Human resource systems are some of the key components in many organizations. They are a representation of complete knowledge, attitude, talent, creative ability, and belief of a person involved in an organization’s affairs. Management of human resources is one of the core roles in any organization. HR procedures have been supported by various tools (Grabe, 2007). The modern and technologically advanced HR E-Systems have reduced much time in routine administration roles by automating most of the HR tasks. The paper provides a discussion on e-recruiting, self-service technology, and E-learning and training in HR department of the organization.
E-recruitment is also known as online recruitment. It is the practice of making use of the technology particularly web-based platform for tasks that involve attracting, finding, assessing, interviewing, and hiring of new staff in an organization. It is important for human resource director to understand e-recruitment system because they perform the essential functions and responsibility of drawing human assets into the organization. In using e-recruitment platform rather than the traditional recruitment channels, employers and applicants will experience certain advantages and disadvantages.
According to Macdonald (2013), e-recruitment provides a general advantage which involves shorter recruiting cycle, provides an opportunity to address a particular labor market niches, enables better quality of response, involves low costs, makes it easy for applicants to apply for the job and for recruiters to assess the qualities and qualification of the applicants, reaches a wide range of applicants, provides smaller companies more opportunities, can contain outdated resumes, and gives the organization an up-to-date image (Macdonald, 2013).
However, the e-recruitment has some general disadvantages such as being presumed to discriminate between internet user and a non-internet user, not suitable and appropriate for top or very senior management profiles, large number of unqualified and also low quality candidates, and it lacks the natural personal touch. Some of the resources to use for e-recruiting include e-mails, job matching system, online job posting, and scanner (Wuttke, 2009). Job matching system is matches the qualification and selects candidates with superior job qualifications. PCRecruiter is one e-recruitment software that uses job matching resources. E-mail are used to provide alerts for both the employer and the job application for example Zoho Recruit. Jobvite software provides online scanning for prospective candidates. When considering to implement an e-recruitment system, it is important to take into account the basic labor market, consumer characteristics such as knowledge, motivation, and search as well as managerial considerations.
According to Jasmand (2007), self-service technology is a technological interface that enables people to independently produce services without involving a direct service employee. In the present society, coupled by major and significant technological advancements, self-service technology is fast replacing the traditional face to face service delivery. The main aim behind development and implementation of self-service technology in various business is to ensure that service transactions are faster, convenient and accurate. It is important for human resource director to understand the self-service technology for them to easily use the systems for planning for employee training, employee appraisals, and other corporate resources. In addition, it is important for the human resource director to understand the self-service technology in order for them to effectively use the system in executing the roles for employees and providing other human resource services.
Self-service technologies have various advantages. They include automating the increasing list of administrative process or transactions for employees’ payroll, training, benefits, and corporate resources; improve the service delivery levels of employees and also the managers by eliminating the unwanted steps in human resource processes that consume time and cause frustration in terms of delay in transactions carried out by human resource directors; and help human resource specialists in spending less time in activities such as record keeping while they concentrate on functions that add value to the goals and objectives of an organization (Jasmand, 2007).
Some of the examples of self-service technologies include SAP HR Self-services and PeopleSoft Applications Portal and WorkCenter. SAP HR Self-services is SAP product that helps in simplifying the workflow of HR managers. It also helps in boosting the productivity of HR managers and employee by adoption of SharePoint or Office365. PeopleSoft is a product of Oracle that provides Portal capabilities by organizing useful business information and presenting it in way which is friendly. Important considerations when making decisions about self-service technology include carrying out a comprehensive business process and requirements review, identifying the required changes to present processes, policies, and practices; and articulating clearly their intended interpretation and enforcement strategy.
E-learning is a form of learning that uses electronic technologies in order to access training materials outside a traditional setting learning. In common cases, e-learning refers to training or educational content that is delivered to the intended personnel electronically. It is important for HR directors to understand the concepts of E-learning and training so that it will be easy for them to plan, and organize the required training materials and content that can be delivered electronically to employees in the organization (Schank, 2005). There are several E-learning and training tools that can be used to deliver training content electronically. Some of the examples of E-learning and training systems and technologies include SkillSoft SkillPort, and SuccessFactors Learning. The two are my preferred tools to use in e-learning and electronic training in my employer’s place.
SkillSoft is the leading provider and pioneer in delivering e-learning content in a highly effective manner using its innovative technology. SuccessFactors Learning is a comprehensive performance, talent, and HR management system that also includes social learning. The important considerations when making decisions about e-learning and training include the intended learning outcome for the training activity, the situation, location, number, and access of the team to access to learning and training materials, the technical requirements or activities of the training content for instance use of collaborative tools, inclusion of large graphic files, file sharing, live chat features among others; the depth experience of the trainer in using the E-learning and training platform, and the policies or requirement s of the organization regarding the use of E-learning and training technologies (Schank, 2005).
