As technologies in social media, cloud data storage and analytics take over the business world, they are now becoming a major feature in the strategic plans of HR departments according to an HR Magazine article. Although HR is not known for being IT-focused, it is now racing to the front of technological development and innovation to add value in companies.
It’s fair to say that the recession has been a major driver in this phenomenon and that HR is expected now more than ever to help deliver organisational efficiency. CEOs want to see the return on investment of staff management practices and to ensure that HR departments are producing results. The article also suggests that HR still spends too much time on day-to-day tasks that don’t add any strategic value. It mentions HR technology trends such as employee self-service and recruitment platforms, which could make processes more efficient and free up HR time for more important work.
HR technology trends in recruitment and the cloud
However, it seems that HR has a couple of major advantages as it moves into a more innovative and technology-driven world. First, the HR function lends itself well to consumer technology such as Facebook and LinkedIn and can join these groups and networks to attract people who would be a good fit with their businesses. Secondly, HR largely remains the same in terms of content from organisation to organisation so it’s much easier for tech companies to offer suitable cloud based solutions because of these similarities.
The article makes an interesting point about the number of providers who could potentially offer platforms to meet HR needs in organisations of all sizes. Because the requirements are roughly similar, it means that smaller, and perhaps more innovative, providers can enter the market and give HR the information and technology it needs to drive the sector forward.
