technology complicates the affairs of HR, and some companies are still sorting those complications out.
The second impact that I think that technology has on HR is facilitation. Technologies like training programmes make some aspects of HR function easier. Now, instead of having to put together a big training function, HR professionals can make training available to employees electronically. This also makes the tracking of said training (and many other functions of HR) infinitely more trackable.

Ultimately, technology is both a blessing and a curse to HR, as it is to many other aspects of corporate life. There is a tradeoff. Some technology is useful. Others are harmful. And it’s hard to have one without the other. The question is, then, what are you willing to risk for a specific technological gain?

HR Matters : The proliferation of tools and applications online and the growing acceptance of these as part of both work and personal life has blurred the lines for many between work and play. More importantly though, as organisations strive to improve HR function and drive competitive advantage, it is now clear that there is much to consolidate as what is clearly HR data is now used by the rest of the organisation too. Can you comment on this and tell us where you see the strongest growth in applications that seek to manage or enhance people's skills and productivity?
Ledford : Unfortunately, I think that you’re right. Much personal data that should never have left the HR domain has. And it’s cross-organisational as well as intra-organisational. I am afraid that this is the new normal, and despite the best efforts of many watch-dog organisations, I think that this is a fact that we’re going to have to learn to accept.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but the blurring of lines between work and personal lives could be both good and bad. On the one hand, blurring those lines might make it more likely that organisations allow people to work in a way that’s right for the person, as long as the organisational duties are completed as well.

For example, for many people, working from home allows them to accomplish more while still being available to their families. For other people, working within the confines of an office is more desirable, because it allows them to focus fully on one thing at a time. Each person, each employee, is an individual and has a different personal flow. Technology, when used properly, allows us to tap into and maximise that flow.

On the other hand, the blurring of lines between personal lives and work lives also means that it’s
possible that focus can be skewed and too much emphasis can be put on either a work life or a personal life. Without a good balance, and some method for maintaining that balance, excess is a real possibility.
As for applications that seem to be growing strongly in this market, from my perspective, it’s all about training. Organisations have discovered that they can make their existing employees more valuable by providing training at a reduced cost in the form of digital training. And the best part is, it can be fit into smaller time slots, which means employees now don’t have to miss days of work to complete a certification (or recertification) course. It can be done over a period of time in smaller, more digestible chunks.

Of course, someone from another ‘facet’ of technology might have a different perspective.

Jerri Ledford has been a freelance business technology writer for nearly twenty years. During that time, over 1000 of her articles, profiles, news stories and reports have appeared online and in print. Her publishing credits include: Intelligent Enterprise, Network World, Information Security Magazine, DCM Magazine, CRM Magazine, IT Manager's Journal.