08: Information Technology for HR Planning

Monitoring HR Practices

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Organizational strategic planning has three distinct components. The first component is the establishment of the plan, which includes the high-level setting of vision, mission, and organizational objectives. The second is making the plan operational, and includes the implementation of the plan throughout all levels of the company, so that departments and business plans align in support of the planned strategy. The final element is that of monitoring all of the organizational activities, which is critical for ensuring the workforce is moving in the direction set by the plan, in order to meet the strategic objectives.

While HR plays an integral role throughout the strategic planning process, workforce monitoring (the third step) is the purview of the HR function. It is the role of HR to track and measure what the workforce is doing. HR provides the monitoring framework to ensure that not only is everyone headed in the same direction, but that the workforce activities are meeting timelines and required projections.

The concept of monitoring the workforce is not new. The means in which workforce monitoring takes place, however, has adjusted significantly with the evolution of HR technology. For example, the use of artificial intelligence platforms allows for computer keystroke monitoring. This is used as a measurement tool to track and report on employee performance levels. While the impetus for this type of monitoring stems from the need to track, measure, and report on productivity as a performance metric, it does come with a negative perspective. As noted in this article, keystroke monitoring has a distasteful aspect of spying or snooping on employees. The use of this intrusive software is made worse in these days of remote workforce management, due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Is the continued practice of workforce monitoring with spyware necessary?

A recent post in the Canadian HR Reporter provides us with a refreshing approach to meeting the current challenges that face the remote work environment. The article highlights the real opportunities that HR can put into place by eliminating unnecessary practices in order to sustain business continuity for the organization. Rather than obsessing about employee productivity levels, through the elimination of unnecessary and intrusive practices, a simplified HR approach can lead to a new way while still maintaining support for the organizational strategic plan.

Discussion Questions:

  1. To what degree do you think the employer should be able to monitor the remote workforce?
  2. Instead of keystroke monitoring software, what other mechanisms can be put into place to track and report on employee performance?
  3. How would you react if you found out your employer was using spyware to monitor your work patterns? Explain your rationale.

Is Artificial Intelligence a Digital Doomsday or a Bonanza for HR?

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Artificial Intelligence (AI), natural language processing, and deep learning are all current technology trends which will impact the working world. What will all this advanced technology do to current workplace relationships and HR Departments?

Will it be a digital doomsday where intelligent machines radically eradicate all jobs with the precision of a laser cutting through butter? Or will it be a bonanza for workers and HR with the rise of intelligent, more productive machines that will allow humans to be more innovate and creative?

Let us discuss both perspectives. There has been a long understanding that during any technological revolution that disrupts society it will also displace workers.

At one point in time, there were only two jobs in society: hunters and gatherers. Then, we became farmers which lead to the displacement of 90% of the hunters and gatherers. Farm equipment became more efficient, which put 90% of farmers out of work and the farmers had to transition into factory workers. Then, the knowledge workers started to replace the factory workers.

You can easily see the historical trend in which technology disrupts the workplace.  We can see that AI may start to replace knowledge workers such as doctors, lawyers and accountants. Deep learning machines can now process information and learn from it much faster than humans do.  What will the workers of the future do?

Odds are that AI technology will significantly disrupt the traditional workplace. How can HR be a part of the digital AI revolution? According to an article published in HRD by Rachael Ranosa, which summarizes a CIPD study, there are five things an HR Department can do:  (Click here to read the article)

  1. Develop an implementation strategy for AI and current work integration
  2. HR needs to use AI to make new jobs more meaningful
  3. Allow employees to become more innovative in the workplace
  4. Involve employees in the technology change
  5. Continually develop employees

It may not all be doomsday for workers, according to CIPD. AI and technology are creating as many jobs as they are eliminating.

If history repeats itself, AI and new technology will disrupt a significant portion of the workforce, But if HR is involved and implements the correct strategies, it can lessen the impact on employees and create more meaningful jobs in the future.

Discussion Question

  • Research and create a list of which jobs or professions in the next 10 years may be displaced by technology. Pick two and develop a HR strategic plan to reduce the impact on those employees.

Putting Analytics First

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There are two components in the structure of the world of human resources. The first component is defined by the word ‘human’. The second component is defined by the word ‘resources’. The work we do as human resources practitioners is to manage the combination of both the human and the resource elements in any organization. Our job is to analyze and problem solve when that combination of both human and resource capacities become tangled in problematic inefficiencies or blockages that prohibit organizational decision making and growth.

There is an ever-increasing expectation that the HR practitioner will be the decision making problem solver. In order to do this, the HR practitioner must have the capacity to use facts and data to begin an analysis before even starting to solve a particular problem. Unfortunately, for many HR practitioners, the skills and techniques needed to enter into an analytical problem solving methodology are still in development.

