We may be far from a Terminator/Skynet future, but developments in artificial intelligence have prompted the latest round of concern about how technology will put us all out of work. Which is why it’s refreshing to see a range of articles in the press – including The Guardian, Business Insider, and CNBC – stating that robots may take our jobs but they’ll also create new ones.

Before you can go scouring the marketplace for your perfect HR technology solution, you first need to know exactly what you’re looking for. Which means knowing what your organization needs in an HRMS. So, how do you go about identifying those HRMS requirements? First, know where you’re starting from. Second, establish what your users need by way of functionality. Third, look at your technical requirements.

Multi-generational, virtual, and global workforces have added a new layer of complexity to the traditional functions of HR, Payroll, Benefits, and Talent Management. Attempting to manage all of these functions via disparate solutions is proving to be a major challenge for HR leaders, yet many organizations still operate off of 3-4 systems.

In response to the SMB client driving up the demand for a single system of record for all things HR, both traditional service bureaus and HR technology vendors began developing and promoting an all-in-one, unified, single HCM platform.  

In a time of extreme weather and extreme news coverage about both mother nature and man-made disasters, it can help to ease the fears of employees to plan for the worst. Many companies and HR departments have started to build communication plans directly into the Employee Handbook so employees have a strategy to refer to in the unlikely event of a crisis.

And while what we care most about during a crisis are very human issues — emotions, safety, family — in the midst of chaos, it’s technology that’s going to be the first and best way to stay connected. Here are a few tools and strategies you might consider having in place to communicate with your team in the face of the unexpected.