Building HR platforms around things that matter

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me.” - Steve Jobs

Q: What is a platform? 

A: A service provider 

Q: How can a platform be improved over time?

A: By efficiency and constant updates 

Q: What is the goal of any platform?

A: To be the best among others 

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If your answers to the above three questions flow in this manner, sorry to burst your bubble - you might be in for creating a software-based platform, but not ready to successfully sustain and strengthen it. 

Charting out the past, present and future of launching a software is something even great leaders struggle with. This is because it merely does not revolve around providing a function, getting users to flock to the platform and eventually admire it. 

Turns out, the crux of a lucrative and sustainable platform lies in the software becoming an indispensable part of people’s lives, something that they resonate with and something that ensures continuous growth. 

This motto of building HR platforms that matter and which have a larger purpose of responding to demands of users and delivering things as times change, has given the most profitable global businesses today an edge over their run-of-the-mill counterparts. This blog seeks to broadly touch upon three main aspects that HR platforms in particular should bear in mind for seeding the X factor in them!

How to build HR platforms that matter?

1. Making an impact

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Rather than merely adding another HR software to the list that already exists in the digital world, should the HR platform-based impact on users be prioritized, developers would get a pulse of the population whom they’re serving. Shifting roles from being a producer to being a user will enable the Human Resources platform to develop in ways that help elevate and improve people’s lives beyond the bandwidth of the platform’s primary functions alone.

As consumers, we are constantly seeking to extract the most of a product and leverage it to improve ourselves holistically. Thus, building a people-centric platform that will raise us up higher than we already are would ensure long-term market success!

2. User connectivity and relatability 

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As a software, any platform should smoothly resonate with its target audience. And an HR platform being a people-centric one, has more reason to do so. In other words, it should be accessible and affordable for mass usage. With an objective of making a difference to people’s lives by striking a chord with employees, platforms can leverage the touchpoints that exist between what a software has to offer and what is expected from workers.

New-age technology is all about the connection. Connecting people and things. Connecting individuals to opportunities. Thus, should there be HR platforms that matter from a user perspective and a development perspective along with incorporating the ‘human’ in Human Resources, it is bound to thrive in the markets. 

3. Keeping people at the centre 

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Since it is less about deriving profits and solving problems and more about steering a change and being the difference, most successful companies worldwide are ones that place people at the core of their business strategies. Irrespective of whether your platform is a retail one, social media software or a content-oriented one, keeping in mind that customers are humans and not bots is really imperative because that is what will drive leaders’ thinking in the people-centric direction.

By 'people-centric platforms' especially in the workplace, we mean by aiming at both the millennials and the so-called boomers, engaging with the end user adequately and focusing on user wellness as a whole. Solutions that take into consideration cost-effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, adequate communication between the user and the provider would evidently reap better harvests than others who fail to do so.

Similarly, people-oriented platforms that harp on work-life balance, employee well-being, higher user satisfaction and user recognition and feedback would be the ones making the rounds in corporate circles. 

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To elucidate how new-age tech platforms can be successful by focusing on things that matter, we provide you some iconic global platforms as examples that have both flourished and suffered due to their business strategies. 

Google Plus was one such platform, which really lacked the wow factor. Besides there being no great point of launching the service, G+ eventually failed since it did not benefit people in real, enduring and meaningful ways. Their little to no human impact gave viewers a hint that the backend team lacked purpose in their business endeavours.  

Nike and Netflix on the other hand are two examples of truly successful ventures that are dramatic, impactful, and ever-upgrading to changing times. In other words, Nike does not merely focus on providing apparels. Their purpose lies in making people better runners and athletes.

Similarly, Netflix does more than just deliver an OTT service. It connects people to parallel words, realities and taps deep into the human psyche with the array of content it offers. The impact of these platforms is what makes them an indispensable part of people’s lives. 

Thus, the bottom line lies in the fact that platforms that are flourishing are the ones that raise users up to their fullest potential. The magical effect and the overarching control that they hold over consumers is what leads to the growth of both - the people using it and the platform itself. In the case of digital HR, every dollar invested in a Human Resources platform should be accompanied by an impressive factor that transforms people’s lives for the better!

Leveraging employees’ capacities and abilities to be the best versions of themselves by creating, innovating, building and strengthening new ideas is what drives a new-age HR platform to success. That is something that doesn’t happen often and even when it does, is ephemeral. So, when something sustainable that combines HR and technology is really invented, users are grateful and end up overutilizing it till the platform becomes the norm!

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To sum it all up

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The question we need to ask ourselves is whether our platform is offering something beyond its forte, if it helps increase social progress and if it truly elevates people’s lives. If yours is one that changes everything, from structure to strategy, it will no doubt succeed because it reflects a solid purpose whose foundation cannot be perturbed.

It is on you to take it upon yourself to transform something that is meaningless to something that brims over with meaning by offering HR platforms that matter. To earn people’s love, devotion, admiration, respect and support supersedes selling any product in terms of value and satisfaction. Let’s see if you have it in you to steer this futuristic change!