5 Ways e-HR will Transform Your Department in 2014

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young businessman looking at high-tech picture In its report “Transforming HR Through Technology,” the Society of Human Resource Professionals (SHRM) says that in many organizations today, “employees now see the face of HR as a portal rather than a person.”

SHRM calls this shift “e-HR,” or the transformation of HR service delivery using web-based technology. And boy haven’t we witnessed how the implementation of HR technology has certainly transformed the way HR professionals conduct business. Advancements in technology now allow HR folks to ditch newspaper ads and post multiple job listings all across the internet. And now HR departments can efficiently onboard and train new employees without wasting tons of paper. Not to mention the ability to hire and connect with remote workers.

It’s pretty clear to see just how much technology has benefitted HR departments in the past…and it shows no sign of slowing down. The SHRM report says that HR professionals must not only master traditional HR skills and knowledge, but also have the ability to apply that knowledge via technology.

So, to help ensure today’s HR pros keep their knowledge and skills up to date with the latest technology trends, Recruiter.com teamed up with Tim Low, Vice President of Marketing at PayScale. Below are just five of the ways Low says e-Hr will transform your HR department in 2014:

1. The Rise of Big HR Data Insights – Really, who just wants more data? While Big Data is a huge trend, HR departments are looking for actionable insights to help them make the right decisions for their business. These are insights that can only come from a large data set (not a few hundred or even a few thousand data points, but millions or more).

2. Demand for Real-time Analytics – Real-time information is key because it tells you when something is occurring in the moment, allowing managers to intervene before their business is impacted. Examples of real-time analytics can include up-to-the minute market data or an alert from your software when something critical has changed.

3. Social Profiles are Replacing the Resume – It’s time officially to kill the resume, and that’s a good thing. People are recognizing that keeping their LinkedIn profile current is the best way to become discoverable. The good news for job seekers is that this means never looking for an old resume, updating and re-formatting it. And that’s even better news for recruiters and hiring managers because social recruiting will eliminate the dreaded resume parsing.

And when social recruiting in 2014, recruiters should not hesitate to use all their resources. According to the 2013 North American Social Recruiting Activity Report by Bullhorn Reach, although only 22 percent of recruiters used Facebook for recruiting in 2012, the report found that Facebook works better than Twitter for identifying place-able candidates. Remember, social profilesare replacing traditional resumes, not just the LinkedIn social profile.

4. If it’s Not the Cloud, it’s Not AllowedMore HR software will move to the cloud in 2014. So, if yours is not there already, then be prepared to move. The benefits of cloud software are well documented, and perhaps more importantly, the companies who make cloud-based software are the ones receiving financial investments and showing the most innovation.

Just look at Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies as an example. SaaS leader Salesforce.com landed at no.1 while VMware took the third spot and Amazon followed behind landing at no.7.

5. Even HR ‘Dark Arts’ Like Compensation Will Be Modernized – Compensation has been done the same way for decades. But modern technology such as crowdsourcing, big data and cloud services are making this discipline easier than ever for non-compensation gurus. In 2014, more HR departments will be looking to get a better return on their payroll and will turn to analytics technologies to help.

This story is a part of Recruiter.com’s 2014 Recruiting Technology Trends series.

By Shala Marks