human resources and new technology

Technology advancements have made it widespread and applicable to nearly any corporate practice, including human resource management. As a result, companies have seized the possibilities presented by technologies in order to gain a competitive advantage. Human resources is one of the organizations that has undergone a number of advancements and scandals in terms of information technology use. These technological applications across organizations have revolutionized the agency. It is important to remember that evolution has both positive and negative aspects that must be considered for each piece of technology before it is implemented. It is important to note that the human resource department has gone through a lengthy history before reaching the current orderly state with differentiated functions. Early human resource departments were more of an integrated department within other departments; it was not a distinct department in its own right. With time, it was differentiated into a distinct department with a general function of catering to the consumers. Everything was manual in the department which increased the paperwork and reduced efficiency in some cases. With time, the department was broadened in scope and several organizations started incorporating distinct elements such as hiring, orientation, public relations and learning as well as training. When technology became rampant, the department became even bolder, taking on functions such as electronic learning and upgrading its activities to the online platform that had a wider reach and tended to be highly effective and efficient. It is this advent of technology that has seen the various functions of the human resource department boosted (IHRIM, 2017). This is illustrated below where every differentiated function of the department is linked to a technology that is tailored towards it.

Implementation of the human resource system can be challenging. This is considering that it is often a new concept that may conflict with the organization culture. I would recommend that the development of human resources is outsourced. This makes it much easier for the organization rather than having a full-time IT department. The latter would be prohibitively expensive unless the organization is an IT firm. The recommended implementation strategy is the pilot strategy where the technology is implemented department by department. This helps monitor the technology and correct any misgivings before moving to the following department.

E-Recruiting

This is the process of identifying and finding new employees for the company over the internet (Masters, Kotsakis, & Krishnamoorthy, 2010). There are several proprietary technologies that have emerged to address this matter in the human resource department. For purposes of this paper, I shall use the Clear Company HRM Software (Software Advice, 2017). This is a software that works for both private and public organizations. It actually a suite of tools that comprehensively deal with talent management as well as recruiting. ClearCompany HRM Software helps the human resource department recruit employees and management their performance. It has an applicant tracking system that has the following features; advanced corporate site integration, requisition templates and bulk emails, mobile career sites, social sharing tools, one-click background checks and referral management. I have selected this software suite based on its features and the efficiency that it offers the human resource department. The software has a strong reporting system that compliance with various agencies such as the equal employment opportunities commission. Additionally, the software tracks everything from interview rates to hiring rates. This makes it an invaluable tool for the organization to have in its arsenal of human resource management tools. When choosing this system, the costs, maintenance, adaptability, flexibility and reputation of the system is considered. Additionally, there is the matter of security of the system that is paramount. However, it is important to note that this piece of software is not designed to replace the physical human resource staff. As a matter of fact, it is the staff in the department that shall run the software. While it is true that it shall inevitably lead to a reduction in the workforce, it is not an excuse for the department to forfeit interviews and one on one communication with recruits. The department must still accomplish this tasks while being complemented by the system.

E-Selection

This is the use of electronic means (software) to come up with an appropriate list of potential employees based on certain criteria that are specified by the company. The software platform makes this process much easier and automated. The software that shall be relevant fro this task is the Ascentis Software from Ascentis. It is a powerful tool that incorporates candidate data analysis, onboarding and career portals (Economy Informatics, 2003). As a matter of fact, it is a complete human capital management tool. However, for this function of human resource management, it is the candidate data matching and analysis future that makes the software worth having, it is what makes this software be able to successfully conduct e-selection. It matches the employee details viz a viz the company’s requirements and then selects the appropriate match for the company in terms of the suitable employee. This makes it an invaluable tool for the organization to have in its arsenal of human resource management tools. When choosing this system, the costs, maintenance, adaptability, flexibility and reputation of the system is considered. Additionally, there is the matter of security of the system that is paramount. At this point, it is important to note that, Ascentis Software is not designed to replace the physical human resource staff. As a matter of fact, it is the staff in the department that shall run the software. While it is true that it shall inevitably lead to a reduction in the workforce, it is not an excuse for the department to forfeit one on one communication with recruits. The department must look at the human resource software as a complementary system (Softwareadvice, 2017).

