000 employees. One of the values of Enfuse Group is ‘BeHuman’ and that is something I am proud to say that I and my colleagues live by when supporting clients on their digital transformation journeys.
People technology and AI
He contends that this is particularly important with regards to AI – and making the most of it beyond simply reducing costs. With firms increasingly emphasising savings, and less productivity boosts, there a risk this could see the potential for AI missed in people technology – something Enfuse is very “conscious of”.
“We help clients take a balanced view of AI adoption by quantifying the immediate productivity and efficiency gains, but also mapping out where AI can unlock new capabilities,” Taylor unpacks. “From predictive analytics to support workforce planning to increases in compliance and interestingly seeing increases in productivity and customer spend. We appreciate that every organisation is at different stages of their journey and are operating within different contexts so it is crucial that we understand this and work together to understand the outcomes that organisations are seeking.”
The consulting sector has something of a complicated relationship with AI currently. As much as the industry has championed the technology, hype around AI is blamed in some quarters for the sector’s sluggish results – as clients experiment with AI to provide solutions previously sourced from consultants. But Taylor is confident three areas remain where the traditional human-advisor is indispensable.
For many leaders AI is still “everywhere and nowhere”, and “this can lead to ‘decision paralysis’ that can create a loop of requesting more info or demos or analysis which then feeds this feeling of confusion (and frustration)”. A trusted partner in the room can “help demystify and challenge leads to quicker and better decisions”. At the same time, as with previous waves of digital transformation, AI is “only beneficial if it is solving problems that you need solving” – but a consultant can help clients to understand which problems need solving, before they throw money at tools they don’t need.
“Lastly, and potentially more important, is the application of AI is critical to unlocking the benefits,” he adds. “Enfuse Group works with organisations to set them up for success so they can truly benefit from AI.”
Ultimately, Taylor concedes that “in today’s world we don’t know what the future holds”. This rapidly world will only continue to change – but he is confident that his “AI-first consultancy” will remain at the forefront of people technology transformation, by not losing sight of the human touch.
“The key thing that Enfuse are helping clients to do is set them up for success for the future so they can thrive in this ever-changing world and not be left behind,” Taylor concludes. “Yes we look to the challenges today but always have one eye on the future, using our experience, knowledge and connections to make sure our clients are avoiding the mistakes and fully embracing the opportunity that a People Technology transformation provides.”
