RIASSUNTO
Abstract
"System is down, cannot approve your expenses!??; "You have missed the system deadline for performance evaluation!??
How many of us have heard one of the above or related remarks? Perhaps we all have and it truly reflects our reliance on technology and systems to manage our most important asset i.e. Human Capital. In our attempt to adapt technology and succeed in the race to improve productivity, the basic principles of Human Resources management may have been rather undermined.
The rigorous demands of the service industry and scarce time resources have enhanced our dependency on HR systems. Whilst the thought of using technology to efficiently manage processes impacting our employees is on the face of it an intellectual one, it is gradually steering us from the true rationale. For instance, a performance management system can provide for accurately recording employee's goals and performance results; however, it cannot and should not replace the communication session an employee has with his or her manager which has the true potential of increasing performance. This paper is an attempt to highlight the correlation between the number of HR systems used and its impact on managing human resources. And while evaluating the impact, the thought is in no way to suggest that computer based systems are worthless, but to examine if multiple systems in HR are really good for an organization.
Today's services industry presents an increasingly challenging and competitive business environment. With these dynamics, the most significant differentiating feature of a successful organization will be a motivated and engaged workforce. It is therefore critical to avoid dependency on HR systems alone and focus on the basic principles of Human Resources management to connect with employees.
"…whose submission will the system accept???
During the implementation of a new, advanced and expansive performance management system, I had the opportunity to conduct systems training for employees and managers. I was honestly surprised by the number of system related queries; however, there was one particular query which perplexed me beyond expectation - "If an employee submits his or her goals at the same time the employee's manager submits goals for the employee, whose submission will the system accept??? At first, I overlooked the essence of the query and responded rather naively, "whoever submits the goals in the system first??. However, the questioner was a bit more stubborn than I initially anticipated and wanted a precise response, "what if the employee and the manager click on submit at the exact same time??? To be honest I did not know the exact answer but at this point I wasn't even thinking about the answer, and instead there were several other counter queries and thoughts which developed in my mind.