In corporate America, HR departments have traditionally managed the employee life cycle. However, with the advent of new technology such as artificial intelligence, HR has become much more tech-focused.
As applaudhr.com reported, 2023 was supposed to be the year of putting the human back into human resources, ensuring technology became more employee-centric, and reestablishing connections among workers, even in hybrid work groups. The site predicted more attention would be paid to skills gap training, burnout, stress issues and leadership development than had been given since before the pandemic cast much of the business world into survival mode.
Instead, say local experts, HR professionals in the Midlands have accumulated an unprecedented number of technology tools in the name of covering more ground.
“With advances in technology and a continuous barrage of software options, HR tasks continue to become more automated,” said Merle Riepe, president of SOLVE. “Payroll, benefits management and performance evaluations have been managed and executed utilizing software for some time and those offerings continue to advance.
“Recruitment and selection have seen the greatest advancements over the past decade and a lot of companies are marketing ‘silver bullets’ to solve the current struggles in those domains.”
Double-Edged Sword
As TechTarget.com noted, these advancements have also brought stiff challenges to the typical HR department, as it relates to technology. HR professionals are seeing vast amounts of employee data, the incompatibility of different systems, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence.
“With any new technology, there are some risks involved such as inaccuracies, authenticity and the overall lack of human experience,” said Stacey Singleton, technology jobs expert and regional director for talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half.
“While many companies are implementing generative AI … there’s always going to be the need for human expertise and connection. Ultimately, it’s important to think of generative AI as a tool, not a substitute for human thinking, strategy and expertise.”
Hiring Help or Hinderance?
A key area of HR operations where the pros and cons of technology reside side-by-side is in hiring. New tools are designed to help HR professionals manage a wider net of prospective candidates and make better decisions for future success.
“Our investments in advanced AI technologies, along with our global footprint, has allowed us to adapt quickly to a new marketplace where remote and hybrid work has become commonplace,” Singleton said. “Our purpose with AI is practical: to identify candidate profiles that best match an employer’s job requirements.
“Our industry-leading proprietary matching engines help us place more job seekers faster, as well as source candidates for future engagements. In this way, we’re able to continuously provide clients with the skilled people they need in a talent-short jobs market.”
However, the marketplace is also clogged with programs that only serve to frustrate the overall process, Riepe said.
“Technology has empowered prospective hires with more information, not always accurate, and power in the hiring process,” Riepe said. “Candidates can access Glassdoor and ascertain a company’s culture. For larger organizations, there is often detail about the recruitment process, including the tools used and the interview questions that are typically asked. Resourceful candidates can research how to game popular hiring assessments to get a favorable outcome since some of the tools lack sophistication in instrument development and scoring.”
New Challenges
Moreover, each new phase of technology brings its own unique challenges from an employee use standpoint. The risk of security breaches is a decades-old problem that has only been made more challenging by remote work, employees’ ability to use their own equipment and the rise of the smartphone to access sensitive information.
“Data security is more important now than ever,” said Kelli Lieurance, partner with Baird Holm LLP. “Companies need robust policies and procedures, often drafted by IT, to protect nearly all aspects of the business. Many companies now train employees at least annually on how to spot phishing scams and protect trade secrets, proprietary information and personally identifiable information. This has become just as common as annual harassment training.”
Lieurance said some familiar technologies, such as social media, have evolved to present new challenges.
“Generally, an employer may discipline an employee for their off-duty conduct [on social media] if it starts to affect work,” she said. “However, there are laws which limit that ability. For non-public entities, the National Labor Relations Act provides non-supervisory employees the right to discuss the terms and conditions of their employment with other employees for their own mutual aid and protection.
“This means that if an employee posts something critical of a manager, for example, and other employees comment or ‘like’ it, the employer may be limited in disciplining that employee because it relates to the terms and conditions of their employment.”
Other technologies, such as AI, present a completely new set of risks and challenges to which HR professionals have had to adjust quickly.
“The use of AI, while intended to simplify processes, may simultaneously add more complexity and for this reason, it will still require HR oversight to ensure legal compliance,” Lieurance said. “Businesses need to determine whether they will use AI or other technology to provide better products or services. This requires policies and training, which often fall under HR’s responsibilities.”
Lieurance gave the example of a lawyer who used AI to draft a legal brief but didn’t check the legitimacy of the cases in the brief, and some of them turned out to be fabricated.
Fundamentals Apply
Bryn Reed, director of human resources for Live On Nebraska, said her organization has tackled the issues of the modern workplace through a cooperative effort between the HR department and the information technology team, to help ensure employees understand the requirements of their roles and the ramifications of their actions. This is particularly true as it pertains to security.
“Our way to address the ever-changing environment is through collaboration and education,” she said. “Our IT department is exceptional, constantly innovating to ensure the security of our network and communication channels. We frequently offer training on the use of our technology, guiding through education and encouraging a positive approach to leverage these tools in support of their work.”
Reed said despite the challenges, the fundamentals of oversight and management of personnel still apply, even while addressing different challenges in a new age.
“The advancement of technology in the workplace underscores the need for HR and leadership to ensure that employees genuinely grasp the information they acquire through technological means,” she said. “We are tasked with scrutinizing the information and offering direction when there is a lack of complete understanding.”