Technology is a huge part of our day to day lives, with everything from 3-D printers, unmanned drones and virtual reality technology quickly developing and reaching maturity. 2015 has long been marked as the year of wearable technology, a concept which is expected to take the working world by storm. With a new era of connectivity being formed, how will this improve working and recruitment processes?

In their recent report, “State of Workplace Productivity”, Cornerstone OnDemand found that 58% of employees would be willing to use wearable tech if it enabled them to do their jobs better, 66% of those being from Millennials. By 2020, 16-34 year olds will form 50% of tech-savvy global workforce brought up on mobile devices and social networking.

Apple’s Watch hit the market on the 24th April and many companies have already incorporated these devices into their working environments. Here are some of the key devices we think will really transform the working world.  

The smartglasses vision.

Smartglasses provide hands-free communication on a range of smartphone-like applications, allowing staff to be more collaborative from a distance. In the world of recruitment, change is fast-paced and having the technology available to adapt to this is vital.

By equipping themselves with a device such as Google Glass, interviewers will be able to record applicant’s responses to questions. These responses can then be kept as data, measured and stored to improve the candidate experience.

These glasses also allow for remote interviewing which could prove useful in a contract environment. Recruiters would be able to set up a Google Hangout, allowing peers to listen in, share notes and send messages to the interviewers, driving the conversation remotely.

With good practice, smartglasses could be revolutionary, providing a tool for continuous improvement on the recruitment process.

Time for smartwatches to shine.

With the Apple Watch coming onto the market in the past few days, joining the Pebble, InPulse and Sony smartwatches that are already available, wearable technology is being noticeably led by the ‘smart watch revolution’. These watches are designed to be notification based, keeping you updated without the need to constantly check your phone.

Aside from its uses as a discrete project management tool, these watches could provide employers with physical tracking. Retail employees, for example, could be tracked around their store, logistics workers could be shown how to work more effectively and for staff who are office based, breaks from sedentary behaviour can be encouraged. Applying this to a recruitment context, consultants can use the smartwatch as a way to streamline their workflow. By being able to access their social updates and emails on the go, recruiters will can maximise their efficiency and keep the consultative conversation going.

Future developments include evaluating employee performance through trackers that would allow managers to analyse workflow to improve efficiency and quality as well as pinpoint any problems.

Thinking more intelligently with smart wristwear.

FitBit, Nike and Fuelband have all devised wristbands that collect and analyse physical data to understand, monitor and maximise physical activity to improve wellness. Within many physical roles, like engineering for example, HR managers would be able to monitor heart rates, alerting them if anybody’s gets too high. In work environments with hazardous substances, dangerous conditions or physical exertion, these biometric sensors could help prevent employee injuries.

Nymi’s wristwear offers another work-friendly solution, giving the user the ability to log in to computers, unlock their car and even check you into hotel rooms. As consultants tend to find themselves managing multiple tasks, this band alleviates any potential additional stress.  

Conclusion

The world is changing quickly and technology is the driving force. Wearable technology opens to door for a host of great insightful features for consumers and employees across all industries. Within recruitment, an industry built upon people, wearable technology should be about streamlining workflow and maximising employee wellbeing. We’ve got some exciting plans here at Austin Fraser over the coming year. Keep checking back to be the first to find out! 

Austin Fraser is an award winning, specialist IT and Engineering recruiter who specialise in sourcing specialists. It's our mission to break the perception of 'stereotypical recruiters' and demonstrate that recruitment, when done well, is an excellent and consultative process. 

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