I was a child who grew up with legos, so it’s no surprise that one of my absolute favorite sites on the internet is IFTTT. If you’re not familiar with IFTTT (If This Then That), it is a service that allows you to plug many popular web sites together to complete creative tasks. I have experimented with IFTTT for a while and I’m constantly amazed at the possibilities. Today, it hit me – what if we had something like this for the enterprise? More specifically, what if HR systems used the trigger / action model?
A Bit More About IFTTT
The slogan for IFTTT is “Put the internet to work for you,” and that’s exactly what it does. IFTTT connects to dozens of web sites and services, including Dropbox, Evernote, Gmail, Instagram, LinkedIn, OneNote, WordPress, YouTube, and more. Using IFTTT, you create recipes that are triggered based on events in these systems to complete specified tasks. It’s easiest to explain if we look at a few examples.
IFTTT Examples
- IF I upload a photo to Facebook THEN save that photo to my Dropbox account.
- IF it will rain tomorrow THEN send me a text message that says, “Don’t forget your umbrella!”
- IF one of my stocks hits a certain price THEN send me an email to congratulate me.
- IF my favorite team scores THEN flash the lights in my house to celebrate the score.
- IF I have a package that will be delivered soon THEN send me a text message.
Get the idea? Once you start connecting the dots, you realize that these recipes are only limited by your imagination. Now, how could this technology work inside an organization?
Using the Trigger / Action Model with HR Systems
If HR systems could fully adopt this model, we could create automatically-triggered recipes like these:
- IF a new employee joins the organization THEN:
- Enroll them in new hire orientation
- Schedule a meeting so they can meet their boss
- Schedule lunch with their new team
- Send an email to IT requesting their laptop, etc., to get set up before they begin
- IF a new job is posted in the organization THEN:
- Post the job on LinkedIn and any other relevant niche job sites
- Send an email to alumni who left on good terms (Do they know anyone who may be qualified?)
- Update digital signage in the office
- Notify any relevant trade organizations, trade journals, etc.
- IF a user completes a course in the LMS THEN:
- Enroll them in the next appropriate course
- Send them a certificate via email or inter-office mail
- Text/email their manager
- IF a class is cancelled THEN:
- Notify participants via text/email
- Enroll them in the next offering of the class
- Update digital signage in the office to notify staff
- Recommend relevant articles, resources, and videos they can use in the meantime
- IF a user gets a high score in a course assessment or passes a certification THEN:
- Display a light show and play music in the office to celebrate (hey, why not?)
- IF an employee gets a good review / positive performance rating THEN:
- Send them a card or gift autographed by an executive
- Share their name and story on the company intranet site
- IF an employee gets a bad review / poor performance rating THEN:
- Enroll them into a course to help them with their weaker areas
- Send them relevant articles, resources, videos, etc.
How Will We Get Here?
The technology exists to make this happen – we just need to communicate our wants and needs to HR system vendors to make it a reality in our organizations. Let them know that you want to try new things. Let them know that it’s time to innovate a bit more. Let them know that it’s time to put their systems to work for you.
And IFTTT, I hope you come along for the ride!
The post The Trigger / Action Model: The Future of HR Systems? appeared first on Better, Smarter, Faster.