Modern advances in technology have irrevocably changed human resources. Instead of dealing with piles of paperwork, HR admins now have an array of data located in one centralized, digital location. Employees are now better able to navigate insurance enrollment options, time tracking procedures, and scheduling changes thanks to flexible, user-friendly software.
While technology affects all aspects of HR throughout the full lifecycle of each employee, it impacts some areas more significantly than others.
Hiring
In the past, corporate recruiters manually posted openings to job boards. They often spent a big portion of their timekeeping applications, resumes, and candidate profiles organized. Hiring for an open position was often disjointed and labor-intensive.
Innovative technology-driven tools have streamlined the hiring process. Applicant tracking systems that automatically organize applications make it easy to sift through hundreds of resumes to find the best match. HR managers that need to post a new job online can do so quickly and efficiently with specialized software programs. These programs allow applicants to screen candidates and schedule interviews within one consolidated, cloud-based interface.
Onboarding
Traditional onboarding methods (filling out hard copies of important documents with a pen, for example) have become all but obsolete in many industries — especially with the new emphasis on remote work. Fortunately, onboarding tools have kept pace with the changing times.
Self-service portals serve to illustrate this point. They allow newly hired employees to quickly and efficiently fill out forms online. This feature eliminates the need for HR professionals to transcribe and transfer information into an electronic database. Such portals cut down on unnecessary paperwork and filing space.
Around 24% of employees in one survey stated that they were less productive at work because they did not have the necessary tools. Many companies avoid this pitfall by deploying a cutting-edge onboarding solution that provides new hires with basic technical training.
Benefits
During open enrollment season, it can be easy for some employees to "slip through the cracks." HR professionals swamped with paper forms may misplace or inadvertently damage these documents. At the same time, a traditional benefits enrollment solution typically has several friction points that hinder employees from quickly and easily signing up.
Online benefits enrollment platforms allow HR admins to seamlessly compile and organize key information around each employee's chosen plan. Moreover, self-service portals allow employees to access their benefits and research policies and packages on their own without having to go through HR. In fact, employees can carry out these activities anytime, on any device!
Time & Labor
The days of time clocks, and punching in and out, are long gone. The demands of many modern jobs include the necessity of occasional site-to-site travel, if not constant relocation. In-home aides, house appraisers, and delivery drivers are just three of the occupations that fit this description.
With many companies struggling to deal with the time tracking challenges of a geographically dispersed workforce, technology-driven software can prove to be a highly effective solution. For instance, mobile time-tracking apps that have built-in geo-fencing capabilities allow employers to keep track of where their workers are. Those workers can quickly and easily "clock in" once they're ready to work.
Reporting
When companies experience time tracking issues, reporting troubles often appear right alongside them. Paper timesheets generally mean long hours in which an HR professional must transfer key payroll information to the company's computer network. That's not to mention the oft-encountered problems with misleading, inaccurate, or incomplete reporting.
A digital time-tracking platform that automatically integrates with time, attendance, and payroll functionalities bypasses much of the headache caused by the traditional reporting methodology. The time-tracking apps mentioned in the previous section can automatically generate payroll data and transfer it to the appropriate location. In the final analysis, these apps offer an elegant alternative to unwieldy and unreliable timesheets and make everyone's job much more manageable.
How Technology Continues to Change the HR Industry
The above are just a few ways that technology has an enormous impact on the human resources sector. Modern technology has:
- Helped to simplify and streamline the hiring process
- Made onboarding procedures more productive and less time-consuming
- Greatly assisted HR professionals during benefits enrollment season
- Enabled employers to more accurately track their geographically dispersed workers
- Eliminated the need for unwieldy and unreliable timesheets for payroll
All in all, technological advances have made life easier for HR professionals, saved much valuable time, and given employees increased access to important information when they need it.
