Chapter 8 – IT for HR Planning – Week 12 Flashcards
What is Information Technology (IT)
All hardware and software, including networking and communication technologies involved in storing, retrieving, and transmitting information
Benefits of IT for HRM
Can help project supply and demand for HR
Can support succession planning and career development plans
Provides powerful storage and retrieval capabilities
Provides tools for workforce analysis
It can mine HR info faster, cheaper, and more effectively
Overall helps HRM achieve operational and strategic efficiency
What are typical HR functions with High IT support
Data storage: Pay, vacations, sick time Transferring data from HR to payroll Generating organizational charts Posting job openings Tracking labour costs
What are typical HR Functions with Low IT support
Employee career development
Employee ergonomic assessments
Measuring diversity needs and results
Self-service or menu-driven employee benefits
Online delivery of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
What are new Service Delivery Functions?
Web-Based HR
e-Learning
Enterprise Portals
Self-Service Technology
Web-Based HR
Allows service delivery that pushes employees and managers into doing the transactions themselves
Self-service is an important web-based service delivery model such as online access to information
e-recruiting and e-learning are highly visible applications
e-Learning
The process of learning contents distributed in digital format via computers over the Internet or other network
Enterprise Portals
Knowledge communities that allow employees from a single or multiple companies to access and benefit from specialized knowledge associated with tasks
E.g. SAP, PDS, PeopleSoft
Self-Service Technology
A technology platform that enables employees and managers to access and modify their data via a web browser from a desktop or centralized kiosk
ESS: Employee self-service application
MSS: Manager self-service application
What are the different IT Solutions for Different Needs
HR Information System (HRIS)
Specialty products (specialized software solutions)
Enterprise Commercial software Systems
Big Data
HR Information System (HRIS)
A comprehensive across-the-board software system for HRM that includes subsystems or modules such as: Recruitment and selection Time and attendance management Payroll Training and development Pension administration
Specialty products (specialized software solutions)
Software solutions for specific or specialized applications that may or may not interface with the main database
Address specific needs as they are focused on a single area of HRM
Go in-depth into a particular business activity
Enterprise Commercial software systems
Commercial software systems that automate and integrate many or most of a firm’s business processes
An ERP can integrate HR data with other systems in the firm (e.g., finance, logistics, production, and accounting)
Big Data
Integration of digitized data from multiple sources and in multiple formats including structured and unstructured
Also, big data represents the integration and analysis of many different types of data from a wise variety of data sources
Marketing, finance, operations and HR, customer satisfaction, social media etc.
Types of Big Data
May be categorized into 2 forms and may come from various sources, internal and external:
(i) Structured data
May be organized into columns and rows – spreadsheets
(ii) Unstructured data
A mismatch of various types of files and data you may have on your computer – text documents, email, text messages, audio, presentations, images
Does not conform to a pre-established structure
5 Pillars of Big Data
To consider when assessing readiness for data
- Volume – Organizations collect a staggering amount of data and are required to collect more and more
Do you have the capacity to store overwhelming volume of data - Velocity – Requirement to transfer large amounts of data in a reasonable period of time
Can the data be searched and accessed in a reasonable period of time? - Variety – Big data comes in many formats
Does my organization have the ability to deal with the variety of data - Veracity – It is important to consider the authenticity of the data, considering some data is unstructured
Incorrect data means incorrect information and incorrect decisions - Value – It is difficult, given the volume to determine what is valuable and important and what is not
What is Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning?
the ability of a piece of software to learn
Ranges from reward-based to unsupervised learning
Reinforcement learning is also used on machines
- Machine is given clear objectives
- Machine tries many simulations until it achieves the appropriate outcome
May be used to sift through big data
What are some ethical issues with AI
Issues of privacy – what are they? (i.e. if someone is able to hack the system and the info get’s into the wrong hands)
AI cannot explain the rules around decision-making – transparency issues
Unclear as to whether the software company or the employer (e.g. Legal Aid) is responsible for decisions and predictions which may be wrong
When is it a bug or when is it a decision flaw?
If HR is replaced by AI and the machine fails, what happens? What’s the risk to the organization?
Employers have a _____ obligation to protect employees’ personal, medical and employment records
Legal
What are the two (2) golden rules for ensuring data security?
Information should only be used for the purpose for which it was obtained or compiled
Only authorized people should have access to employee data
What six (6) HR Planning functions does IT support?
HR Metrics and workforce analytics Workforce management and scheduling Forensic reporting Skills inventories Replacement charts Succession management
Workforce Analytics
Statistical modelling and software for gathering information about employees and work in order to optimize the use of human resources in the organization
uses include:
Predicting the probably success of a candidate
Identifying and quantifying the physical risk to employees
Measuring workforce characteristics that contribute to fraud
Measuring employee engagement and predicting turnover
Identifying obsolete departments and or positions
Business intelligence
Includes the applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help users make better business decisions
Workforce Management and Scheduling
Workforce management and scheduling are often quite complex
Workforce scheduling and optimization software provides applications for deploying employees most effectively
Based on forecasts, which are then used to create schedules
Forensic Reporting
A detailed technical analysis of data that leads to conclusions about why certain behaviours occur within the HR function
Can be used to monitor employees, for the good of the organization and employees
Examples are policy compliance, identify at-risk employees
Steps (5) for selecting HRM Technology solutions
- Conduct a needs analysis
Is there truly a need? What is the need? - Explore the marketplace
What’s out there? - Request for proposal
How do I sift through? - Evaluate vendors and products
Do they meet my requirements? What am I willing to forgo? Is there more?
Scripted Demo - An in-person demonstration of the product that follows a clear agenda (in fact, a written script) that you have prepared for the vendors
Used to evaluate both the vendor and the software product - Implementing and evaluating technology
What are some pitfalls of IT implementation
Lack of user involvement Incomplete definition of needs Change of needs Lack of management support, planning, and resources Lack of planning Lack of resources New technology Size and complexity of project Lack of technical knowledge Lack of knowledge on new technologies Project no longer needed Unrealistic expectations Unclear goals Unrealistic time frames
The extent to which users intend or actually use technology as a regular part of their jobs
Technology acceptance:
What are examples of ways to assess effectiveness of technology
Attitude Usefulness Information satisfaction System satisfaction Information quality System quality
