Facial Recognition. Mind Reading Technology. Fingerprint Identification. Voice Analysis. Artificially intelligent technology used to be something we marveled at in Bond movies and Sci-Fi books – however, its integration in all areas of the workforce is now more prominent than ever.
Human Resources, was never one of those industries to be showcased in any James Bond movie or sci-fi book. Our 9-to-5 desk jobs filled with paperwork were safe from any AI technology. Or so we thought. As the once traditional, non-innovative, and paper-intensive HR industry has opened up to innovation and technology – it’s easy to see just how many tedious manual tasks can be replaced by technology. So is your job within the HR industry safe? Let’s take a look.
Let’s face it. Administrative jobs that require tonnes and tonnes of paperwork, will be among the first to go. Tasks like keeping records of resumes, scheduling interviews, and processing payroll requirements are simply no longer necessary with specialised HR Software containing features that support onboarding, candidate management, and HRMS integration. Think about it – some organisations hire someone solely for the role of creating and publishing a job ad, as well as a candidate manager to process candidate resumes. Sometimes, even an admin employee to print paperwork for new candidates. All these roles can now be administered through a well-developed HRIS – ultimately reducing costs while making the hiring process much more efficient.
HR and Recruitment coordinators will no longer be necessary as free HR Software is able to take care of previous administrative tasks within this role with features such as a request to recruit workflow. Thus, there will be a shift in higher demand for strategic HR rather than administrative.
All hope is not lost! Just like the technology revolution with the dot-com boom decades ago, as jobs were lost – more were created. Looking into ways to make HR more efficient and developing new skills in HR is the way to go. At the moment the HR industry is seeing a shift in enhancing candidate experience and talent retention. These are two areas that employees within the HR industry can use their knowledge, skills, and expertise alongside artificial intelligence to build a solid HR team. Furthermore, Robert Potter from Guild of Human Resource Professionals noted that “where jobs require such skills as talent management, leadership development, succession planning and managing culture, one struggles to see how those sorts of roles will change or disappear”.
Although the rise of automation technology may seem scary, there is no choice between whether to or whether not to adopt technology in your HR workforce. Firms that adopt technology will have increased efficiency within their human resources sector; be able to hire top-tier candidates and have a higher employee retention rate. If you’re looking for a place to start, analyse the recruitment software you are currently using to see if they support features like request-to-recruit, paperless onboarding, and HRMS integration. By using both technology and the skills of humans in HR, your company or agency will be able to better onboard, train, retain, and develop talented employees in the long run.