Q&A: Davyani Vaishampayan

Q&A

Talented tech

Devyani Vaishampayan is a member of TALiNT Partners’ respected panel of judges for the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards and CEO of HR TECH Partnership. TALiNT International sat down with her to talk about tech trends, talent and the upcoming awards season.

TI: Rapid digital transformations enabled the world to continue turning when the pandemic hit in 2020. How do you think technology will aid the return to a new normal and hybrid way of working?

DV: Remote work is here to stay and is the new normal. Hybrid working where employees work partly from home will necessarily increase the use of tech. As a result of the pandemic, over the last two years, corporates have been in a reactive mode. However, many are now taking a more strategic and planned approach to managing the challenges of a flexible and remote workforce and digitalisation of the workforce is being looked at in a significant way.

TI: What innovative technology do you think will come out this year?

DV: This year will see an increased usage in Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality due to a number of factors. These factors include a greater familiarity with digital technology, reduced costs of headsets and the emergence of Meta by Facebook. These will help step up the replacement of face-to-face interactions with a virtual environment.

TI: Let’s talk about AI. Do you predict an uptake in adoption? And how will that affect the talent industry?

DV: Organisations will see a big uptake in AI adoption, particularly around the softer aspects of talent management. At the HR TECH Partnership, we are particularly seeing increased interest around areas of leadership and culture, which traditionally were done face-to-face. The

Debbie Walton Editor TALiNT Partners use of AI and digital solutions around coaching, employee engagement, performance management, embedding behaviours and wellness has gone up significantly.

TI: Do you think that companies will continue to embrace the digital way of working, or will we see a return to in-person working in the coming months?

DV: Very few organisations will return to the traditional norm of five days a week in the office. Most will offer hybrid working with two to three days in the office and the choice being left to employees. At one extreme, roughly 10 to 15% of organisations (mostly in the technology sector) may offer 100% work from home. The other change we are seeing is a move to a four day week.

TI: Managing a hybrid workforce is sure to have its challenges. What do you believe will be an organisation’s biggest hurdle with the return to the new normal?

DV: Many organisations will be persuading traditional managers to adopt this change. There

“At one extreme, roughly 10 to 15% of organisations may offer 100% work from home. The other change we are seeing is a move to a four day week.”

Devyani Vaishampayan CEO, HR Tech Partnership

are some that may still feel that a culture of ‘presenteeism’ equates to productivity. Organisations will have to invest and think strategically about tools and training/coaching to help both employees and managers be effective in a hybrid workplace. TI: How will technology support the successful management of a hybrid workforce?

DV: AI and digital technology can deeply accelerate a positive employee experience as it empowers employees and helps personalisation. As these technologies are cost effective and easy to integrate, it will be easier for organisations to adopt and scale them rapidly. Finally, the use of real-time predictive analytics and insights will help business leaders become proactive and focused around solving employee issues.

TI: You are returning as a judge this year at TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards! What new trends and / or innovations are you expecting to see from this year’s entries?

DV: It would be interesting to see if solutions have broader coverage of end-to-end talent management processes rather than just acquisition or onboarding.

TI: What sets the TIARAs apart from other awards programmes?

DV: Nominations at the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards are of a high quality and a great mix of innovation as well a proven track record. The depth and breadth of judges who bring a practical perspective make this a great awards programme. TI: If you could make one big prediction for the industry this year, what will it be?

DV: More organisations will start focusing on using predictive insights from job boards and apply skill sets for candidate ratings. Enhanced KPIs for better ROI will gain traction. Finally, the emphasis to remove bias will continue. This will contribute towards better candidate engagement during the hiring process.