We were thrilled to host our very first FORWARD 2023, HiredScore's inaugural customer conference from June 6-7, 2023. This was a retreat where HR leaders from Fortune 500 companies across more than 15 industries, including Dell, J&J, Elevance Health, Unilever, and more, came together to discuss their most pressing challenges with each other and industry experts HiredScore brought in on AI, Ethics, and Compliant AI. What set this event apart was our dialogue-first approach. We emphasized discussions instead of presentations, conversations instead of lectures, and interaction instead of isolation. This cultivated an atmosphere of active engagement, collaboration, and vulnerability to get candid, spark innovation, and build community.

We ventured into under-explored, forward-thinking topics around AI and the future of work, offering the opportunity to have fresh conversations with fellow practitioners and experts to enable insights that participants wouldn't typically encounter in their daily work or at other conferences. If you couldn't join us, don't worry. Here are some key takeaways from FORWARD 2023:‍

1. ‍HR has the Opportunity to Take a Leadership Role in Guiding Organizations and Employees Through this AI Transition:Today's HR function possesses immense potential to sit at the business table as a true force of leadership. While many HR teams may currently find themselves caught up in addressing compliance matters, reducing personnel costs, and handling less strategic responsibilities, it is time to break free from this cycle and unleash the full potential of HR. By actively engaging in AI councils and spearheading initiatives related to the future of work and workforce transformation, HR can influence the strategic trajectory of the organization. This transition necessitates recruiting new profiles, upskilling and reskilling the existing HR team, and adopting a fresh perspective on the role of HR.‍
2. Urgency of AI Utilization: Given the magnitude of the challenges ahead, it is crucial for organizations to promptly recognize and leverage the power of AI as a foundational technology within their existing HR tech stack. AI is not just a "nice to have" technology for HR transformation; it is a means to enable HR to strategically partner with the business, effectively address workforce disruptions, and future-proof strategies. According to one of our industry experts, the AI disruption will follow a J-curve, indicating that the pace of change and disruption will be rapid, leaving organizations with limited time to adapt to new realities.‍
3. HR Operating Model Shifts: To navigate the speed and velocity of change ahead, organizations must embrace HR operating model shifts. Building your operating model around AI will be critical, just using AI to make current processes a bit more efficient will not be enough. Traditional approaches to HR will no longer suffice in the face of disruptive forces, requiring agile transformations that enable HR to be a strategic partner in workforce disruption and future-proofing.‍
4. Future of HR Transformations: HR transformations have traditionally followed a "rip and replace" approach, failing to address the underlying challenges faced by HR teams and businesses. However, in the upcoming years, HR transformations will undergo significant changes compared to the past decade. It is no longer solely about system replacements; instead, it is about experimenting with HR operating models, leveraging orchestration, and empowering HR to become product builders and supporters. This shift marks a new era in HR's role within organizations.‍
5. Shifting Metrics in HR: The evaluation of HR performance metrics will experience a substantial transformation, accompanied by a shift in how these metrics are determined. Instead of having metrics imposed upon them, HR will take the lead in discussing and defining what these metrics should encompass. Organizations must navigate the evolving landscape of HR analytics, reimagining the concept of quality of hire and exploring new and emerging metrics. They need to establish consistent approaches to measuring the impact and effectiveness of HR initiatives. With the advent of automation and AI, the focus will no longer be solely on the work HR accomplishes, but rather on the impact it will have on business outcomes and employee experience.

What was made clear was we are not going to be able to program and project manage our way through this disruption. We’re going to have to experiment, learn, and share with each other what’s working, what our concerns are, and where we are succeeding, and that is this FORWARD community we are building.

To cap it off, we unveiled HiredScore's future plans during our presentation of our product roadmap. The key message was clear: HiredScore's forward-thinking solutions are designed to empower HR teams to seize strategic opportunities. By leveraging AI and advanced technology, HR can proactively adapt and flourish in this AI-enabled era. The path ahead calls for genuine experimentation, a shift from a one-size-fits-all model to innovative, tailored solutions, and the continuous development of the HR team's skills and competencies.