How the marriage of new technology and Human Resources should be a natural occurrence in spite of some built-in impediments. For example, technology is the perfect solution to ease the enormous amount of record keeping relating to vacation schedules and other benefit-related information. And since HR is the conduit between employee and the company, the opportunity to create an intranet - an internal private network to communicate with staff members - is a natural application of new technology.
But many managers have learned that logic doesn't always apply when the fears and sensitivities of human beings are involved. They've learned that employees are accustomed to having a real person, not an on-line representative, hold their hand to inform and counsel them. In addition, while technology is increasingly prevalent in companies of all types and sizes, many employees a) are still not technically proficient to access relevant information, b) question the privacy of on-line communication and c) continue to resist technological enhancements because they are simply creatures of habit.
But it's only a matter of time when HR practitioners and the employees they serve overcome these impediments. In fact, it's already happening in several critical areas of personnel affairs. One of the hottest developments in HR is on-line recruiting. While the days of advertising for and finding new employees through help-wanted columns in the newspaper aren't over, the sheer dimension of on-line recruiting is overwhelming.
With experts predicting a 14% increase in total employment by the end of the decade, it's not surprising that there are approximately 25 million resumes on-line, either on company web sites or central on-line sites such as Monster.com where recruiters post openings. Applicant tracking services, on which the average life span of a desirable resume is seventy-two hours, are best friends of HR managers who are looking for qualified applicants. On-line recruiting is projected to become a $7 billion business by the end of the decade.
Another critical application of new technology is in the area of web-based training. While not every function within a company lends itself to the new instructional medium of cyberspace - machinery operations, for example -- HR managers have found on-line training to be both economical and convenient. They can update materials more quickly on-line than when presented in paper form; can utilize audio, video and interactivity as part of the learning process; can accommodate employees whose schedule may not allow them time to take an instructor-led course; and can reach every employee at his or her desk.
Two other on-line applications that HR managers are finding increasingly helpful are administering company incentive programs and resolving workplace disputes. The former application encourages greater productivity and rewards employees for outstanding performance. On-line programs ease the administrative burden because keeping records for such things as performance, anniversary awards, or something as simple as acknowledging an employee's birthday is automated. A report cited in a recent issue of Workforce magazine states that the corporate incentive market has grown from nearly $23 billion in 1996 to $30 billion last year. This suggests the importance that companies are placing on motivational tools to retain qualified employees.In situations concerning conflict resolution, research shows that managers spend up to 30% of their time dealing with personnel issues such labor negotiations, sexual harassment or discrimination charges and failed partnership agreements. Third-party on-line mediators can bring the two disputants together on their respective computers where they can review relevant documents and proposed agreements, free from the face-to-face tensions that can often occur during in-room negotiations. Cost is also an important consideration. On-line mediators are often considerably less expensive than lawyers when a trial goes to court.
While new technology can't solve every problem, HR managers are finding increasing value in using the fast-growing resources of cyberspace to accomplish their mission. They are most successful, however, when they are sensitive enough to realize that their new-found reliance on technology must be tempered with the knowledge that their "clients" - the employees - are individuals who do not want to feel that their relationship with the company has lost the human touch.
By- by Carol Conway
Source:http://www.crsonline.net/techarticles/tech_column-15.htm
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