Self-Service & HR Portals

Self-service portals allow employees to interact with the human resource website and make changes to specific elements of their data such as bio details. A human resource portal is an interface on the company’s website that allows communication between the employee and the vital functions of the organization such as payroll, virtual meetings, and electronic learning. The software that is suited for this model of communication is PayFocus Software. It is an online payroll and human resource system that incorporates tax compliance processing, applicant tracking, and onboarding. The software has a self-service portal; from where users can download their personal files, pay stubs and other information available to them in the database. This is handy in ensuring transparency and efficiency (Softwareadvice, 2017). Employees have access to several vital materials thus reducing the number of requests to the human resource staff. The employees, in this case, would only visit the human resource staff to clarify matters. From this perspective, PayFocus Software is selected due to its efficiency and ample options. When choosing this system, the costs, maintenance, adaptability, flexibility and reputation of the system is considered. Additionally, there is the matter of security of the system that is paramount. Finally, it is important to note that, PayFocus Software is not designed to replace the physical human resource staff, it is the staff in the human resource department that run the software. Regardless of the efficiency of this software, the department must maintain physical touch with the staff and employees, the human resource software is a complementary system.

E-Learning & Training

E-learning and training simply refer to the use of online platforms to teach students of whatever age; in this case the employees of the organization. The learning software that is relevant for this function is the Infor HCM & Talent Management Software. This is an online software suite that has the following features; learning management, goal development and benefits management among others. The critical function for this functionality of human resource is the learning content management feature. This allows the online platform to manage learning content (Softwareadvice, 2017). It has the ability to grade content, act as a content delivery system, a live interaction function and a modular system that ensures that topics and lessons are well organized. When choosing this system, the costs, maintenance, adaptability, flexibility and reputation of the system is considered. Additionally, there is the matter of security of the system that is paramount. The platform makes it much easier for the human resource department to teach employees about various aspects such as emerging trend. It can easily accommodate refresher courses without disrupting the employee workflow severely. HCM & Talent Management Software is not designed to replace the physical human resource staff, in contradistinction, it is the people in the department that run it. Regardless of the efficiency of this software, the department must maintain physical touch with the staff and employees, the human resource software is a complementary system

Performance Management

Performance management is a part of the human resource department functions. It entails the reviewing of employee activities and roles to evaluate their progress in terms of improvement, deterioration or stagnation. The software suited for this is Trakstar Software. It offers features designed to evaluate employee activities such as; goal management, performance review as well as other performance applications. From this perspective, the software allows the human resource department to easily align employee competencies with the correct company core values (Softwareadvice.com, 2017).

When choosing this system, the costs, maintenance, adaptability, flexibility and reputation of the system is considered. Additionally, there is the matter of security of the system that is paramount. Considering that the company shall be outsourcing its technology functions, it shall be critical for security to be upheld. Security is an important aspect in outsourcing and particularly with online technology and the internet. Trakstar Software is not designed to replace the physical human resource staff, in contradistinction, it is the people in the department that run it. Regardless of the efficiency of this software, the department must maintain physical touch with the staff and employees. This can be done by conducting brief face to face performance reviews to countercheck the software correctness.

Performance management is a critical organization element that must be handles with care. This means that face to face time must be provided. Employees may not be confident when a machine entirely decided their contribution which is attributable to several factors that are complex and intertwined to obviously warrant higher judgment.

Conclusion

Human resource information systems have become an essential party of the modern corporate world. They improve human resource departments and facilitate tasks that previously took long to complete. However, it is important to choose the correct system in terms of functionality and maintenance in order to achieve the full benefits. Regardless of the human resource advancements and the positivity of the technology, there are setbacks that can be anticipated. These are in the form of steep learning curves of the soft wares, maintenance expenses and incongruences with organization culture. The organization culture has to be aligned with the new technology and the employees who shall be dealing with the software educated to be able to deal with it well.

References

Economy Informatics. (2003). Human Resource Management in the Internet Age e-Recruitment and e-Selection Methods. Retrieved from economyinformatics.ase.ro: http://www.economyinformatics.ase.ro/content/EN3/bodea.pdf

IHRIM. (2017, February 19). Ihrim. Retrieved from ihrim.org: http://www.ihrim.org/

Masters, J., Kotsakis, C., & Krishnamoorthy, V. (2010). E-Recruiting with SAP ERP HCM. Quincy: SAP PRESS; 1 edition.

Software Advice. (2017, February 19). ClearCompany HRM Software. Retrieved from softwareadvice.com: http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/hrm-direct-profile/?layout=var_so0

Softwareadvice. (2017, February 18). Ascentis Software. Retrieved from softwareadvice.com: http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/ascentis-hr-profile/?layout=var_so0

Softwareadvice. (2017, February 19). Infor HCM & Talent Management Software. Retrieved from softwareadvice.com: http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/lawson-talent-management-profile/?layout=var_so0

Softwareadvice. (2017, February 19). PayFocus Software. Retrieved from softwareadvice.com: http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/payfocus-profile/?layout=var_so0

Softwareadvice.com. (2017, February 19). Trakstar Software. Retrieved from softwareadvice.com: http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/trakstar-profile/?layout=var_so0