lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
Section 1: Introduction
Welcome to the exciting world of human resources (HR) Technology! Thanks to
advancements in this discipline, HR professionals around the globe can say
goodbye to time-consuming manual processes and painstaking spreadsheets, and
employees can say hello to a more engaging experience. Technology has been
instrumental in transforming the HR function, enabling HR professionals to shift
from performing administrative work to serving as strategic partners for a business.
Section 1, Human Resource Information Systems, provides an introduction to HR
technology and the most common applications organizations invest in for their
human resource management (HRM) system or human resource information
system (HRIS). This section explores specific applications for administrative HR
functions such as payroll, benefits, and time management, as well as more strategic
functions like talent management. Leveraging HR technology helps organizations
adhere to compliance requirements, reduce costs, gain actionable insights, and
deliver an overall more engaging employee experience.
This section covers one competency in six lessons:
• Lesson 1 covers HR technology and the global workforce.
• Lesson 2 explains the key owners and users of HR technology.
• Lesson 3 reviews the core HR administrative applications.
• Lesson 4 discusses various HR service delivery applications.
• Lesson 5 covers time management applications.
• Lesson 6 describes talent management applications.
Build Employability Skills and Competence
The world is moving faster than ever, and organizations must respond quickly in
order to drive business performance in such conditions. Organizations recognize
the importance of employing professionals who can effectively evaluate,
implement, and manage HR technology as these skills directly translate into
streamlined HR processes, which enhance decision-making capabilities and ensure
an engaging experience across the workforce. Additionally, leveraging HR
technology effectively enables HR professionals to focus on more strategic work,
such as hiring, engaging, developing, and retaining talent.
You will acquire the following skills in this course:
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
Identify the human resource information system (HRIS) best suited for the
capabilities needed in a selected company.
• Manage all employee information through the human resource information
system (HRIS).
• Address needs with human resource information systems (HRIS) and
business technology.
• Evaluate technology solutions that support the achievement of human
resources’ (HR’s) strategic direction, vision, and goals.
• Identify the correct applicant tracking system (ATS) for a particular firm.
In this section, you can demonstrate these skills by passing a final assessment that
measures whether you have mastered this competency:
• Examines human resource information systems (HRIS) to address the needs
of organizations and their employees.
Read pages 1–6 ("Introduction" to the end of "The Definitions") in Introduction to
HR Technologies.
Over 30 years ago HR Technology was in its infancy, just a kernel of an idea
held by those industry leaders who understood the power of data and
automation. Looking back with awe and amazement at the technical
accomplishments of this industry, we are ever mindful that HR still exists as a
very personal experience for the individual. On the corporate side, HR
Technology provides the vehicle through which organizations streamline
processes, effectively allocate resources and innovate within their HR function.
For the workforce, our personal lives have become more integrated with our
work lives, illustrating the point that when HR Technology works at its best, it
provides the framework through which balance can be achieved for everyone.
Looking forward, HR Technology may be facing its greatest challenge yet – the
future will not be judged by cost savings and ease of use but rather by value
creation and workforce experiences. In this new world, transparency will be
expected and yet trust is paramount – and the responsibility for enterprise
communications may fall to tomorrow’s HR Technology environments.
Human Resources Technology is a broad term used to describe a system of
software applications and the supporting hardware necessary to operate and
automate the work of managing an organization’s workforce. The breadth of
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
technology included under the umbrella term ‘Human Resources Technology’
varies widely based on the span of responsibilities found in each Human
Resources organization and how the term ‘workforce’ is defined for each
organization.
Breaking this definition down even further, an organization’s workforce or
Human Resources is everyone that leads, manages and accomplishes the work of
an organization who is compensated in some way for their efforts. The Human
Resources function is a department within an organization that is responsible for
overseeing the formal systems used to manage a workforce.
Historically, the HR function was primarily responsible for acquiring, paying
and possibly developing employees. That definition is so narrow that it barely
resembles the strategic mandate of today’s HR organization. No matter the size or
maturity of an HR function, we generally see that it is overseeing several critical
practice areas that include:
core HR administration;
service delivery; time
management; talent
management;
analytics and planning; emerging HR
practices.
