In fact, a new survey on employee engagement found that company culture and values that align with the prospective employees' are often ranked above pay scale during the hiring process. However, only 38 percent of respondents stated that their current company supports causes the employee find personally important.

Additionally, companies should be looking to invest in cutting edge technology. New digital tools and platforms have a greater impact on employees' behaviors than perhaps thought by most companies.

The engagement survey also found only 39 percent of respondents say their company uses collaborative, online tools for training and personal development. Modern HR-focused technologies will enable employees to access their personalized data and give individuals the ability to take their career and work/life balance into their own hands.

HR is no longer just about payroll and administrative tasks; rather it is a strategic partnership that requires a broader set of technology applications. To meet HR and employee needs, technology will have to move beyond the traditional HR applications as the modern workforce now expects the same level of technology in the workplace that they have in their personal lives.

Which technologies help HR move past traditional responsibilities?

To better understand and retain your talent, you first need to uncover what priorities and goals they have as individuals in the workplace. One great way to do that is by implementing HR-specific software which can connect data generated from the employee's social media presence, wearable devices and quantified-self applications, and works to integrate all that information with corporate enterprise data.

By leveraging the employee's personal data, managers are given unique insights into individual career and life goals which help them to better understand what motivates their employees. Once you know how to motivate your employees, you are then able to empower them to be as productive as possible with the help of this insight.

What does this actually look like? Some wellness programs allow participating employees to integrate their personal wearable devices into company software to help employees set, track and achieve wellness goals which in turn reduces overall company health care costs.

Some HR solutions may even help to engage employees in work related contests while others help employees identify volunteer projects their company supports, providing a quick platform for employees to enroll in initiatives of interest.

These are just some of the ways implementing HR software solutions are meeting employee needs, determining what is of personal importance and interest and connecting employees with the correct tools and information to keep them engaged and motivated in the workplace.

With the correct tools, employees can take their career and work-life balance into their own hands and shape their individualized experience based on interest and personal motivators. HR can not only enable this personalized experience, but also benefit from employees seeking out their own path with integrated software solutions.

The more employees are engaged in HR processes, the more HR can move past the traditional, administrative tasks and work on providing a workplace that employees will seek out.