Your Human Resources Department Needs IT, Too

Human resources is not an easy game, as I’m sure your HR representatives would be happy to tell you if asked. Therefore, it is important that they have the tools needed for success today.

By this, we mean information technology that supports the everyday responsibilities and processes that an HR department is charged with completing. Let’s discuss some tools that you should incorporate into your processes.

HR-Focused Technology is Valuable to Businesses By Design

Let’s take a few moments to discuss the why before we dig into the how. Why is it so important to use technology to bolster human resources processes?

To effectively do this, let’s look back at the department's origins. This will bring us to the late 1800s and early 1900s, amid the Industrial Revolution. Before this period, the highly agricultural nature of American labor meant that most people had small, personal plots that they tended to for themselves and their neighbors. However, the rise of factories via the development of mechanized or machine-assisted labor quickly changed the landscape, and suddenly dozens or even hundreds of workers would all be employed by one person. These two parties would rarely interact.

This meant that grievances and complaints from the employees (who were working in grossly unsafe conditions) generally wouldn’t reach the factory owner's ears, and let’s face it: most of those that did were ignored.

This spurred on the Progressive Movement, and numerous strikes and—occasionally—violent acts later, there were moves made by the companies to improve things between the bosses and the workforce. Hence, the first HR departments came into being to help these two parties communicate.

It wasn’t until the latter half of the century and the introduction of various pieces of legislation that HR took on the role of mitigator and problem solver in that way… and now, post-pandemic, HR has become indispensable to many companies’ team-building efforts, particularly as remote and hybrid work policies are more common than ever. 

Responsible for So Much, Human Resources Can Use All the Tools They Can Get

HR can use technology to simplify these processes, allowing them to be accomplished more efficiently and with improved data insights. 

Onboarding tech has not only become more advanced; today’s tools also make life easier for these professionals by automating many of the processes that HR professionals of the past needed to spend time performing manually. Also, thanks to today’s tools, it is far easier for compliance standards to be met through real-time updates. 

There are many, many more examples of how HR can take advantage of modern IT, and Washington Works is here to help. Call us today at 301-571-5040 to learn more about how we can benefit your human resources and your entire organization.