Use of Technology in Human Resources Practice - Research Paper Example

Use of technology in Human Resources Introduction The growing developments in the technology system on the global business world have created a hugeimpact. The overall business process has become more efficient and also the productivity of every form of business has increased in a huge way. The amount of defects in the production process and also the wastage of resources have gone up by a huge percentage over the years because of the latest technologies being used. The correct use of technology has helped to improve the quality of work and also the life style of human beings. Companies have looked to develop latest technologies in their various departments to make the process more efficient and also for utilizing the resources in the best possible way. Aims and scope of the research The use of latest technologies has not only helped the production, marketing department of the company but the human resource department of every company has also been benefited in a huge way. The duties of the human resource department is well aligned in the direction of achieving the company’s goals and objectives and with the use of good and effective technology in the process the performance of the human resource department is been enhanced in a huge way and it helps the company in getting a good competitive edge over the competitors. Research Question What is the use of technology on Human Resource management practices? Issues Information Technology as per some of the IT experts is the process to gather, organize, develop, store and then publish the information to the required place. This includes image, sound or texts that are needed to be communicated. The human resource management has got several tasks to do and do it in a good manner so as to help the company achieve its objectives. The technology used in the human resource activities include attracting, hiring, retaining and maintaining the resources related to the man power, provide a good support of the administration department and also optimize the entire process. According to Armstrong (2009), the use of good technology has made it easier for the human resource department to gather and deliver information to the right place in the right time. The use of technology in HR process has evolved down the line in a huge way from the use of paper to the level of web based technology that has enabled them to communicate the message to the employees in a more effective way and it is not the end of growth, the growth in technology is unstoppable making it easier and efficient for the human resource team to perform in a far better way than earlier (Armstrong, 2009). The use of technology in various ways in human resource management is been explained below in the form of points.  Impacts of use of technology in human resource Marchington and Wilkinson, (2008) stated that the recruitment process for any HR department of any company is very complex and also very crucial. It includes in getting the best person for the best position so that the company’s process is not hampered and the new selected candidate is able to contribute in a huge way to the company’s growth. In the earlier days advertisements were been given in papers to attract candidates and then written paper pen exam was been taken to select the right candidate. With the development in technology now the companies are able to look out for talents across the globe and are able to select a diverse culture of people. The advertisements regarding the requirement are been posted in various job portals, social networking sites are also been used to put the requirements. These sites and portals also help the company’s human resource team to screen and scrutinize the candidate in a proper way and then call them for the selection process (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2008). New technologies have also come up in the selection process where in the written exams have become web based and online and even video conferencing is been used for face to face interview. Beardwell and Claydon, (2010), states that it has also helped in seeing video profiles of the candidates which gives a much more clear idea regarding the candidate. These technologies have enabled the companies to get talented candidates from various parts of the world and thus make the overall process of the company more efficient. Thus the right person to be selected for the right position is very important to make sure that the company gets most out of the employees and has a good growth without any problems occuring in the process (Beardwell and Claydon, 2010). Background checking of the employees becomes easy using technology and thus the information related to the selected candidate can be obtained in every aspect before he/she is been selected for the position. According to Wilton (2013), training and development is a very crucial function for any HR department of any company. The training and development programs do helps the company in improving and enhancing the skills of the employees thus helping them in increasing their knowledge level. This helps in increasing the efficiency and also productivity of each employee. Use of latest technology has helped the human resource department in a huge manner to train and develop the employees in a better way and equip them with latest methods. Technology helps the department to have a good data base of the growth and improvement among the employees based on which training and development programs are been designed. The training programs are been done by using visual classes which helps in better understanding and also in saving a lot of time (Wilton, 2013). The visual understanding does provide a lot practical knowledge to the employees as a result the employees are able to understand in a more clear way and also are able to implement it in the job field in more effective way. Training can be provided to the employees by the best of the professionals present in any part of the world by sitting in their own place by using video conferencing and other mediums. This can be done only by implementing effective technology system in the company. Having a good check over the performance of the employees is very important and it is the duty of the human resource department to have a look over this. According to Dauda (2009), human resource department to maintain a good data with regard to the performance of the employees and also the way the employees have shown growth or decline in their performance. Human resource department does use various technologies for monitoring the performance of the employees in a better way. Using various tools like CPM (Computerized performance monitoring) the human resource managers are able to monitor the performance levels in an effective manner. They can know the exact way that the employee is completing the work, is he able to complete it within the stipulated time or not and also in good quality or not. This also helps in flow of information across the organization which does provide the information regarding the employees who are to be trained in which area so as to improve their skills, which employees are eligible to get the rewards (Dauda, 2009). This does create a good motivating factor in the mind of the customers. Various portals like online training methods can be used and by conducting events in social media to make sure that they are able to increase the team work and other features among the employees in the company. This will enable the company to have good performing employees and also motivate the employees to work more efficiently in a way to improve their performance levels. Cost of use of technology The use of technology helps the human resource departments in deciding the pension that is to be given to the employee after retirement that can allow the employee to have a good life even after retirement. The employee administration with regards to part-time, full-time or contract based is been maintained in an easy way by using latest technology in the process by the human