Only a few years ago, you had to manually look for job openings in newspaper classified ads. An alternative was for you to go door-to-door from one business to the next, leaving your résumé with the receptionist in hopes they’d actually get back to you.
Now, you can look for jobs right from the convenience of your phone. This method is also easier for companies who post openings online. The human resources department need only call applicants who fit the bill based on their résumé. This frees up a huge amount of time that HR would have otherwise spent fielding phone calls and reviewing paper résumés.
Technology, though, affects more than the recruitment process nowadays.
A More Resourceful Human Resource
The role of HR departments in companies today has progressed to more than hiring and firing employees. With the help of tools such as ServiceNow® HR and different cloud-computing platforms, HR services now include talent management and organizational design.
According to Deloitte’s Josh Bersin, “Not only do we have an exploding number of core cloud-based HCM systems (payroll, HRMS, core HR transaction processing), there are billions of dollars now being invested in new tools for recruitment, performance management, engagement, training, inclusion, analytics, and well-being.”
By 2025, the global HR management market is projected to reach $30 billion according to Grand View Research, Inc.’s report. The research company says that the proliferation of technology in the fields of big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things positively impacts the HR market.
These HR tech advancements point to the theme of the HR industry being more about employee engagement and productivity. More HR work is being integrated into the workflow. The applications being developed aim to be easy enough for employees to follow. These apps can also be easily integrated into everyday functions such as e-mailing and texting.
The Human in Human Resources
Advancements in the HR industry also give HR departments more humanity. It’s now easier than ever for employees to communicate with the HR staff, what with messaging applications coming in by the dozen. These developments make the HR department more accessible to the rest of the team, thereby humanizing it to a greater degree.
With swiftness and efficiency becoming more important in the competitive corporate world, access to the HR staff makes it easier for companies to share relevant information right away.
Technological advances in the HR industry are also giving way to more feedback. For a while now, giving feedback has been a big theme in HR, with employees wanting to know how they’re doing. According to Josh Bersin, more companies are now using people analytics to measure employee performance and issues, making way for a more accurate feedback mechanism.
All of these are fruits of HR tech advancements that give more humanity to the industry.
Technology applied in HR brings efficiency to previously tedious processes such as employee training and onboarding. The new tools being used and developed for the HR industry may lead to greater workplace productivity and employee satisfaction. This is why companies integrating new HR practices may thrive in the next few years.
