Human Resources: More Than Hiring & Firing - Essay Sample

Introduction

Human resource management has been an administrative branch that has long dealt with the managing of the human capital of a particular company. The most commonly known function of this department has been that o hiring and firing of an organizations employees. There is, however, more that is done by human resource managers (Mousavi, Davoudi &Fartash, 2012). Their roles include the implementation of company policies by the employees, evaluate the performance of individual employees as well as departments in the organization. Work on the development and training of the hired staff to keep abreast with the current working standards. The human resource department also deals with the organizing of reward programs and team-building sessions for the organization.

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For years human resource management has been dormant with no notable evolution. It has long been a department viewed as a paper-intensive sector and one that requires human contact for it to function smoothly. In recent years, the human resource department has embraced the change in society today that is dictated by the evolving technology (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2016). Human resource has embraced technology to better its functions in employee recruiting, selection, managing performance, and training of staff as well as in the compensation and succession programs of the organization. When technology is appropriately applied in this department, it eases the workload and increases the efficiency of the managers.

One of the systems that have recently been incorporated into human resource management is the electric Human Resource Management system (e-HRM) m (Swaroop, 2012). This is a system that in co-operating web-based applications that enable human resource managers to access information through the internet. This also makes it easier for the employees to access essential human resource services easing the burden on the management team freeing them for other functions. The electronic, human resource management system has facilitated functions such as new employee recruitment. In the past, Human resource managers had to go through stacks of resumes sent in in print form as they try to recruit new employees. Job applications can now be made using online recruitment platforms that have standardized formats that suit the needs of the intended organization (Noe et al. 2016). The electronic system also eases communication between the human resource team and the rest of the company. New information, training manuals, schedules, and projects can quickly be sent through electronic mails.

However, there are cons to the use of this system. When it comes to recruiting, the standardized online application forms make it hard to determine the work standards of individuals. When sharing information, over-reliance on the mails can cause communication breakdown as some issues may not be addressed. The system has changed the role of the manager, they are now in a better position to analyze the organization's operations, make plans for projects and training rather than sorting through endless paperwork only to serve one purpose, recruitment. This puts human resource management into the middle management sector of the organization, allowing roles such as recruitment to be devolved to respective line managers.

Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is another technological tool that has been in cooperated into human resource management. This system is majorly used for acquiring and storing data for analysis. It contains the data of employees' performances and demographic information as pertains their employment in the organization (Hamidi & Sarfarazi, 2010). This system makes it easier to acquire, store, and access information when required. The use of a Human Resource Information system also reduces the chance of having errors in the data if it was otherwise handled manually. The use of HRIS has contributed to the evolution of human resource managers in that it facilitates prompt response to any arising matters and gives more time for the managers to engage in other office matters in the managerial setup.

Though the HRIS system is an efficient one, it also has its disadvantages. The system requires that an individual enters data, this gives room for human error to occur. The system also requires technical know-how. This is an extra cost to the organization that wishes to adopt the system, either in acquiring new personnel that has knowledge of the order or training the existing human resource management team to be able to work with the system.

One more setback with having data online is the possibility of having unauthorized parties accessing the information and possibly using it for harm. This creates even an extra cost for the company as it has to acquire more workmanship to ensure the data is kept safe at all times and that there is no external interference. In some companies, this task is delegated to the human resource team itself, adding to its work description. Another tool that has reshaped the human resource manager's work is the Virtual Human Resource Management (V-HRM) (Noe et al. 2016). This is a platform that provides employees with a self-service option. Through the program, the individual employees can access various functions such as training on courses developed by the human resource team, gaining permissions for tasks, reporting on their work progress, and updating self-development.

Virtual Human Resource Management is a tool that when used, reduces the cost of operations in the Human Resource department, in a world that is now almost entirely governed by technology, the use of virtual HR gives a company competitive advantage. The use of V-HRM has modified the role of human resource managers from mere trainers and data collectors in the company, to that of overseeing these functions. The downside of this system is, however, that the human touch and relation is lost when the web system is adapted. Clarifications are harder to get as the employee mainly interacts with the computer. There is also a high risk of data entry error and corruption since the systems are online.

Technology has made the work of human resource managers easier to handle; the acquisition and dissemination of information are much more comfortable and faster with the online system.

The use of I.T systems has opened gateways for the integration of new systems in the organization, such as e- training and learning that in cooperates, both formal and informal means of learning for the employees. Virtual recruitment is also possible through web applications, and this reduces the tedious process of sifting through printed resumes. The self-service system that enables employees to access information quickly and not rely on specific individuals to get a particular task done.

On the role of the managers, the systems have changed their functions from mere data organizers to analyst and proper managers of systems and departments. This has also raised the bar for the competency of the Human Resource Managers. The technological skill has now become a prerequisite for one to acquire a job in the human resource management. Human Resource managers are also required to undergo training to keep up with the technological systems and to tailor-make the arrangements to fit the requirements of the organization they are involved in. On top of just learning the technological systems, human resource managers need to have proper knowledge of the business they are engaged in (Gueutal & Stone, 2005). This is so that they can transform the data that has been acquired through the online platforms to fit the needs of the organization and to make sense for the company. In a department that has gone for long gone without any scientific evolutions, the integration of technology into the system has greatly revolutionized human resource management and has made it more efficient and dependable department. Like any other thing, the use of technology in Human Resource management comes with its setbacks. First, as much as the e-HRs has made recruiting much easier, it has made it also difficult to single out the exceptional candidates during the process. This is because the online platform is standardized, making it rigid.

The HRIS on its part is meant to keep data of the employees, as opposed to the previous method of individual filed printed data, this new system presents a challenge of leakage of personal information, by hackers or other ill-meaning people. The virtual Human resource manager also presents with a risk of having incorrect data in the system since not all the employees would have the required technical know-how to operate the system. Personal interpretation of the information in the systems may vary from one individual to another. This makes it harder for the company to get the exact intended information prompting it to now to have training sessions for the team to familiarise with the systems. Above all, integrating the digital systems into the company is an extra cost. This has made some companies to purchase the system and do away with the Human resource managers then train the line managers for the job. Alternatively, companies have raised the bar for the prerequisite qualifications of a Human Resource Manager. In the long run, the whole sector has to adjust to the changes right from the college level to match the new standards set by the evolving technology around us today. This then means that the old paper-intensive, human dependent sector will finally undergo the long-awaited scientific revolution since it was first practised.

References

Gueutal, H., & Stone, D. L. (Eds.) (2005). The Brave New World of EHR: Human Resources Management in the Digital Age. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Brave+New+World+of+eHR%3A+Human+Resources+in+the+Digital+Age-p-9780787973384

Hamidi, H.&Sarfarazi, M.(2010) " Globalisation and Human Resource Management. Journal of Studies of Globalisation, vol.2, NO.2, PP: 1- 40. Retrieved from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3a80/7a72f7be2e9da4cc234873539b1b92476fb3.pdf

Luck, B. (2010). Innovation of Technology: Business for a New Century, Retrieved from: www. Scribd. Com/doc/27947709/Innovation-of-Technology-in-Business-Slides

MousaviDavoudi, S.M &Fartash, K (2012). Electronic Human Resource Management: New Avenues Which Leads to Organizational Success, Spectrum: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Vol.1

Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J., Gerhart, B., Wright, P. (2016). Human Resource Management, 10th Edition