e-HRM: Should We Adopt or Ignore?

Strohmeier (2007) defined e-HRM as a composite application of Information Systems using both networking and supporting actors for planning, implementing and performing HR activities. e-HRM is the system where the users are not only the HR personnel within the organization, rather the line managers also use it for various activities of operational, relational HRM. Furthermore job seekers, prospective clients or even accidental web surfer may find it useful in a lot of sense. E-HRM, can be used as a tool for HR branding for organization too. For instance, a job applicant may attract to the organization if s/he find the career page nicely designed, user friendly and full of insides  with organizations HR policy, career support etc.

In present era it may sound impetuous, if anyone said that e-HRM or HRIS (Human Resources Information System) enables HR personnel to complete basic HR tasks faster with its automated processes. Nothing new by talking it saves time and cost or it generates compiled and needed reports. Rather, e-HRM has been used for higher end analysis, making the HR personnel more competent and enable the HR function as a strategic partner for the organization.

My two cents with the reader is: if your management or CEO/MD doesn’t feel interested about e-HRM or poised that its just wastage of money, please download one of the free version of close to e-HRM from any of the bellow company, install it and run. Then you may find it useful and go for your own customized e-HRM. People Soft, SAP or something similar is not advised in my write-up due to high expense related issue.

Use e-HRM and become a STAR. Cheers!!!

P.S: Any of my articles/write-ups can be shared, modified, used anytime for better Human Capital Management, with or without giving credentials. I do believe: Sharing is Caring :)

© Shaki, Ahmed R (2013), Candidate of PhD in HRM, UUM

e-HRM for Academic Institution for Better Performance Management!

Managing performance is one of the crucial responsibilities not only for the HR personnel as well as all head of departments or line manager. The way performance managed and supervised in the corporate world in present challenging global market is really impressive. However, in my observation Academic Institution (Universities) is far behind of this trend and somehow academicians are not properly judged or even less utilized. My point is not against to the academicians nor even raising my finger to them, but the main reason is still we may see that registrar department doing the recruitment work for the university, no proper HR department or practices there. Even worst there always very badly visible two stream. One academician and another one is administrative staffs, even the rules, policies, etc. also significantly different which caused huge grievances.

Pic Source: brihaspathionline.com

To resolve this issue, again I am requesting to the management of academic institution to implement e-HRM. Various researchers have shown that online performance appraisal systems reduce costs and increase the speed through the process. Additional advantages of those systems include the shortage of previous year’s data that helps top management to compare the employees’ results and evaluations for the last years in an easier way. Across the world, we have seen that requirements for talented scholars as academicians rapidly growing. So, there is always the presence of local as well expat academicians in academic institutions. Some create different performance management system for local and international academic staff. Honestly speaking it just creates more trouble in a long run. No parties will feel ownership for the institution then. Creating a challenging performance management system for the academic staff will push them to think out of the box, and for sure they won’t stick up only the textbook then. University’s need to employ a lecturer only those who at least have one or two-year corporate experiences. Thus, it will ensure the fine mix of knowledge both from academic text books and real-life experience.

As we knew that business leaders are counting on academic institutions: schools, colleges, universities and other training establishments for infusing well-qualified fresh talent into industry. In turn, academic institutions are continually determined for improving their output both in terms of numbers, and the quality of talent offered for varying jobs in different types of organizations. The excellence of output from an academic institution depends on the quality of their faculty, support services and infrastructure. Attaining these higher levels of excellence, institutions need to set high-performance goals for their academic and non-academic staff. These goals should be effectively measured at frequent intervals to bridge performance gaps, if any. Institutions which can efficiently manage the performance of their faculty, and other employees can leave their mark on industry.

Thus, having the best from class performance management system which only can be ensured through implementing e-HRM is not only a need of the hour but an enabler of excellence in an academic institution. Think about it and put your comments.

P.S: Any of my articles/write-ups can be shared, modified, used anytime for better Human Capital Management, with or without giving credentials. I do believe: Sharing is Caring :)

© Shaki, Ahmed R (2012), Candidate of PhD in HRM, UUM

From The Court Of HR: Why Employees Leave Organizations?