Figure 1.1 The HR application categories
Each of these categories as viewed in Fig ure 1.1 has its own professional
standards, strategies, processes, defined responsibilities, compliance
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
requirements, workflows and data sets – and these will be discussed in detail later
in the book. For exceedingly small organizations, those with fewer than 25
employees, many of these management tasks can be handled manually via
spreadsheets or outsourced to service organizations. If a small organization is
outsourcing the management of these processes, it might use an accounting firm,
a professional employer organization (PEO) within the United States, or a global
employment organization (GEO) outside the US; in all cases some form of
technology is still being used to manage your workforce.
As organizations grow in size and complexity, they eventually find it necessary
to move away from manual workloads or service providers and begin the process
of selecting, adopting and managing their own processes and the supporting HR
Technology environments. There is no hard-andfast rule
concerning the timing of this transition, but there are a few business or
organizational situations that often lead to the decision to begin purchasing HR
Technology:
diverse work environments, including a mixture of hourly, exempt
and non-exempt workers; rapid expansion, leading to employees in
multiple cities, states, provinces, countries or regions; rapid
growth, leading to an increased volume of hiring and onboarding;
rapid change, leading to greater need for learning or reskilling;
cost concerns, leading to an increased focus on time, scheduling and
performance management;
tight talent markets, leading to greater need for contingent workers, workforce
career management and benefit options.
In each of these cases, organizations are looking for new technology that will
reduce administrative efforts and improve outcomes for end-users and ultimately
the business. The technology selected depends on industry standards, market
availability and the organization’s selection process. An organization should look
for a solution that fits culturally, achieves its strategic outcomes and will be able
to integrate effectively into a current or future data governance model.
EXAMPLE
A rapidly growing organization that has sales goals dependent on welltrained customer
support representatives is struggling to keep up with the hiring and onboarding demand of
new employees. To achieve the desired outcome, the HR function has analysed the hiring
and onboarding work and believes the best way to speed up the process is to automate
Section 1: Introduction
Welcome to the exciting world of human resources (HR) Technology! Thanks to
advancements in this discipline, HR professionals around the globe can say
goodbye to time-consuming manual processes and painstaking spreadsheets, and
employees can say hello to a more engaging experience. Technology has been
instrumental in transforming the HR function, enabling HR professionals to shift
from performing administrative work to serving as strategic partners for a business.
Section 1, Human Resource Information Systems, provides an introduction to HR
technology and the most common applications organizations invest in for their
human resource management (HRM) system or human resource information
system (HRIS). This section explores specific applications for administrative HR
functions such as payroll, benefits, and time management, as well as more strategic
functions like talent management. Leveraging HR technology helps organizations
adhere to compliance requirements, reduce costs, gain actionable insights, and
deliver an overall more engaging employee experience.
This section covers one competency in six lessons:
• Lesson 1 covers HR technology and the global workforce.
• Lesson 2 explains the key owners and users of HR technology.
• Lesson 3 reviews the core HR administrative applications.
• Lesson 4 discusses various HR service delivery applications.
• Lesson 5 covers time management applications.
• Lesson 6 describes talent management applications.
Build Employability Skills and Competence
The world is moving faster than ever, and organizations must respond quickly in
order to drive business performance in such conditions. Organizations recognize
the importance of employing professionals who can effectively evaluate,
implement, and manage HR technology as these skills directly translate into
streamlined HR processes, which enhance decision-making capabilities and ensure
an engaging experience across the workforce. Additionally, leveraging HR
technology effectively enables HR professionals to focus on more strategic work,
such as hiring, engaging, developing, and retaining talent.
You will acquire the following skills in this course:
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
Identify the human resource information system (HRIS) best suited for the
capabilities needed in a selected company.
• Manage all employee information through the human resource information
system (HRIS).
• Address needs with human resource information systems (HRIS) and
business technology.
• Evaluate technology solutions that support the achievement of human
resources’ (HR’s) strategic direction, vision, and goals.
