The world has been taken by storm with the global invasion of COVID-19. Economies have shrunk which has had a ripple effect on the businesses and their core functioning. While the leaders have taken a center stage to resuscitate the situation, Human Resource plays a vital role to aid this process. Companies have leveraged information & technology exponentially to restructure their core operations across the board. The current situation has uplifted the technological adaptation while also pushing companies to adopt newer and more innovative approaches. It has enhanced the employee life-cycle with trials and errors for employing, talent controlling, and employee engagement. Given below are the roles that technology plays in different aspects of HRM.

Hiring

With ‘Work from Home’ becoming the new standard, hiring has moved beyond the geographical limits. Recruiting the right talent has no physical or metaphorical boundaries like before. Technology has aided the practices to adopt modern recruitment solutions. The use of an Application Tracking System (ATS) has seen a gradual increase in the near past. With the ability to assemble applicants in any desired order, the system helps the recruiter to drastically reduce the time required in sourcing talent. ATS also helps in providing timely feedback to the candidates, so that they don’t keep speculating. Tools like online tests help the employer with a thorough assessment, while the feature to upload a video describing work culture and other relevant details gives a sneak-peek to both parties instantly.

Talent Management

After hiring, managing the talent is of the prime importance to any organisation. The first impression of the work culture and organisation as a whole is generally retained by the employee throughout the tenure and probably for the rest of their lives. Big data is playing a vital role in not just managing the core talent but also shaping the recruits in accordance with their job roles. To keep employees motivated and engaged successfully, one needs to do timely analysis of data. Data can identify pain-points of the employee which the company can address to create a fulfilling work experience. It brings more clarity to the internal review and feedback session while considering an employee for the leadership role. 

Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement, in simple terms, means how much is the employee emotionally engaged or invested in the company. A person who is engaged in making the business successful will believe in the company’s vision and mission. Such employees are not just concerned about the pay and perks; they are also concerned about how their existence in the company is valued. With remote work culture becoming more prevalent, ensuring that the company’s vision is streamlined across the board remains fundamental. Collaborative tools keep the departments and teams aligned. Technology reduces overheads in multiple ways for the company. Training and development of the employees have become lucrative due to the availability of various online learning applications. As the newer generation joins the workforce, gaming has emerged as a tool for engagement wherein employees are associated beyond just work. During the ongoing pandemic, HRs are refurbishing the traditional approach to offer alternative options to work in a unified manner. While technology has smoothened the processes, it has unraveled newer opportunities to attain the work-life balance.

While things are not what they used to be, this pandemic has reiterated the phrase - ‘Change is the only constant’. No matter how challenging the work gets, the work-force is more resilient now than ever before, with technology playing a huge role towards it.