Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsHR Technology

HR must embrace e-business to respond to changing times

by Personnel Today 12 Oct 2004
by Personnel Today 12 Oct 2004


The public sector is gearing up to fully use e-procurement by April 2005. Yvonne Skingle, HR organisational development manager at Essex County Council and e-HR leader for the Society of Personnel Officers in Local Government (Socpo), looks at the issues organisations face

As the use of workplace technology, or e-business, continues to revolutionise the world of business, it’s essential that HR is able to not only respond to the changes, but also adds value. Some HR services already use e-options such as e-recruitment and e-learning, but the public sector is aiming to fully engage in e-procurement by April 2005.

E-HR offers benefits such as cost-cutting and aiding operational efficiency. But it also gives the public sector the chance to completely transform HR into a truly customer-focused and responsive function – as called for in Peter Gershon’s review of public sector efficiency.

No major change is totally risk-free, and e-HR is no exception. Resistance to change is likely to be a major hurdle, as is the risk of information overload.

Redesigning the HR function will hugely impact on the roles and competencies of HR staff, and there will be many areas of upskilling required, not just in technical ability, but also in customer and relationship skills.

Advice on how to best navigate such issues was given at the recent Socpo event, ‘Plotting a course through the e-HR’ in London.

Consultancy Cap Gemini’s Philip Lewis stressed the importance of cultural change to keep pace with technological developments. The key, he said, was to overcome the “It won’t work for us – we’re unique” attitude.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Martin Reddington, from the Roffey Park Management Institute, said that, within five years, employee and line managers at organisations using e-HR would be reasonably comfortable with self-service and other developments.

But, he said, people are more important than the technology itself. “E-HR must underpin the transformation of HR to create value through people,” he said.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Loyalty bonuses have risks
next post
Intellect Award for Innovation in Career Development

You may also like

MPs demand Home Office tighten visas to protect...

4 Jul 2025

100% success for latest large-scale four-day week trial

3 Jul 2025

NHS 10-year Health Plan sets out vision for...

3 Jul 2025

Microsoft to cut 9,000 jobs globally as role...

3 Jul 2025

Decline in workplace deaths: falls from height remain...

3 Jul 2025

How can HR prepare for changes to the...

3 Jul 2025

Data skills gap getting in way of AI...

3 Jul 2025

Top 10 HR questions June 2025: Redundancy consultation

2 Jul 2025

Aircrew with cancer pursuing MoD for compensation –...

2 Jul 2025

Living wage pushes up spring pay settlements

2 Jul 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+