Technology and its change on Human Resources Information technology, also known as IT, has drastically changed the

workplaces of the world in the past 50 years. Human Resources Management is an area that is continuously increasing and changing to meet the new demands and challenges of a perpetually developing work force. What was once called "personnel" and related to the reputation for being extremely administrative and dealing exclusively with lots of paperwork, the field has transformed itself into the strategic entity it is today. The field of human resources has historically been limited to a clerical or administrative role in the business arena, dealing mainly with tasks like payroll or attendance. In the modern market, new core HR responsibilities include recruitment and training, oversight of legal and regulatory compliance, benefits administration and the safeguarding of confidential employee information, along with many more. These tasks cannot be carried out effectively without the use of high-tech tools. Advances in technology have not only made the handling of basic administrative tasks more efficient, they have expanded the role of HR and created new disciplines within the field. The changes, however, haven't stopped there. Technology is one particular manifestation of change. All change is difficult and HR departments must consider themselves as agents of change. In particular, with respect to technology, they must minimize resistance to new technology by ensuring that employees are provided with the necessary training and support processes to be able to cope with the change. While bringing both pros and cons along with it, technology has spearheaded into the forefront of human resources management. It is a given that organizations must expect to constantly review and update their technology.

Employee recruitment and training are widely considered to be two of the most important tasks in human resource management. Traditionally, the interviewing process has been managed and conducted solely by human interviewers from start to finish. Attracting and retaining competent, reliable employees is necessary for success in any business. With lengthy piles of applications, resumes, and the like to sort through, the process has always required a great deal of paperwork on the part of human resources personnel. Additionally, a great deal of time must be invested into screening out potentially good applicants from potentially bad ones. The advent of the Internet has drastically altered the way organizations search for candidates, and vice versa. The Internet allows businesses to reach a much greater pool of candidates with a greater range of knowledge, skills, and abilities, which in turn increases the odds of finding a good match for the position(s). Larger organizations often employ their Human Resource Information System (HRIS) departments in developing in-depth company websites with detailed job descriptions and requirements, as well as the organizations mission statement and corporate culture, in an effort to attract employees that fit with the attitude and values of the company. Smaller organizations cannot afford to create and maintain a large and often expensive website like this, but there are many options for outsourcing online recruitment. In addition to outsourced companies, large job posting websites such as Monster.com are popular sites for people searching for jobs to post resumes and search for a wide range of openings. Technology has also been implemented in training employees. E-learning is a widely used tool in employee training and development. The term E-learning includes any form of training done with electronic support. This includes online training and development, tele-class training, chat room training, and video training. The advantages of these forms of training include convenience and the ability to control the pace of the instruction. The use of this medium, however, should mainly be limited to teaching

the basic concepts and skills needed for the job, with more in-depth classic training for more specific skills or needs (Smith and Mazin 69). Computer-assisted interviewing is changing how companies recruit and select in ways that couldn't have been anticipated years ago. While this field is still in it's early stages, it is growing rapidly as it continually proves and reproves its benefits and worth to employers (Thornsburg 73). One company in specific that has benefited from computer-assisted interviewing is Nike. They use several different features of the technology in different areas of their recruitment process as they see fit (Thornsburg 75). When conducted, the computer-assisted interviews were done in groups. Several applicants would each be assigned computers and would complete various exercises for 45 minutes at a time. During one exercise, they were shown three video clips relating to customer service scenarios. After viewing all three, they would be asked to select the video clip that they felt depicted the best customer service skills (Thornsburg 76). At the same time, in a separate room the responses of each applicant were being printed and gauged. After they were done taking the test on the computer, each applicant would receive a personal interview. Nike values the use of human-to-human interviews and sees computer-assisted interviewing as a way to make them more effective and less time intensive, not obsolete (Thornsburg 78). In any case, experts agree that computers should never make the final hiring decision, but should help a human interviewer ask the right questions to gain additional information about areas of interest or concern. With this type of product, proper training regarding administration and interpretation of results is crucial, but if all is done correctly, the results can be highly beneficial all ways around.

