Technological Unemployment for HR Managers - Essay Example

Technological Unemployment for HR Managers Name Institution Course Introduction Advancement in technology has paved way for easier means f communication, file production, transportation and a great deal in employment of the company stuff. A narrowed focus on its impacts in the human resource management has been comparatively easier recruitment through rapid and effective information analysis, evaluation of job performance and thus need for promotion (Stone et al., 2015). The impacts of technological advancement in businesses are so immense to the extent that some businesses and organizations are unable to operate without computers. These effects are eminent in almost all departments of an organization including the finance departments, marketing departments, production department, sales and product promotion department as well as the human resource management department. The human resource managers have effectively explored these merits presented with the technological advancement while oblivious of the rate at which their functions and roles played in these organizations are becoming obsolete (Son, 2015). In this paper, a discussion of the impacts of embracing technological advancement at the expense of Human Resource managers losing their will be presented. The paper will give a focus on each issue and an explanation of how it affects human resource management in the long run to an extent of their functions becoming obsolete for their organizations. Discussion To commence with the various recruitment, the human resource managers have always relied on the use of newspapers among other dailies in seeking for employees. This was done to reach the possible personnel to be recruited into the organization. However, this has been replaced by the use of online media in which the organizations post for possible prospects from the public through the use of internet (Schalk et al., 2013). The specific position is posted online on the specific company’s website among other pages to reach the target personnel. However, as the human resource managers embrace this art that seems easier and more productive, their role in print media and other publication is with time becoming obsolete. Once the positions are advertised, interviews and other procedures follow. The role of human resource managers in conducting interviews composed of interviewing personnel has been obsolete as these are effectively done online where the applicants submit their CVs and subsequently analyzed, specific questions made and the qualified individuals employed (Panayotopoulou et al., 2010). In seminars among other forums where communication are to be made to individuals of diverse languages, barrier that existed were resolved by a team of translators who could acts as intermediaries to facilitate these communications. However, with advancements in technology, organizations are moving towards the use of automatic devices that translates language spoken to the recipients’ language. The development of voice devises with an ability of translating one language into the other through telephones has been embraced by the human resource managers. These devices have an ability of translating one language into the other with a view of enhancing global communication (Nolan, 2010). This makes translation easier even without an intermediate human translator to facilitate effective communication. These devices are however taking up the roles of the human resource managers who had the sole responsibility of recruiting and monitoring the personnel who could otherwise be the intermediate for translation purposes. Technological unemployment has been witnessed through introduction of automatic database retrieval for the important information one is in need of. Data storage and data retrieval have been a responsibility within the human resource department. Before the age of automation, personnel were recruited to be responsible for data retrieval and had to go through loads of databases for the specific information the company wanted. This was tiresome and large number of personnel had to be employed (Monks et al., 2012). However, as the technological advancement come of age, the companies have revolved with the dire need to meet cost-effective ways and timely data retrieval. This has rendered jobless the personnel who were responsible for this task as computers permit easy access of data when required and printing made on demand. With computing, other functions are possible such as editing and sharing of the information through internet. This has also rendered the personnel who were tasked with posting letter and collecting letters for the company reduced. However much the company would need a back up system with filing, a major portion of this function has been moved to the computing and online personnel (Martin et al., 2015). In their corporate social responsibility, companies tend to have a system to benefit the local communities surrounding the business. This is so to ensure peaceful coexistence and a good rapport as a marketing tool and good public relation. This too has been used as a source of mutual benefit for both the company and the local communities. A major tool that has always benefited the local communities is employment of qualified members of the local community into the business. The traditional system in which positions were posted in the local dailies made it easier for the member so f the local community to get information of an available position and would therefore apply for a chance to get employed (Marler & Parry, 2015). The local community would therefore be given the first priority and consideration into the organization. This is however not the case with the online system as a result of advancement in technology. The wider scope that is availed to the company may make the company inconsiderate of the local applicants. Additionally, the majority of the local community dwellers might be technologically illiterate thus might fail to know when