Recently, Business Insider published an article titled “Work Apps Have Turned Into a Total Nightmare.” The piece highlights a growing problem in today’s workplace: the overload of work-related software. Employees and managers are drowning in apps, each promising to make work easier but, in reality, making it harder to get things done. It’s frustrating, counterproductive, and driving everyone up the wall.
This is the paradox of #HRTech and #worktech.
These platforms were designed to make our jobs easier, more efficient, and more meaningful. When they work as intended, they do their job. They understand the intent behind their programming and the user’s needs. They function as systems of record, ATS, recognition platforms, learning ecosystems, payroll solutions, recruitment marketing hubs, performance management systems, talent management platforms, time and attendance systems, succession planning tools, employee self-service portals, onboarding systems, virtual collaboration tools, survey and feedback tools, compliance management systems, employee scheduling software, and more.
The best HR and #worktech understands its purpose. It doesn’t try to be more than it is or colonize your attention. It simply supports the work. And when it’s excellent, it does just that—no more, no less.
The Overload and Misguided Aspirations of Workplace Tech
Today’s technology has shifted from fulfilling its intended purpose to overreaching into every aspect of our professional lives. In an attempt to be all things to all people, many #HRTech and #worktech platforms have layered one feature on top of another, resulting in a tangled mess of solutions that overwhelm rather than assist.
Part of the problem is that these platforms have stopped competing with one another on functionality and have started competing with consumer-grade technology for our attention. Like social media platforms, they’ve moved from fixing work-related issues to vying for engagement metrics.
In his viral 2018 video, Bo Burnham highlighted that companies like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram are “coming for every second of your life.” They’re trapped in a model demanding endless growth, constantly needing more of your time, attention, and engagement to survive and thrive.
In this description, I would also include Workday, UKG, ADP, SuccessFactors, Dayforce, and almost every other #HRTech and #worktech company, big and small. They’ve adopted similar strategies, attempting to hook users with endless features and integrations rather than focusing on seamless, efficient functionality.
Burnham’s words are prescient: “They are now trying to colonize every minute of your life… Every single free moment you have is a moment you could be looking at your phone, and they could be gathering information to target ads at you.”
But let’s be honest: your benefits platform isn’t TikTok. There’s no creativity in your well-being portal and no individuality in your offboarding solution. Their primary intention should be to keep the workforce productive and efficient, not endlessly engaged.
The Reality of Workplace Tech
Even in 2024, CMOs want tech to be “sticky.” They want you to feel like you can’t live without their product. But what’s genuinely engaging is challenging and meaningful work, not a platform overloaded with unnecessary features. Sales leaders promise increased engagement, but real engagement comes from being trusted and given the freedom to solve problems and offer creative solutions within organizations that value their people.
I’ve seen this firsthand. Well before the pandemic, several HR tech companies hired me as a consultant to develop stickier elements for their platforms. I envisioned a one-stop hub for personalized work-related stories and video content tailored to each user. Imagine a more helpful version of LinkedIn’s feed—filled with content from HBR, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and videos from top conferences and thought leaders. But that’s just the start. I’m not just talking about piping in a bunch of RSS feeds, which some platforms do to this day. It would’ve been a clean, intuitive space for learning opportunities, news, and ideas personalized for every worker, manager, and leader. The goal was to get them to approve a PTO request but compel them to stay by building skills, tapping into their unique curiosity, and meeting them with meaningful information wherever they are in their professional journey across any industry.
But that vision never materialized. At the time, CMOs and developers were more focused on existing integrations. “But we integrate with Slack and Teams!” they said.
I thought, “Great, but that’s not sticky. That’s compulsory. Why spend one more second on a platform that integrates with other hated work tools?”
Ultimately, the focus shifted away from creating an inspiring and imaginative space. We abandoned our commitment to an innovative product that could capture attention or bring these products closer to consumer technology and do something extraordinary in this space.
A Call to Action
There’s a real meta-quandary in #HRTech and #worktech: Companies don’t want their products to be just about intention, but they’ve failed to go beyond and capture the imagination and inspirational vibe of consumer tech products. In the end, many ultimately fail on intention, too.
We’ve spent too long trying to turn #HRTech and #worktech into consumer tech. But consumer tech is escapist, user-centric, and superficial—the opposite of what productive work environments need. So why are we designing and selling these platforms to compete with Instagram? We should focus on delivering ease of implementation, adoption, and excellence.
If the HR tech marketplace doesn’t understand its unique value proposition in enhancing work by delivering on intent and enabling better processes—instead of colonizing attention—it’s doomed to continue down a mediocre path where excellence, profits, and revenue slip away.
What do you think? How do we return #HRTech and #worktech to their original intent, focusing on fixing work and empowering managers and employees with tech that supports, not distracts, from our collective goals of solving problems and improving work? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!