Technology and HR-Leverage in one: “Technology is an enabler of business. The integration of both would not only allow for harmonious co-existence, but also enable one to leverage the other. Technology for HR would enable digitization of mundane HR functions and automation of back office and transactional activities in relation to recruitment, performance management and career planning. The use of technology to leverage HR means utilizing technology to manage change through communication, training, recruiting, retraining and stakeholder analysis. They can also play complementary roles.
Both technology and HR share one thing in common: they both enable business.
Technology has been synonymous with information technology in recent years. In fact, hardly any technological advancement of the past has had an impact on all business sectors as much as information technology. It doesn’t matter what type of business you run, whether it is services, goods, commodities, branded, trading, manufacturing or any other, the current or traditional deployment of IT technology in one or the another form is certain. All business organizations will need knowledge workers to manage and deploy technology effectively. The HR function is responsible for managing these knowledge workers. It is therefore essential to integrate technology and human resources.
We must now understand the relationship between technology and HR. Integration does not just refer to harmonious co-existence, but also means one complementing the other. Technology is used to improve HR effectiveness and helps HR function in managing and adopting technological change.
Technology for Human Resources
As a function, HR management is responsible for delivering deliverables such as business strategy execution, administrative efficiency and employee contribution. These are all achieved through the work of HR professionals, which includes staffing, compensation, benefits and communication organization design. Technology is used in the majority of these areas.
e-Recruitment
All companies that are worth their salt leverage IT in the area of recruitment. Two types of e-recruitment are currently in fashion. The first is recruiting through the company’s site, while the second is hosting your request on other sites, e.g. monster.com jobsdb.com jobsahead.com jobsnaukri.com jobstreet.com etc. Larger companies have a stronger brand for potential employees and the first model is more popular. Others prefer to visit the job sites. Some companies are adopting both.
E-recruitment is a great way to get started. These sites are now global. Sites such as jobsahead.com or monster.com have created a global network that includes separate sites offering jobs in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Belgium and other countries. Employers can target specific countries and job seekers can search for jobs by country or region. 3 Com posted a profile of its Ireland office on the site recently. It highlights the contributions of 3 com’s Irish design team to its global projects.
E-recruitment was plagued in its early days by employers flooding them with low-quality bio data. Technology has again been a great help. Pre-employment testing, such as the one offered by Capital One, an American financial company, helps in filtering applicants. These tools allow applicants to be tested online, such as for call center applicants. The tools allow for instant translation between different languages of assessment tests. This tool was developed by Profile International, a Texas-based provider of employment assessments. Other developments such as video-conference specialized sites and online executives recruitments are leading to more companies using e-recruitment as at least a secondary method of recruitment. Arena Knights Bridge, an American IT company, conducts video-based interviews with its potential employees. Only the shortlisted employees are met in person. Cisco also wanted to do the same.