Communication is the key to any change (Rudnick, 45). In any business, effective communication between employees, managers, and customers is not just a nice perquisite, it is vital to the success (or failure) of the organization. The era of paper memos, faxes, and regular mail is on its way out the door. Email has rapidly become the most widely used form of communication in the business world. Instant messaging, internal databases, and bulletin boards are also well used to communicate with suppliers, employees, and customers alike (Laudon and Laudon, 191). The explosion of cellular phone and smartphone usage has also transformed the way organizations do business. Many organizations are allowing employees to work more hours from home, conducting business over the internet and phone. Hours are more flexible, and it is no longer necessary for a physical presence in the office for a large portion of the work. Communications with customers are also altered. The Internet has opened a vast new market to many businesses. A webpage has the potential to introduce the company to millions of new customers, and also allows for easier payments, shopping, and ordering, all from home. Businesses also have an increased opportunity for improving customer relations, thanks to the Internet. Feedback is available almost instantly via email, online discussion forums, and social media. The speed of the feedback allows organizations more time to troubleshoot problems and build relationships with satisfied, returning customers. In HR, this growth in the means of communication has opened new paths to employee relations as well. Many times, employees have avoided complaining about valid concerns due to fear of retaliation. The ability to send emails provides a relative anonymity that allows for more freedom of communication between the human resources department and a companys workers. This also allows more ready access to information such as disciplinary guidelines and employee handbooks; keeping employees informed helps to improve the overall attitude of the workplace.

All the other factors are particular manifestations of perhaps the most important of all change. The HR department must embrace and support change. This means, of course, that the HR department must itself change it must be seen to be flexible, responsive and value-adding. It cannot drive and support change elsewhere in the organization if it itself cannot adapt. It must examine and adopt (adapting if necessary) new structures, new working processes and a new culture of business support. HR managers need to be involved in the setting of realistic, reasonable, challenging, and attainable goals that enable the company to adapt and change as technology does. Such technology may be in the organization generally as, for example, automated manufacturing processes or in the HR department itself, as with new personnel or payroll software packages. In addressing such technological change, HR managers need to be aware of the "hidden" issues: The hidden costs of doing business in certain ways. Handling intellectual property rights. Communication within and surrounding the technology. The changing nature of collaboration as technology changes (Aghazadeh, 1999).

The Internet and Internet-enabled software is a particular aspect of technology of concern to HRM professionals as it can change ways in which employees relate to the organization. Internet-enabled software, which requires the user to work only through an established browser interface, may allow the employees to: update personal information, such as home address, emergency contacts, cell phone numbers, changes in dependants, bank details, etc.; self-enroll on benefits programs; view pay data, including payroll deductions and tax information; input timesheet data apply online for promotion opportunities; register for in-house training courses; read the employee handbook, company newsletters and policy and procedure manuals online; update personnel information with newly acquired skills; view accrued paid time off.

Such facilities represent a win-win situation. They give the employee more personal and direct control over his/her relationship with the organization; and they save the organization time and money in conducting such transactions (Hoover, 2002).

In addition to helping the organization to implement technological change both in the HR department and in the wider organization, HR managers have a prior role of promoting such change and preparing the organization to accept it. The introduction of technology is often seen as a threat to accepted ways of doing work, and even to jobs. However, the infusion of new technology must be seen as a necessity, as providing a controlled trajectory towards attaining a more competitive position and providing the essential interconnecting link between the enterprise and its potential partners and customers in the global chain of demand-driven entities of suppliers and markets. It may sound trite, but technology must be seen as an opportunity and not a threat. For example, IT provides new opportunities for product development, to generate innovative products in an environment of rapid change.

In HR, this growth in the means of communication has opened new paths to employee relations as well. Many times, employees have avoided complaining about valid concerns due to fear of retaliation. The ability to send emails provides a relative anonymity that allows for more freedom of communication between the human resources department and a companys workers. This also allows more ready access to information such as disciplinary guidelines and employee handbooks; keeping employees informed helps to improve the overall attitude of the workplace. One of the newest trends is social networking sites. Millions of people are registered with such sites as Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn. A TUC briefing on social media and HR lists some of the larger issues surrounding the use of these sites. Usage of these sites by employees certainly could be trouble for human resource managers. There is the worry that accessing these sites during work hours, on work stations, will interfere with productivity. Also, the conduct of employees on these websites has become a potential concern. Posts dealing with breaches of commercial confidentiality or undermining a companys reputation could potentially require disciplinary action. These issues are still controversial at this point.

