The Impact of Technology on Human Resources

In Forbes’s Article “The 2018 Human Resources Trends To Keep On Your Radar,” Josh Millet describes how the growth of technology will impact the workplace and more specifically its impact on Human Resources. Millet explains that in 2018 a big internal shift is coming and the focus is on technology, how it can be used to find people, connect people, engage people, and even replace people. Technology has mainly been used as a tool to help in day-to-day tasks but as we enter 2018 it will be used as “way of life” in the workplace.

Millet outlines the five biggest trends we can expect to see take within HR during this next year. There are passive candidates, a remote workforce, blind hiring, gamification, and future proofing employees. The article goes on to explain each of these in more depth.

The first being passive candidates. Headhunting of passive candidates has always been part of the recruitment process. It has become even more prominent these days through the use of social media. Social media has made getting in touch with candidates even easier. Talent pools can now be identified by searching hashtags, subforms, or other online communication methods. Engaging in these candidates allows the recruiters can get a sense of what the candidates are looking for in their careers.

Millet also explains the trend of working from almost everywhere, “in the past two decades, the volume of employees who have worked at least partially by telecommuting has quadrupled and now stands at 37%.” From a corporate perspective, it opens up the pool of candidates. When companies offer remote work capabilities it allows them to better retain current employees and improve job satisfaction through a better work-life balance.

Blind hiring helps companies reduce accusations and claims of bias in the workforce. By making the hiring process blind they are stripping away any info on a resume that may reveal ant demographic information. There’s recruiting software built to automate screening and anonymize candidates. This allows for a more diverse workforce built on merit.

Gamification is the idea of turning engagement into a competitive game format that works for many purposes such as marketing, teaching, or hiring. Gamification can be used as a candidate screener and turn test such as skill sets and cognitive abilities into fun engagement. They are able to do this through technology such as smartphone apps and other algorithms. The results benefit the hiring managers by having a lot of data that helps predict the strengths and weaknesses of candidates and allows candidates to have fun while trying to impress potential employers.

Millet also points out how manufacturing and manual labor positions are going away because of evolving technology, “ artificial intelligence is replacing repeatable tasks while predictive analytics is replacing certain levels of management and decision making.” In the coming year, it is the duty of companies to look at their human resources and make the determination of the best way to pivot them into future positions. If the company is able to plan ahead it will allow them to save money through the transition to computer drive labor while maximizing human potential of those already on their payroll.

It is important to consider how the growth of technology will impact Human Resources in the coming years. HR manager needs to be able to adapt and change to fit these changes into their company structure.