The rise of digital technology has had a major impact on many different professions. Human resources professionals are not exempt from this trend. Technology has dramatically impacted the HR field in recent years. As new innovations continue to emerge, these shifts will continue.
Being an effective HR specialist means staying abreast of such developments. If you understand the way in which technology is changing your job, you’ll be better equipped to prepare for the future and prepared to leverage these resources for your benefit.
It would be impossible to cover all the ways that digital technology has impacted this profession in a single blog post. Here are some of the more noteworthy trends.
New Recruitment Methods
Not long ago, many talent recruitment specialists had to sort through paper resumes, conduct lengthy phone calls, and schedule face-to-face meetings with candidates in order to find the ideal candidate for a position.
That’s no longer the case. Recruitment often occurs online now. HR professionals post jobs online, accept online applications, and even contact applicants via email.
This obviously helps them to save substantial time and resources. However, it’s still important to understand that this technological shift is relatively new when one considers how long traditional recruitment methods have been in place. The ability to optimize an online job listing in order to attract the right candidates should be a top priority for anyone working in this capacity.
Improved Performance Monitoring
One HR trend that has emerged in recent years is the demise of the annual performance review. Surveys indicate that employees dislike this process, and many experts have concluded that performance reviews don’t actually yield many benefits for an organization.
That said, up until recently, they were necessary. New technology has changed that. HR professionals can now use programs designed to help them monitor employee performance on a more regular basis. These programs offer many benefits that traditional reviews don’t. For instance, they often allow HR departments to collect information about an employee’s performance from many different sources. This results in a more thorough perspective on a particular employee’s abilities. Additionally, because performance-review software allows HR professionals to check in with employees more frequently, it’s easier to identify and address issues early. This also helps employees to feel less intimidated by performance reviews. When it happens annually, it’s a major event that can trigger anxiety. However, when it is conducted more often and is an ingrained element of a business, it is viewed more positively.
Improving Training
Digital technology has changed the face of the workplace in general. According to surveys, more people are working remotely now. There’s no reason to believe this trend will not continue.
It’s also a trend that offers many benefits to recruitment professionals. When you can hire workers from anywhere in the world, it’s easier to find the right person for a position. You’re no longer limited to candidates who live near or who can relocate to the city in which your office is based.
You can also implement more effective training programs. In the past, employee training involved gathering all team members in one place. This made it difficult to strike a balance between maintaining productivity and supporting employee growth. The task of gathering all team members for a training session simply isn’t very efficient.
Luckily, digital technology allows organizations to distribute training programs to workers via their mobile devices. This is particularly helpful for training remote employees. On top of that, technology such as artificial intelligence can help HR departments to analyze employee data. This can make it much easier to determine exactly what training programs are necessary, and which employees should be involved.
Staying Secure
Obviously, a major responsibility of a typical HR department involves keeping employee records secure and protected. Prior to the digital age, HR professionals had to rely on filing cabinets and other outdated tools to store employee records.
Now, they can keep those records safe in a digital environment. While it’s crucial to take advantage of these new developments, it’s also important to ensure your employees know that you’re doing so. They’ll be more engaged on the job if they know their employer is taking every step necessary to protect their records.
HR departments can further boost employee engagement by using digital payroll systems that allow workers to see exactly how their paychecks are being allocated. For example, digital payroll systems allow for greater transparency in regards to how much of an employee’s paycheck is going toward their benefits.
Again, these are merely a few trends that technology has given rise to in recent years. HR professionals can leverage technology to increase productive and accuracy, as well as to boost employee satisfaction. If you work in the HR field, you should start considering how you can use technology.