Here’s how HR Technologies are optimising employee performance

Mobile Networking, People Analytics, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence are some of the technologies that will enhance the productivity of the employees

As much as many companies seemingly view their Human Resource department as an obligatory expenditure, the fact of the matter is that good HR management is a significant determinant of the long-run success or failure of the organisation. When properly utilised, a modern Human Resource department can add substantial value to its company by recruiting only the most qualified candidates and retaining them once they’ve been hired. While the basic objectives of HR like talent acquisition, retention, optimising productivity, and securing employee welfare, remain unchanged, the tactics employed have evolved considerably over the last few years especially given the rapid advancements in technology. Technology has advanced to the point where it’s not merely shaping how the workforce operates, but what constitutes the workforce itself.

HR is being pushed into a much larger role which entails helping their respective organisations go digital. If the vast amounts of data available on potential candidates internally and externally can be effectively married to the recruitment process, this would result in a fool-proof method of hiring only the most suitable jobseekers that will best benefit the company in the long run.Enhanced employee productivity has always been the ultimate goal for an organisation, and it only stands to reason that employers with advanced HR technologies have an advantage over those with a more traditional approach, and these differences will manifest themselves in the long run. Here are just some of the technologies that employers can use to effectively optimise the productivity of their staff:

Mobile Networking And Improved Connectivity

The reduction in the prices of smartphones in recent years, and the increasingly inexpensive internet plans of the post-JIO era have resulted in a mass penetration of these facilities across the country. These services have all but rendered traditional means of office communication like telephone, fax, and some degree even emails antiquated if not obsolete. Messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram, and Video Conference services like Skype and WhatsApp Video have democratised communication and radically changed the way business is conducted in only a matter of years. Some of the advantages of improved mobile technology are:

• Telecommuting: Smartphones, given their internet connectivity and the availability of several office applications have enabled employees to work remotely without any loss of productivity. This has made ‘working from home’ no longer a euphemism for taking the day off, but a legitimate option for employees, especially in the case of unforeseen circumstances not severe enough to warrant a day’s leave. Working from home improves an employee’s wellbeing as well as serves as a lucrative recruiting tool for a company’s HR department.

• Cloud Communications: In order for HR to function at peak efficiency, communications with employees must be easy, constant, and inexpensive. Cloud Communications simplify functions to allow for easier engagement with employees, along with superior cost efficiency. The cloud enables employees to work remotely from their mobile devices, irrespective of where they are in the world so long as an internet connection is available. Tools and apps that for allow mobile devices to sync contacts, calendars, and emails are now freely available on most platforms as opposed to exclusive, premium technology.

Building Open Communication

For employers to improve performance reviews, transparent communication between them and their employees is a necessity. HR software allows for employers to easily and crisply articulate their goals with employees and make the organisation’s expectations and ambitions more clear. HR software therefore allows for employees to be well aware of the organisation’s goals, and therefore develop effective means to make sure that their personal performance goals are compatible with them.

People Analytics to Measure Progress

People analytics will soon replace routine and monotonous tasks that kill employee creativity and reduce productivity. With the increased role of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in the People Analytics, employers are better decision makers in optimising the human capital and utilising their talent more efficiently and effectively. So, a great compatibility between human wisdom and machine perfection will ensure the success of businesses in 2018 and beyond with the help of advanced people analytics tools.

Big Data and Artificial intelligence are the two technologies that will determine the future of HR. Their influence on all processes, including hiring, background screening, and performance management will be profound in the coming years and add a scientific dimension to a largely human field. Big Data and AI often get confused for one another even in HR circles, which is why I will elaborate on them in detail.

Big Data: Big data are sets of information so vast and complicated that they cannot be processed by traditional software. Specific to the HR industry, it has been shown to help with real-time prediction of hiring needs, improving the quality and retention of new employees and connecting recruiting performance with business objectives.

Artificial Intelligence: AI is essentially a computer system that is able to automatically execute tasks requiring human intelligence and it offers several advantages such as:

• Efficiency: The biggest problem facing HR today is the fact that human beings are subject to fatigue, and manually reviewing an average of 50 resumes a day is likely to be an unscientific process riddled by the possibility of human error.  AI is able to effectively negate this problem, allowing HR teams to focus on issues requiring human intuition like talent retention.
• Automation: AI can successfully plan, organize, and coordinate training programs for all staff members through online programs and digital classrooms. It can be optimised to cater to the needs and requirements of individual employees, and monitor their progress, indefinitely. AI can also be programmed to automatically answer FAQs by employees regarding routine company procedures regarding leave, sexual harassment, reimbursements, and more.
• Accuracy: AI follows very strict parameters that come preprogramed; this makes it far more accurate when it comes to fairly accessing an employee’s performance, improvement, and potential than a human being. This data plays adds a quantifiable element to an employee’s value for the organisation can be used to determine appraisals, promotions, and benefits.

As innovation progresses, HR technologies will continue to evolve and so will the tools available to optimise employee performance, the only consistency will be change.

Authored by Dr. (Col) John Chenetra, President, SecUR Credentials