• Identify the correct applicant tracking system (ATS) for a particular firm.
In this section, you can demonstrate these skills by passing a final assessment that
measures whether you have mastered this competency:
• Examines human resource information systems (HRIS) to address the needs
of organizations and their employees.
Read pages 1–6 ("Introduction" to the end of "The Definitions") in Introduction to
HR Technologies.
Over 30 years ago HR Technology was in its infancy, just a kernel of an idea
held by those industry leaders who understood the power of data and
automation. Looking back with awe and amazement at the technical
accomplishments of this industry, we are ever mindful that HR still exists as a
very personal experience for the individual. On the corporate side, HR
Technology provides the vehicle through which organizations streamline
processes, effectively allocate resources and innovate within their HR function.
For the workforce, our personal lives have become more integrated with our
work lives, illustrating the point that when HR Technology works at its best, it
provides the framework through which balance can be achieved for everyone.
Looking forward, HR Technology may be facing its greatest challenge yet – the
future will not be judged by cost savings and ease of use but rather by value
creation and workforce experiences. In this new world, transparency will be
expected and yet trust is paramount – and the responsibility for enterprise
communications may fall to tomorrow’s HR Technology environments.
Human Resources Technology is a broad term used to describe a system of
software applications and the supporting hardware necessary to operate and
automate the work of managing an organization’s workforce. The breadth of
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
technology included under the umbrella term ‘Human Resources Technology’
varies widely based on the span of responsibilities found in each Human
Resources organization and how the term ‘workforce’ is defined for each
organization.
Breaking this definition down even further, an organization’s workforce or
Human Resources is everyone that leads, manages and accomplishes the work of
an organization who is compensated in some way for their efforts. The Human
Resources function is a department within an organization that is responsible for
overseeing the formal systems used to manage a workforce.
Historically, the HR function was primarily responsible for acquiring, paying
and possibly developing employees. That definition is so narrow that it barely
resembles the strategic mandate of today’s HR organization. No matter the size or
maturity of an HR function, we generally see that it is overseeing several critical
practice areas that include:
core HR administration;
service delivery; time
management; talent
management;
analytics and planning; emerging HR
practices.
Figure 1.1 The HR application categories
Each of these categories as viewed in Fig ure 1.1 has its own professional
standards, strategies, processes, defined responsibilities, compliance
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
requirements, workflows and data sets – and these will be discussed in detail later
in the book. For exceedingly small organizations, those with fewer than 25
employees, many of these management tasks can be handled manually via
spreadsheets or outsourced to service organizations. If a small organization is
outsourcing the management of these processes, it might use an accounting firm,
a professional employer organization (PEO) within the United States, or a global
employment organization (GEO) outside the US; in all cases some form of
technology is still being used to manage your workforce.
As organizations grow in size and complexity, they eventually find it necessary
to move away from manual workloads or service providers and begin the process
of selecting, adopting and managing their own processes and the supporting HR
Technology environments. There is no hard-andfast rule
concerning the timing of this transition, but there are a few business or
organizational situations that often lead to the decision to begin purchasing HR
Technology:
diverse work environments, including a mixture of hourly, exempt
and non-exempt workers; rapid expansion, leading to employees in
multiple cities, states, provinces, countries or regions; rapid
growth, leading to an increased volume of hiring and onboarding;
rapid change, leading to greater need for learning or reskilling;
cost concerns, leading to an increased focus on time, scheduling and
performance management;
tight talent markets, leading to greater need for contingent workers, workforce
career management and benefit options.
In each of these cases, organizations are looking for new technology that will
reduce administrative efforts and improve outcomes for end-users and ultimately
the business. The technology selected depends on industry standards, market
availability and the organization’s selection process. An organization should look
for a solution that fits culturally, achieves its strategic outcomes and will be able
to integrate effectively into a current or future data governance model.
EXAMPLE
A rapidly growing organization that has sales goals dependent on welltrained customer
support representatives is struggling to keep up with the hiring and onboarding demand of
new employees. To achieve the desired outcome, the HR function has analysed the hiring
and onboarding work and believes the best way to speed up the process is to automate