With this explosion of connectivity and technology in the workplace, security is also a huge concern. Hacker, theft, fraud and vandalism have been a classic worry of a businesss databases (Laudon and Laudon, 232). With the growing computer literacy of the workforce, and the growing use of computers at work for personal reasons, organizations are becoming more worried about threats from online sources to their networks. Malware became the leading threat to businesss online security in 2007 (Dumitru, 2). While these problems may seem to be a problem for the IT department, the human resources department should also keep up to date on computer security as well. The information in employee files is sensitive, and every precaution should be taken to insure it stays private, including tough security policies as well as strong firewalls.

Conclusions
Sweeping changes continue to reshape the workplace. Today's HR professional needs to be more than simply an expert on personnel issues. He/she also needs to be an informed and skilled businessperson since HR professionals must play a key role in helping their organization remain competitive in the marketplace. HR professionals need to use their sense of commitment, inter-personal skills and training to help make their company a success. The environment of constant change means that they must pay particular attention to cultivating competencies in communications and decision-making skills. They must be able to present the vision of their company clearly. Within this, they must also have a clear and functional perception of the operational management needs. They need to examine and review existing procedures to ensure that improved solutions can be designed and built. They need to emphasize the importance of continuous progress and managing change through goal setting. And finally, they must ensure that the resulting organization is populated and driven by empowered employees. Because the business world is changing, the role of HR must change. Once HR departments were considered as "mechanical" agents, helping the organization to hire and fire (and possibly train) employees. The HR department was an administrative necessity but little more. Over the last 20 years, the importance of a highly skilled, well-motivated, flexible workforce has become clear. HR departments are now expected to "add value" to the organization not simply incur cost. It's hard to say what the future holds for Human Resources. With all of the evolving technologies around us, both within and around the field, it's anyone's guess what the next area of HR to go hi-tech will be. More innovation, however, is sure to ensue. As a result, HR professionals today must be skilled not only in technical issues, but also in the management and use of information (TRI-AD). While the implementation of technology into this field might bring consequences along with it, in the end, the benefits far exceed them. Workers are allotted more time to spend on strategic HRM and can be more proactive than reactive (Morfeld). The only boundaries limiting the application of technology in human resources today are your budget and your imagination (TRI-AD). With the right mix of both, combined with these new skills, who knows how far the field could evolve.

The greatest tragedy in America is not the destruction of our natural resources, though that tragedy is great. The truly great tragedy is the destruction of our human resources by our failure to fully utilize our abilities, which means that most men and women go to their graves with their music still in them. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it best. The abilities, knowledge, and talents of an organizations workforce are the biggest assets. Without qualified, motivated workers, any business great or small is doomed to failure. The past fifty years have been a remarkable tale of technological advances, however it should always be

remembered that the technology is here to assist and uplift men in their endeavors, not replace them. These advances have transformed the field of human resource management from a minor departmental position to playing a key role in the development and growth of any organization.

References
Aghazadeh, S.-M. (1999), "Human resource management: issues and challenges in the new millennium", Management Research News, Vol. 22 No.12. Hoover, W. (2002), "The future of human resources: technology assists in streamlining your HR department", Colorado Biz, Vol. 29 No.4, pp.27. Morfield, Christina. (July 2000). Employee Self-Service Applications. [Online] In Human Resources. Available: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/human_resources/42792 [2001, Nov 1] Thornsburg, Linda. "Computer-Assisted Interviewing Shortens Hiring Cycle." HR Magazine February 1998: pp. 73-79 TRI-AD. (October 1999). Paperless Human Resources. [Online] In Articles and News. Available: http://www.tri-ad.com/articles-news/paperles.html [2001, Oct 26] Laudon, Kenneth C and Jane P Laudon. Essentials of Management Information Systems. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2009. Rudnick, Michael. "Elaborate Employee Communications: How technology impacts on practice." Managing Service Quality XI.2 (1996 ): 45-48. Dumitru, Bogdan. "Emerging Threats to Business Security." 2009. Bitdefender Web site. 01 05 2011 .