The field of Human Resources has always evolved in parallel with technology. HR was changed markedly by the popularization of the newspaper, the founding of sites like Gumtree, and the development of mobile technology. It is currently undergoing a change bought about by developments in software and Artificial Intelligence. Here is a quick guide to some of the ways in which new technology is changing Human Resources.

Smart Management Software

Smart management software like Zenefits has significantly altered the HR landscape over the last few years. HR management software essentially acts as an all-in-one platform for the performance and monitoring of Human Resources tasks. Professionals can make offers, onboard new employees, manage employee logistics, and ensure that pensions and retirements are legally executed all in one place. All of these tasks would previously have had to be completed as part of a complex pluralized administrative process – no doubt giving plenty of HR professionals headaches and leading to mistakes that adversely affected employees and companies alike.

The development of smart HR management software is part of a broad shift towards organizational centralization as a goal within many fields of business.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

According to a recent article penned by Jeanne Meister in Forbes Magazine, AI and machine learning are having a serious impact on the way Human Resources Work is being conducted. HR teams have always been under great pressure to reduce the so-called ‘time to hire’ window – the amount of time it takes for a company to find appropriate employees. Hiring is a costly process, and companies want to speed it up in order to save money. AI can help reduce time to hire times by taking a great deal of the laborious and boring work away from human hands so that human HR professionals can get on with complex interpersonal work. AI can sift through huge datasets in order to find appropriate candidates. One company that has implemented this approach is DBS bank, which uses the JIM AI to screen for potential candidates.

As well as streamlining the screening process, AI has made it easy to create unique person-to-company connections. Cencia’s ReadyToHire, for instance, matches companies that have urgent HR needs to employees who have recently been laid off. This system theoretically benefits both parties equally – meaning it is likely to gain a great deal of traction. Applications like this that use AI to intelligently use data for HR purposes are on the rise.

Learning and Training

In smaller companies, HR teams are responsible for organizing the learning and training programs that bring new employees up to speed with company processes and policies. This is immensely time-consuming work and therefore costs businesses a great deal of money. Developments in learning software are taking some of the more mundane training tasks away from HR professionals. Software not only allows employees to learn independently but also allows HR professionals to plan out training and learning programs efficiently and effectively.

Further Read: Tech development promotes holistic, integrated businesses