vacant positions are available for acquisition through applications. Advancement in technology has therefore compromised the CSR role of the human resource managers (Kobi, 2016). In management of the performance of the personnel that might include signing of performance contracts is a function of the human resource managers. The human resource managers are charged with this responsibility to ensure effective production. This includes promotion of hardworking individuals and sacking of those who do not meet the threshold of effective performance. Traditionally, personnel had to be recruited to administer the performance materials manually to the concerned individuals as a basis on which decision making would be made. The materials administered include performance appraisal forms (Nolan, 2010). Advancement in technology has compelled the human resource managers to avail the appraisal forms online and this limits their functions as concern manual deliveries and collecting. It also limits the number of personnel working under the human resource managers. In the long run, the functions of the human resource managers would be limited as most diverse functions are performed through an integrated system that incorporates the usage of few online experts to perform the tasks that would have otherwise been implemented by a large group of personnel (Monks et al., 2012). The internet and advancement in technology at large has impacted on the training and development of companies. With the continuous revolution, the companies are more concerned at the skilled personnel who performance the most crucial roles in the production processes of the company. In this regard, most of the companies have resorted to training their staff in a bid to impart them with the necessary skills required in the company (Martin et al., 2015). This is a function of the human resource managers. The specific activities carried out in this procedure include facilitation of travel costs, training materials, regular content updates to conform to the current trends of the information to be imparted into the personnel. These are reduced with the online training that has been made possible with the advancement in technology. In this regard, e-HR has been more effective as it limits the expenses listed above (Marler & Parry, 2015). This is also a way in which the HR loses its obvious functions as these can be efficiently administered by he online personnel. Conclusion Even though advancement in technology has made it easier for business and companies to effectively carry out their function, it has enormous challenges in the short run. With its continued use, most departments in an organization are affected with evidently loss of employment to the individual who traditionally carried out some essential functions (Kobi, 2016). The most affected department is the human resource department whose managers are at the verge of losing their jobs at the expense of embracing technological advancement. The human resource department is bound to lose its managers with time as their functions have been replaced by a small team of online personnel. The most evident ways are the ones explained above and listed below. In recruitment procedures, notifications are done through online media in which the possible prospects are notified through the media, CVs collected online, and interviews administered (Son et al., 2015). Translations, automation, CSR are all functions the human resource managers have lost with the advancement in technology. Translation devices have rendered the traditional intermediaries jobless as automation has made easy data storage and retrieval thus limiting the staff required for this function. CSR implementation has been limited as online communication targets a wider scope of personnel thus limiting the number of local employees recruited into the business. Other areas are performance evaluation and as well as training and development in which the material to evaluate performance such the appraisal forms are administered online and also collected form online (Stone et al., 2015). Training materials are effectively administered to the company staff through the use of internet thus no need for the presence of individual trainers. References Kobi, J. (2016). Das Mächtige im HR-Management. Neue Prämissen in Führung und HR-Management, 109-147. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-12112-9_6 Marler, J. H., & Parry, E. (2015). Human resource management, strategic involvement and e-HRM technology. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(19), 2233-2253. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.1091980 Martin, G., Parry, E., & Flowers, P. (2015). Do social media enhance constructive employee voice all of the time or just some of the time? Human Resource Management Journal, 25(4), 541-562. Monks, K., Kelly, G., Conway, E., Flood, P., Truss, K., & Hannon, E. (2012). Understanding how HR systems work: the role of HR philosophy and HR processes. Human Resource Management Journal, 23(4), 379-395. doi:10.1111/j.1748-8583.2012.00207.x Nolan, S. (2010). Technology in HR. Strategic HR Review, 9(6). doi:10.1108/shr.2010.37209faa.001 Panayotopoulou, L., Galanaki, E., & Papalexandris, N. (2010). Adoption of electronic systems in HRM: Is national background of the firm relevant? New Technology, Work and Employment, 25(3), 253-269. Schalk, R., Timmerman, V., & Van den Heuvel, S. (2013). How strategic considerations influence decision making on e-HRM applications. Human Resource Management Review, 23(1), 84-92. Son, E. (2015). How HR systems Can Work Better: the Moderating Effect of HR Content and HR Process. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2015(1), 12255-12255. doi:10.5465/ambpp.2015.12255abstract Stone, D. L., Deadrick, D. L., Lukaszewski, K. M., & Johnson, R. (2015). The influence of technology on the future of human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 25(2), 216-231. doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2015.01.002 rmr.2015.01.002 Read More