The Impacts Of Technology Toward Human Resource Practices Essay

The Impacts Of Technology Toward Human Resource Practices - Essay Example One thing for sure is that technology has had a lot of impact on human resource practices and this will be the subject of discussion. First, the paper will discuss what technology is and the various types of technology that have come up over the years. Then the paper will analyse how these new technologies have impacted on the way HR professionals carry out their jobs or in general human resource practices such as recruiting, selection, training, performance management, knowledge management and how work is organised and lastly, the challenges faced by HRM. Technology is liked by some as well as dreaded by others especially conservatives who do not like changes. What is technology? Waddill and Marquardt (2011: 4) define technology as â€Å"any innovations humans have developed, any tool that aids us in extending and interacting with our environment.† The first technology to be developed in the fifteenth century was the printing press (Parry & Tyson, 2007; Waddill & Marquardt, 2 011). This technology enabled publishing, communication, and distribution of knowledge. The computer was the next big thing in the twentieth century followed by the web 2.0 in the twenty first century (Strohmeier, 2007). These will be discussed in the rest of the paper. Technology continues to make HRM more efficient and effective especially in the information age. It also enables access to information and to join people electronically through groupware. Costs of doing various HR activities have been reduced through use of e-HR such as self service, e-selection, e-recruiting, and Human Resource Information Systems (Hendrickson, 2003). It also saves time and increases efficiency by standardizing routines and enabling the HRM to focus on strategic issues rather than administrative tasks as well as enhancing communication and collaboration. When the printing press was introduced in fifteenth century, the HR work was made easier. Instead of writing a lot of information using pen and pap er such information could be typed and published thus saving time for other purposes. Furthermore, communication was enhanced as employees and stakeholders could access published material easily (Dessler, 2008). However, it was the invention of the computer and the internet in the twentieth and twenty first century that revolutionalised the field of work. Before computers, HR professionals handled files and documents manually thus a lot of paperwork. This made it difficult to access information when required and wastage of time and money as such costs of maintenance were high. Now professionals just need to feed information on the computer and create files for easy access (Benson et al. 2002). Information required can be printed and paper work was minimized. Information technology through use of the internet has completely changed human resource practices. The use of e-HR has enabled the professionals to conduct most of their work efficiently and effectively. One practice that has b een affected is staffing. Traditionally, HR professionals put adverts on the media for potential candidates to apply for positions through written applications. Today e-recruitment and e-selection has eased this process. Candidates now access the information on the internet and apply online hence reducing paperwork (Dessler, 2008). Information gathered is kept on database and can be accessed in future. The internet also allows HR to conduct online tests and select candidates thus making the process more efficient. Computer-networked technology has enabled learning in