How HR Technologies have HR Practices evolved in the last 10 years?
Evolving technologies have brought lots of changes in the way we work. Few disruptive technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and even data science have made their presence felt in the corporate world.
The HR department is no exception!
In fact, the presence of new technologies has made the world of HR professionals easier as compared to earlier.
HR Department: The Humble Beginnings of HR Professionals!
The HR department had seen lots of changes since its initial days when it was simply known as ‘personnel.’ The duties entailed -
- record-keeping;
- law compliance;
- ensuring companies followed regulations;
- determining wage, compensation packages, and other benefits
However, as time progressed and the new technologies hit the corporate world, the HR department evolved as a caterpillar evolves into a beautiful butterfly. The subtle and not so subtle changes were there for everyone to see. In fact, it is believed that most of the changes in the HR department and HR practices took in the last 10 years alone.
Modern HR Professionals and HR Technologies: A Friendly Understanding?
As discussed earlier, there were times when much of the HR work was done manually, leaving HR professionals with no time to deal with other HR-related activities in an organization.
Cut to present — things are quite different in the current world. With the emergence of disruptive technologies that could automate most of the work earlier done by HR professionals, the HR department in the present world got a makeover that nobody could dream about.
Gone were the days of manual labor for HR Professionals. They had a slew of new HR technologies and programs that could -
- Automate payrolls — much-needed relief for an HR professional
- Streamline the onboarding process — another stress taken out of HR professionals life
- Simply recruitment process — this was a bonus because one of the major challenges HR Professionals faced was of recruiting the right talent
In addition, to the above-mentioned programs and HR technologies, the contemporary HR Professional had sophisticated talent management systems that enabled the organizations to immediately determine whether or not the employees got the right training opportunities, among other things.
No more administrative and personnel management tasks for contemporary HR professionals. With HR technologies making most of the work automated, the forward-thinking HR Professionals — spent most of their time and yes not to forget their energies on talent management, employee engagement, and strengthening culture.
A Shift in Roles and Responsibilities of HR Professionals: Decade of Changes!
As is with any other department the HR department also witnessed numerous changes in the last 10 years. Something we have already discussed, but there were other responsible changes, which HR professionals had to manage on their own.
But something was not right, somewhere…
According to a report by Deloitte, it was found out about 80% of respondents who participated in the survey believed that their organization lacked the HR skills. A setback of sorts despite the continuous progress and evolution that occurred in the HR department in the last 10 years.
The analysis revealed that one of the major reasons for this could be organizations’ wariness or aversion to change.
Old School HR Leaders and New HR Technologies: Technically A Mismatch!
The fear of losing their jobs could another reason for old school HR leaders to embrace new HR technologies. What they don’t realize was — investing in new HR technologies would only ease their jobs and would give them more time to do some creative work as HR Professionals including -
- Boosting team morale
- Customizing training, learning and development programs
- Individual and constructive feedbacks
- Planning flexi-hours for employees
Contemporary HR professionals realized that her role is not limited to just recruitment and onboarding. It goes beyond and over and involves ensuring employees are happily engaged and there is continuous learning for them.
That brought a thought — what about their continuous learning and growth. Enter certification programs from credible certification bodies that offered cutting-edge HR certifications — from HRCI and SHRM — along with some bodies — Talent Management Institute (TMI)— that offered talent management certifications.
HR Professionals and HR Certifications: Is There a Connection?
While a few years back HR certifications were not considered mandatory, they have become a need of an hour in the present times. A certified HR professional with a certification in talent management is the most sought after candidate.
So what are you waiting for? If you want to be a part of this modern HR industry then get yourself certified and see your career take wings.
Originally published at https://www.datasciencecentral.com on August 9, 2020.