resource department. It also helps the human resource department in maintaining good records with respect to the number of women employees, employees with disabilities which are to be given to the government of that particular country. The human resource team is also able to conduct various corporate social responsible activities by involving the employees to the society and helping them reach the society by the use of technology using various platforms like social media etc. The cost involved in implementing the latest technology in the human resource system gets a good return on investment. Use of latest technology by the human resource department helps them in providing a safe and healthy work place for the employees. It helps in getting the best of facilities needed to provide first aid to the employees so that the damage can be reduced to the minimum possible level. The human resource department is been able to implement a good visual display system in the whole plant using digital technique to make the process, the places very clearly understandable for each and everyone so that the entire process is defect free. This allows the employers and also the guest to get a clear picture of the place and thus enables the employees to work in more efficient way without any confusion. It also helps the company in achieving international and national standards and has a continuous growth in its overall business process. It gives a huge competitive advantage to the company over the other competitors in a way that it gets good productive and efficient work from its employees. Thus the return on investment over the implementation of new technology in the human resource management is very high thus providing a good opportunity to the company to grow and expand in every direction performing in a very efficient and effective manner. Solution of use of Technology in HR Various technologies are been used in the entire human resource process to make the process more efficient. Technologies such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) does help in integrating the various other functions performed in the company with the human resource department under a single technological platform and single vendor. ERP does help in knowing the performance of various departments based on which the performance of the departments can be measured. This provides vital information to the company as they are able to get the exact information about the departments, the managers and also about the employee’s performance. The attendance system in the earlier days used to be done by using register and pen but with the increasing use of technology this system has become very effective. Nowadays in business world the attendance is been done by using biometric or by retina detection. This has enabled the human resource department to have a good idea about the number of absentees for each employee across the world present in different branches. Thus the record of the attendance of each employee is been maintained in an effective way. This helps the human resource department in calculating the number of paid leaves, casual leaves, and sick leaves that the employee has taken in a year and the number of leaves that are present. This also provides a good data based on which the salary of each employee is been calculated easily. The human resource department uses various technologies like excel, SAP (system application programs) to calculate the salary of each individual employee in the exact way so that there is no dispute. The flow of information among the employees is been done in an effective way and thus gives a clear picture of the role that the particular employee has performed well (Aswathappa, 2005). The clear explanation of the roles does allow the employees to understand what duties it has to perform and it also helps in increasing the team work in the company. Technology has also helped the human resource department in increasing the level of security in the company. This has been enabled by the use of cameras at different locations thus reducing the chances of theft or any other malpractices. It has also helped the human resource department in having a good look over the work place and the way each employee is working and has a check whether they are wasting their time in chatting or moving around, any case of misbehavior or dispute in the work place. Human resource department thus can have a good control over the overall process not allowing any misbehavior or misconduct happening in the work place thus maintains a good work environment in the company (Wilton, 2010). Future of use of Technology It has also allowed the human resource department to recruit people who can work even from their homes from various places across the globe. This has allowed the department to get the company work in more efficient way by getting employees from various parts of the world. This has helped the company to get a good return on investment. This saves both the time and also cost for the company. It is also very much time saving as the company is able to get its work done at a quick pace from different people employed across the globe. These type of employees are been paid less and thus they are more effective than the employees in the company. The human resource department needs to take care of the planning part as about how to go with the recruitment process or the training and development process or the other functions. These planning activities can be easily accomplished by the use of technology. Technology will not only help in making the plans but also have a good control over the entire process. Thus the process is not been deviated from the process in any manner and company will be able to achieve its goals and objectives in an effective manner (Coronas and Oliva, 2005). Conclusion Thus looking at this essay it can be seen that by using technology in the human resource department the entire process for the company becomes highly efficient and also effective. The various functions been done by the human resource department with respect to recruitment, training and development and many others they look to implement the latest technology in the process. The department is been able to recruit and select the best talented employees from various parts of the world and thus help in making the work environment more efficient and effective. The performance management becomes more efficient and the evaluation process also. This enables them to provide the rewards to the employees in the right way thus increasing the motivation level among the employees. The roles of the employees are been conveyed across to them in an easy way and because the flow of information becomes good in the company. The way the work environment is been maintained in the organization is been done in a capable way by the use of good and effectively implemented technology in the organization. The visual display system implemented in the company helps the employees and also the guests to know the exact work in the right way. Technology used by the human resource department helps in maintain a good data management for all the employees and thus have a good control over the overall process. References Armstrong, M. (2009). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. America: Kogan Page. Aswathappa, K. (2005). Human Resource And Personnel Management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Beardwell, J and Claydon, T. (2010). Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach 6th Edition. London: Prentice Hall. Coronas, T and Oliva, M. (2005). E-Human Resources Management: Managing Knowledge People. London: Idea Group Inc (IGI). Dauda, Y. (2009). Managing Technology Innovation: The Human Resource Management Perspective. America: Peter Lang Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2008). Human resource Management at Work: people management and development. London: CIPD. Wilton, N. (2010). An Introduction to Human Resource Management. London: SAGE. Wilton, N. (2013). An Introduction to Human Resource Management. London: SAGE. Read More