Ceridian World Tour 2021: A vision for the workplace of tomorrow

The future of work is already here. Workforces today are more borderless and fluid than ever before. The lines between full and part-time work have blurred. Everything we do in our personal and work lives is augmented by technology that’s right at our fingertips. So, how can organizations build workplace experiences that drive value for their people – and the business – in this fast-changing world?

To kick off Ceridian World Tour, Ceridian CEO, David Ossip, and CTO, Joe Korngiebel, tackled this question during the opening keynote. They shared some workplace trends that are changing how people work, along with Ceridian’s vision for how technology is shaping the future of work.

Attendees got an inside look at what’s to come in the years ahead as Dayforce continues to evolve as an always-on people platform for a global workforce.

President and COO, Leagh Turner, also led a conversation with business leaders from Amazon, OTG Management, and SHRM to discuss what organizations can do to get ahead and stay ahead in the future.

An increasingly borderless and fluid world of work

Today, expectations have changed where, when, and how people want to work. The contingent workforce, including gig workers, contractors, and freelancers, makes up more of the overall workforce, and this is only expected to grow. According to Ceridian’s research, 53% of executives say they will increase the size of their team within the organization in the next 12 months, with 35% leveraging gig workers to do so.

Organizations need to be prepared to build optimal experiences for everyone – from part-time workers to full-time employees. Waiting to be paid at the end of a pay cycle, for example, is a practice of the past.

Ossip explains, “There is no other aspect of our life where we are prepared to wait two weeks to get anything. So why wait two weeks to get paid?” Dayforce Wallet, a flexible on-demand pay solution enables employees to access their earned wages after their shift is over.

Looking ahead, Ossip shared a bigger vision for Dayforce, one that helps organizations see around corners to understand what skills will be needed, while making learning more accessible and personalized. “Through Dayforce Wallet, we know who the employee is and that they have the right to work, and we know, through the Dayforce platform, what their skills and competencies are.”

Ossip explains how smart technology can help employees proactively see gaps – such as a shift that needs to be covered or a task that needs to be completed. As well, managers can more easily publish shifts that need to be covered, and better understand who is required, where they are needed, and what skills are vital for the job.

WATCH NOW: The workplace of the future is already here: How to get ahead and stay ahead

Empowering people to take control of their work lives

Next, Chief Technology Officer, Joe Korngiebel, took the stage to share how Dayforce is creating value in the future of work, “It all starts with our brand promise – Makes Work Life Better™ – and this promise is more relevant than ever before.”

The traditional workplace experience has flipped on its head as many employees switched to remote and hybrid work, and as work itself becomes increasingly borderless. Many people are now looking to supplement their incomes, turning to alternative work such as gigs and contracts. Skills are also at the forefront, as organizations need the right people with the right skills at the right time to gain a competitive advantage in the new business environment.

Data today can empower people to do their jobs better and give them the information they need to make smarter business decisions. “Work life is always-on,” Korngiebel said, “in both our personal, and our professional lives.”

“This is the new reality and it’s happening now,” Ceridian’s CTO urged. “Our vision is to push the envelope when we think of human capital management. This involves not thinking of people as capital or resources – but empowering them in the global workforce – we’re driving towards this vision, and it's our platform and our people that drive this vision.”

The always-on people platform: Continuous, data-driven, and truly global

A platform that enables this vision is three things: First, it’s continuous, from always finding the best talent to real-time, continuous pay. Next, it's data-driven, with a truly single system that can drive predictions and recommendations. Finally, it’s a global platform that can reach people from anywhere. “This,” Korngiebel said, “is the core of our vision.”

He also explains how the last few years have proven that people want to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to their work life – and this includes managing their finances. Korngiebel announced the launch of streaming pay, the next evolution of payroll where employees get paid in real-time, without even needing to click a button to request their funds. As part of Dayforce Wallet, streaming pay automatically calculates tax remittances and withholdings and delivers employees’ earned wages, so your people can get an accurate view of their earnings.

Korngiebel also shared several other key innovations, including more predictive analytics that can help leaders make value-added decisions for their organizations. He announced Talent Intelligence, a suite of talent management solutions powered by AI and data that helps enable fair, equitable, and efficient decision-making. This launch comes at a time when the war for talent is only intensifying. Today, recruiters are sifting through huge volumes of resumes, and candidates are searching for job openings that are the right fit for them. Leaders can streamline the hiring process and get the best talent while measuring the effectiveness of their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Among many other new innovations, he also announced plans for Dayforce HR Service Delivery, an end-to-end solution that provides instant, always-on HR and compliance support for everyone – from HR to managers and employees. This technology will help employers get the right information when they need it. For example, HR can use the search to find information on whether an employee can work out of a different state. Employees can also look up how many paid time off days they have left and other HR and compliance related inquiries.

Creating value in the new world of work

The opening keynote ended with a conversation between Ceridian’s President and COO, Leagh Turner, and top business leaders. First Amazon’s Global Head of Payroll, Greg Harmer, explained how the pandemic changed the way companies manage payroll operations.

“At my company, and at many others, a lot of lives were disrupted as things were happening simultaneously. Payroll and HR departments around the world were asked to do things incredibly fast, that in a normal world would take six months or a year to do.” Harmer shared. “Now, there’s an entirely different expectation of what payroll and HR professionals can do, and I don’t think we’re going back to the way things were.”

Alan House, EVP, Chief HR Officer at OTG Management, joined Turner on stage to share how his company prioritizes the employee experience in the travel and tourism industry.

“We want to create a great experience for our crew members, so they in turn create that great experience for our customers.” Smart tools and technology are a key part of this: “Dayforce Wallet helps us create that type of experience for our crew members and gives them the flexibility they need.”

To close the conversation, Sean Sullivan, SHRM’s Chief HR Officer, encouraged the audience to envision the future workplace to better prepare for the scale and speed at which the world is changing.

“When we think ahead, we need to start planning what people will be doing and what skills will be needed,” Sullivan said. “HR needs to also think about what AI and robotics can do, as well as the opportunities that those technologies will bring to the workforce.”

With a lot of change happening, organizations will need to put their people first. Sullivan calls upon business leaders to put mental well-being into greater focus.

“The time is now for companies to help build workplaces that contribute to people’s well-being. What [employees] do at home carries over to work, and what happens at work carries over to home.” Leaders need to better understand people managers’ responsibilities and how to carry them out and get help when they’re struggling. “This,” he said, “has an impact across the entire organization.”

WATCH NOW: The workplace of the future is already here: How to get ahead and stay ahead