Dog Days of Summer: What’s Keeping Us Busy

woman working from her tablet sitting outside at a wooden table

It has been an exciting summer for us at Aptitude. After several months of hectic travel schedules, Mollie and I have decided to stay local in August. We are busy publishing new research, prepping for the fall conference season, and collecting and analyzing more data. The best thing about less travel is that we get to have some amazing conversations with solution providers, corporations, and the broader HCM community. It has been eye opening and we have learned a lot.

If you are curious about what we have been up to this week, here are five things that have been keeping us busy:

  1. Research on the Rocks: In case you missed the news, we are now part of the HR Happy Hour Network founded by Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane. Our podcast series, Research on the Rocks, will highlight some of the key findings from our research and interesting trends in HCM technology. Our first episode covers payroll, communication, recruitment marketing, and assessments.
  2. Recruitment Marketing Index and Workforce Management Index: We published our first Talent Acquisition Index report a few weeks ago and we are already well on our way with the next two. The Workforce Management Index will provide insight on areas such as time and labor, scheduling, payroll, and absence management. The Recruitment Marketing Index will provide clarity around a very popular yet confusing space.
  3. Culture Survey: Culture is a powerful force within organizations, but one that remains mysterious to many. This survey will focus on how an organization communicates, what behaviors, skills and achievements it rewards, the work environment and “employee deal” of compensation, reward, and benefits, and even how it assesses talent. We are collecting feedback on the survey now and it will launch at the end of this month.
  4. New Technology: It is an exciting time to be in HR Technology, especially with so many new providers offering solutions that are solving business challenges. We have been conducting briefings with many of the start-ups in the space and we are getting excited for The HR Technology Conference.
  5. New Research: We have new research now available on our website that cover a wide range of HCM topics including: background screening, employee communication, the talent acquisition trifecta, and employee burnout. These are reports all based on data we have collected over the past few months and topics we feel deserve more attention.

So, we have been busy but in a good way. If you have a new company, new product, new strategy or new idea, send us a note. We would love to schedule a call and hear from you.

Author

  • Madeline Laurano

    Madeline Laurano is the founder and chief analyst of Aptitude Research. For over 18 years, Madeline’s primary focus has been on the HCM market, specializing in talent acquisition and employee experience. Her work helps companies both validate and re-evaluate their strategies and understand the role technology can play in driving business outcomes. She has watched HCM transform from a back-office function to a strategic company initiative with a focus on partnerships, experience and efficiency. Before founding Aptitude Research, Madeline held research roles at Aberdeen, Bersin by Deloitte, ERE Media and Brandon Hall Group. She is the co-author of Best Practices in Leading a Global Workforce and is often quoted in leading business publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Yahoo News, The New York Times and The Financial Times. She is a frequent presenter at industry conferences including the HR Technology Conference and Exposition, SHRM, IHRIM, HCI’s Strategic Talent Acquisition Conference, Unleash, GDS International’s HCM Summit, and HRO Today. In her spare time, she is a runner, an avid sports fan and juggles a house full of boys (where a spontaneous indoor hockey game is not unheard of!).