Under the motto "Embrace technology, remain human", the HR Experience Campus by HR Campus entered its second round on 8 September 2022. About 300 people interested in HR were inspired by a varied programme and interactive breakout sessions at Trafo Baden. The HR Industry is preoccupied with technological change and the associated changes for employees. This was demonstrated by the lively discussions and conversations in the keynote speeches and breakout sessions as well as at the subsequent networking aperitif.
HR Campus organised the HR Experience Campus at Trafo Baden for the second time. About 300 professionals from the HR industry experienced an inspiring day with many moments of dialogue in breakout sessions and networking breaks. The day was all about digital transformation and the impact it has on employees as human and social beings. How can digitalisation help a company not simply to provide its employees with efficiency-enhancing tools, but rather to offer human-centric technology that inspires and makes work a fulfilling experience?
People as a success factor in the digital working world of the future
To kick off the day, Dr Léa Steinacker (Co-Founder & Chief Operation Officer of Technology start-up ada) dived straight into the topic and asked the guests: "Can you imagine falling in love with a robot?". This thought-provoking question led on to insights into various labour market studies on topics such as the importance of soft facts for employees, the limits of productivity measurement and the future with Metaverse. In the subsequent panel discussion with Kay-Christian Schersich from the Federation of Migros Cooperatives and Anja Buser from HR Campus, the three exchanged views with the audience on various factors of digitalisation in HR. One of the resulting insights was that Digitalisation is perceived and defined very differently. In order to be able to use the actual potential of technological change, it is therefore essential to create a common understanding of digitalisation and this requires education. People need basic technological knowledge in order to see the possibilities of digital transformation and to be able to think in a visionary way.
The interplay between SAP and Microsoft
In the afternoon, two major providers of digital HR solutions took to the podium. In a keynote speech, Ralf Wagner (Head of HCM Solution Management at SAP) and David Muschalla (Technology Solution Professional at Microsoft) took the audience on a journey through the technological development of HR. A look back showed where the future of HR is heading: there is a shift away from HR-centred to employee-centred. The new technical possibilities should not simply serve to make employees work more efficiently, but the tools should also contribute to the Employee Experience and thus also inspire a new generation of specialists.
From courage to chaos
In a practical presentation, Kay-Christian Schersich (Head of HR Business Technology at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives) gave the participants a look behind the scenes of the largest transformation project in HR at Migros. He emphasised the importance of HR, which recruits the real success factors for a company - the people. He also highlighted the challenge that Migros' cooperative structure poses for a digitalisation project and emphasised the importance of asking questions so that everyone has a common understanding of the journey. With humour and charm, Schersich showed that courage is essential in such a project. He is convinced that it takes courage to tackle such a project, courage to enter into partnerships and, above all, courage to endure a certain amount of chaos during temporary periods.
Human encounters
With a motto like this, there were also plenty of opportunities for personal discussions and networking. Visitors chose their own favourite topics in three breakout sessions. The lively participation in the interactive mini-barcamps underlined the need for personal dialogue. At the subsequent aperitif, the guests had another intensive exchange about the many inputs that the day had brought.
