Monday, December 5, 2016

Cloud-based technology and the use of social media has created a new technology channel for HR to attract and manage current employees in the workplace. Are there any specific technologies that have been found to be more efficient than others in your place of business? . “Cloud computing promises benefits in numerous functional areas, but in few has the impact been felt as keenly as in human resources. Particularly for core "back office" HR areas such as benefits, time and attendance, and systems of record, decades spent using -- and customizing -- on-premises software have created considerable inertia” (Noyes, 2016).

Reference:

Noyes, K. (2016). How the Cloud is transforming HR. Computerworld. Retrieved From. http://www.computerworld.com/article/3049420/cloud-computing/how-the-cloud-is-transforming-hr.html

 
 
 
 
 
 
Ideas on how to apply the information presented in Week 4 and working with HR:
 
I see using social media tools in HR as a way to enhance the overall onboarding and follow up experience with employees. I would encourage HR to use tools such as Facebook and LinkedIn to research and post for openings in the company and then do some follow up on the potential candidates to see how they portray themselves on these public forums. By using a cloud based payroll and benefits system I can see the employees being more engaged by taking advantage of their retirement and payroll options and becoming more savvy in their decisions with their future and how they want to positon their savings plan. I see our employees as our customers in some respects as they are needing services to perform their jobs and these types of cloud based or mobile services that we can offer them will enhance their signature experience with the bank and make them a happier employee and want to continue to work here.
 
A product that I found that uses an internal social media was Jostle. This product is a intranet based module that offers several features that keep employees engaged and on task. Jostle uses a town hall forum to give employees a place to ask questions, both public and confidential, and the employee can join the conversation from their smartphone or tablet. Another feature is that it allows you to create teams and smaller groups so if there a specific project or task that is being done, it does not need to be shared to all employees. For new employees it provides a search feature by name so that other employees in larger companies can see photos and bios of their peers and create relationships based not only on job duties, but outside interests as well. A library feature allows all company resources and data to be accessible in one place as a reference tool for employees in all areas of the company.
I see a parallel to this similar to Facebook, but with more detail and contained only to employees of the company. This is a product that I found very interesting and am going to seek it out further for the Bank as a way for staff to communicate and connect. I would like to see the HR department here at the Bank use this tool to do an overhaul of our current technology channels to share communication and information. As a manager in concert with HR,  I would use this tool to post employee promotions and upcoming dates of project milestones as well as maybe birthdays and anniversaries. I would also want to start to incorporate a online monthly newsletter that departments can post and share what happened in their area monthly and share any personal or professional information. HR can post new hire information with a picture and contact information for the new hire. I would also ask HR to help me with questions regarding open enrollment and coverages as that is an issue at the end of the year as the medical insurance and dental insurance and open a discussion forum so employees can ask questions about their coverage or if their status has changed from last year. 
 
Socialcast is another internal social media tool that I found interesting. Socialcast is more project based and connects people within the company and is a centralized hub of business driven functions. Employees can seek out and post thoughts and ideas and receive real time feedback. The information is centralized and is easy to access with everything relating to the project is in one place. It offers a reports tool that can be used to track a project's progress and highlight deadlines. This appears to be a more functionality platform that one that entertains more human related issues like Jostle. I can see a use for this when you are heavily project based and have multiple events running simultaneously and need to have the ability to track and monitor progress on all levels. As a manager I would use this tool to navigate through a new project. We recently added new loan product and this would be a great way to vet employee feedback on the product and HR could help with the way we hire new people for the department to handle the marketing and production of the new initiative.
 
I see the training function in HR becoming more and more mobile and web based which I have to say I think is somewhat detrimental only because in some cases it is better to have an instructor in a setting face to face with their undivided attention. As you stated earlier there is a benefit for not have the expense of hotels, meals, and mileage for employees to attend training "A poll of senior HR professionals has revealed that online learning will form the single, largest part of their organisations' future training delivery" (ELearning Age, 2007). What I have seen in other organizations is that when times get tough, the training budget is usually the first to get shaved down. I do think there is a line that should not be crossed when considering budget cuts in training and at some point the organization may suffer "there is no replacement for a properly funded, carefully constructed and professionally delivered training programme - and your employees might be in need of that now more than ever" (Blyth, 2009).

 
In more recent posts with classmates the idea of GPS as a tool to be used in HR.  A GPS device can be helpful for managers who have employees that have to drive as part of their job "there are a lot of good reasons why employers might want to track company vehicles through a GPS monitoring device - from managing logistics and efficiency, to enforcing compliance with company policies and procedures, to ensuring employees' safety" (Meneghello, 2014). I think there is a fine line that should not be crossed. Employers need to be extremely clear and let their employees know that their driving will be monitored and there will be ramifications if there are any instances that are outside the business route that cannot be explained and of course this should be in a document that is signed by the employer and the employee. Using GPS tracking I think is fairly new to the industry with regards to tracking employees so as a manager I would stay on top of the regulations that may develop as a result of this technology becoming more utilized.
 
 

 
 
References:
 
Blyth, A. (2009). Number crunching training budgets. Personnel Today, , 20-21. Retrieved from.

 
HR executives predict the future of learning is online. (2007, 02). E.Learning Age, , 2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.prx-necb.lirn.net/docview/200930201?accountid=33575 (Links to an external site.)

Meneghello, R. (2014). OP-ED: Tracking employees via GPS may generate TMI. Daily Journal of


 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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