The aim of this essay is to explore the use of information technology by HR in term of human resource management. This essay will first provide a summary of the new article related to this topic. Based on the content of the news article and other journal articles, the essay will discuss the role of HR professionals in handling human resources issues as well as advantages of applying information technology.
In the new article “Conversational interfaces: The future of employee engagement” written by Prakash Rao, the author talks about how chat-bots and other communication interfaces have changed the workplace and enhanced the employee engagement. There are three major HR issues discussed in the article. First, a variety of technologies have changed the traditional mode of information exchange, creating a more open, connected and collaborative workplace, which requires HR departments to quickly accommodate the new workplace as well as embrace new technologies (Rao, 2008).
Following this, the author explains the importance of using the conversational interfaces in human resource management, which will enhance the information sharing process and improving productivity (Rao, 2008). Lastly, the author believes that conversational platforms should focus on improving employee experience and be user-experience oriented in order to maintain employee engagement (Rao, 2008). The three main points in the article provide an insight into the role of HR departments in using advanced technology to increase employee productivity.
According to Mamoudou & Joshi (2014), human resources management have become more and more important and gain attention from individual employers in different organizations.
According to Valverde et al. (2006), HR function is defined as all kinds of managerial actions relating to the organization of work as well as the entry, development and exit of people. Managers of human resources use their competencies to serve the overall corporate objectives (Valverde et al., 2006). Human resources play a more important role in strategic management recently. Managers of human resources have a more strategic position within the organization in order to make a greater contribution to the performance of organization (Mamoudou & Joshi, 2014). In the new article, Rao (2018) argues HR departments play a vital role in business communication within a company. The increasing prominence of HR departments requires manager of human resources to have a quick response to the changing environment in the workplace.
Contrary to the traditional perception that human resources departments do not create direct value, managers of human resources are now regarded as important value creators for a company, creating competitive advantage in business and providing positive outcome for key stakeholders . According to Ulrich and Brockbank’s model proposed in 2005, there five key roles HR within an organization, which includes strategy partner, functional expert, employee advocate, human capital developer and HR leader. Each role has specific responsibilities. The three roles of HR as functional expert, change agent and employee advocate will be discussed particularly to analyze the arguments of the new article.
According to Ulrich and Brockbank (2005), the responsibility of functional expert is to deliver HR practices. Specifically, the role of “functional expert” includes the use of technologies to improve administrative efficiency (Ulrich and Brockbank, 2005). In the new article, Rao (2018) states that human resource departments need to cope with the various new technologies in the workplace. It is their responsibility to acquire comprehensive knowledge about new technologies and take advantage of these technologies to improve the working efficiency of employees. It is believed that if human resource departments fail to adapt themselves to the new mode of business communication, the companies will lose competitive advantages.
“Change agents” are responsible for managing the transformation and the changes of organizations. During the changing process, “change agents” need to use various methods to help employees to adapt to the new situation (Ulrich and Brockbank, 2005). For what Rao (2018) discusses in the article, as the working environment becomes more open and corroborative, employees are faced with challenges of technological shifts and the changes of the change of organization itself. It is important for employees to have access to solutions to cope with changing working environment.
“Employee advocate” mainly focuses on meaningful and friendly relationship among employees. HR professionals should understand the need of employees through friendly and useful communication. In the meantime, HR professionals need to provide necessary resources and support to employees, improving the competence of employees for the competitiveness of organization. This explains the reason for human resources departments to use chat-bots and other communication interfaces.
Communication interfaces are platforms with advanced cognitive technologies, which efficiently develop precise and customized automated dialogues for employee-related processes. The conversational interfaces can provide 24×7 support for employees from anywhere. The use of conversational interfaces can help HR professionals to better communicate with employees and increase the efficiency of internal communication. With the assistance of the conversational interfaces, employees are able to have a more efficient communication with their coworkers, completing a range of everyday activities with less resources. This could enhance the relationship among employee and boost employee productivity at the same time.
The use of various information technology by HR in the workplace have essential implications for a range of stakeholder including businesses, employees as well as the society. Companies have gone through the rapid