As outlined in a recent article published by Queen’s IRC, the human resources practitioner must take concrete data-driven steps to analyze a problem before jumping to a resolution which may provide misleading results.

Click here to read the article

The author identifies three critical elements that lead to poor problem solving analysis on the part of the HR practitioner. To counter balance each of these, it is clear that in the study of human resource management, we develop expertise in the areas of problem definition, capacity for understanding numbers, and defining the depth and breadth of data to be used in order to facilitate organizational decisions.

It is interesting to note that not one of these three elements refers to the human side of the human resources equation. All three elements are focused on the resource side. What we must keep in mind is that the provision of expertise and support through the resources side allows for the human part of the equation to make data based decisions based on sound resource practices.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Based on the article, what steps will you implement, as the HR practitioner, in order to ensure the integrity of a data based project?
  2. What are the perceived ‘weaknesses’ that face the HR practitioner when dealing with data based decision making?
  3. How can the HR practitioner control the amount and type of data that organizations use for decision making?

How an Organization Views Their Employees Matters!

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Big data it is a huge trend in today’s business world. It’s in the headlines and organizations are trying to gather and use it effectively. Big data analytics has expanded its scope yet again, the hot new topic being employee analytics. Actually, Deloitte has a fancier name for this leading-edge HR trend: High-impact people analytics.

Research conducted by Deloitte illustrates that when an organization reaches a high level of maturity on high-impact people analytics it is significantly more successful. The research demonstrates that organizations using people analytics in effective ways report 82 percent higher three-year average profit than “low-maturity” organizations.

An 82% increase in profit is a huge return. How does organizational success like that come about? Well, Deloitte provides a road map to develop a high-impact people analytics organization.

Click here to see the map.

The Bersin Deloitte consulting study outlines seven key findings on how an organization can mature their people analytics. This blog will focus on one key finding from this study, which is: “using multiple listening channels.”

Click here and scroll until to you see the concept of Enterprise “listening” architecture.

HR in today’s organizations is complex as many organizational problems have multiple causes. If there are multiple causes, the more information channels an organization can access, the greater the probability that it can solve a problem effectively.

This is where the use of multiple listening channels comes in. There are a number of ways to listen to what employees are saying about an organization. For example:

  • Organizational cultural audits
  • Frequent pulse surveys
  • Anonymous feedback tools
  • Performance reviews
  • Coaching programs
  • Exit interviews
  • HR key performance indicators
  • Social media monitoring

Which of the above channels is your organization listening to? Deciding which channels to listen to is key to designing your listening architecture. HR has always been about taking subjective information and making it more objective. By using sophisticated people-analytics and developing the correct listening architecture you can greatly improve your capabilities, which will in turn increase your organization’s chances of success.

Discussion Questions:

Pick three of the above listening channels, and for each one research a system that would allow you to collect credible information.

If you were an HR director, and were asked to pick only one listening channel, which one would you choose as your first priority and why?

 

Digital Distraction and HR’s role in it

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The HR department has many responsibilities and accountabilities. But where should HR focus their attention?

Ensuring compliance with employment laws, faster recruitment, better retention, and positive corporate culture are all required activities for a successful HR department. Here is one activity that HR should bring to the forefront of it yearly objectives: the reduction of digital distraction.

Fundamentally, one could argue that HR is about employee productivity and well-being. If HR gets those two things right, the business will be successful and the employees will be content. Unfortunately, HR is not doing its job when it comes to technology. The research is in: digital distraction and multi-tasking is taking its toll on employee’s well-being and an organization’s productivity.

Here is an enlightening quote from the Globe and Mail’s Eric Andrew-Gee in January 2018:

“Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy.”

That is a very depressing and overwhelming statement. HR’s job is to prevent this in the workplace. It does not stop there, according to HRD Canada. Multitasking affects our cognitive ability as well and it can reduce the male IQ by 15% and the female IQ by 5 %, and an overall decrease in productivity by 25%. Click here to read the HRD Canada article.

If this is not enough to shock you, research from Harvard Business Review states that digital distraction costs the U.S. economy $997 billion annually.

What can and should HR do to reduce the negative effects of smartphones and multitasking? HR must lead the way and start to have the conversation to put policies in place to change employee’s behavioural addiction to smartphones. Next, HR must build in breaks for employees to disengage from information overload. Read this HRB article to learn about greater details on how HR can help to improve the workplace and employees interface with technology.

HR should lead the charge to overcome the negative effects of smartphones and multitasking in the workplace to produce smarter, more social and healthy employees.

Discussion Questions:

  • Draft a smartphone usage policy that address the negative effectives of technology.
  • What can organizations do to reduce information overload from emails and workplace social media notifications?