People
are more likely to find out about their company’s staff policies from their
computer than from a handbook, according to research by IRS Employment Review.
More
than 8 in 10 employers make such information available online via a staff
intranet. And the trend is set to continue, as use of computerised systems
continues to grow to streamline human resources work.
More
than 60 per cent of respondents expect their use of e-HR to increase
dramatically in the next five years.
The
survey also reveals that nearly 80 per cent of managers believe that e-HR has
allows them to concentrate more on strategy.
The
key findings of the research include:
–
Three-quarters of organisations say they have developed e-HR facilities to
improve communications
–
Reducing routine administration was the next most common reason, cited by 60
per cent of those surveyed
–
Organisations are broadly satisfied with their forays online, with 71 per cent
reporting their systems as fairly effective, although only 15 per cent would go
so far as to rate them as very effective
–
Although most respondents are positive about the potential of e-HR, familiarity
with existing systems seems to have bred contempt among a minority of
respondents. The proportion of organisations citing ease of use as a factor for
introducing e-HR has dropped to 44 per cent from 62 per cent in the IRS 2000
poll
IRS
Employment Review managing editor, Mark Crail said: “Many managers seem excited
about the possibilities opened up by e-HR as they benefit from better, faster
information and more time to analyse and act upon it.
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With
the drop in routine administration, comes a cut in print costs as organisations
migrate policies and procedures onto their intranets. But The technology has to
support the HR department’s efforts and this is where enthusiasm may wane in
future. However, for most employees it
seems as if the computerised HR department is here to stay.”