Numerous reasons are behind for leaving current workplace. Each new day HR starts fighting with posting job advertisement in Website(s), LinkedIn, Twitter, Newspaper, Head-hunters and so on. Question is why? Why employees leaving even though the work environment is superb, perk and benefits market standard etcetera. Much has been claimed that, employees leave because of poor HR policies. If anyone sticks too long to a company s/he is taken for granted that s/he won't leave and also perceive that perhaps not getting a job outside. In addition to that organization culture and environment plays crucial role to retain the employees.

Let me give my own example. I quit from one reputed organization earlier in my life because of my bad manager. I tried a lot to cop-up with that manager style of work, attitudes but still unable to keep myself motivated in the long run. Even though that person completed his Masters from USA but still lack of positive attitudes like giving right recognition, provide adequate facilities and never appreciate for good work. However, he is the Head of HR for that organization. I do believe many of you had the same experience.  

Some of you already raised you eye-brew that I am pointing my fingers to that poor fellow without saying about my lack of skills or others. Trust me Manager(s) is one of the main reasons for employees’ drives away from the company. Allow me to share one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. That study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules." The survey result not surprising me as it said if you're losing good people, look to their manager. Manager is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization as well as manager is the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition. According to that book authors, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman: "People leave managers not companies," Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue. Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.

Allow me to share another case happened in the corporate world. ‘S’, got an offer as a senior HR executive from a reputed business giant located at Malaysia. Previously, he was working as HR officer in a Singaporean company based in Jurong, Singapore. He was thrilled by the offer as the salary is good with re-location benefits, company had all the right systems in place with employee-friendly HR and e-HRM system, a state of art new office premises, healthy and renowned caterer for employee canteen and the CEO is very popular for his awesome charisma. ‘S’ seems happy to get the offer but within six months he quit from that Malaysian company. He walked out because of his immediate supervisor’s racial attitudes with him. ‘S’ leaves the company not for better pay or profile but for the manager.

What HR Can Do To Tackle Such Situations:

1. Ensure good ‘Exit Interview’ practice for every level of employees.

2. Strict and well circulated ‘Sexual Harassment’ policy.

3. Proper and regular ‘Employee Rewards and Recognition’ practices.

4. Follow-up meeting with every department with HR at least twice in a year, better in each quarter.

5. Well articulated policy for ‘Grievance Handling’ and have online option for HR service desk.

6. Ensured career path for everyone with succession planning and training.

P.S: Any of my articles/write-ups can be shared, modified, used anytime for better Human Capital Management, with or without giving credentials. I do believe: Sharing is Caring :)

© Shaki, Ahmed R (2012), Candidate of PhD in HRM, UUM

e-HRM: Let the Journey Began to Bangladesh Now!

To run and manage the Human Capital within and beyond the organization successfully not only the HR manager but the line manager also required adequate information and Electronic human resource management (e-HRM) is the most advanced and sophisticated tools to provide so. e-HRM is far better option comparing to HRIS and its not only provides the core employee database or payroll system but the system facilities extended up to other systems like such as e-recruitment, e-learning, performance management and reward system. e-HRM is a technological invention which enables the transformation of HRM. It’s a replacement of solely, centralized HR function such as approving employees leave, pay raise, sorting out training etcetera.

e-HRM  is  a  way  of  implementing  HR strategies,    policies    and    practices    in organizations  through  a  conscious  and directed support of and with the full use of web-technology based channels. The benefits of using e-HRM are enormous. Not only the large organization even the SME’s can also adopt the e-HRM and the end result definitely will be more positive.

With e-HRM system employees themselves can able to do so with the approval of their line manager if required. Thus it helps the HR personnel to make themselves more involved with the strategic issues for their organization. Implementation of e-HR generally seeks to minimize or eliminate intervention from HR personnel and give access the line managers and individuals to perform HR tasks directly with the self-service tools. As almost every organization in Bangladesh has the web access in present time, the desire from the management is the first things to start the e-HRM now.

e-HRM system can change the work performed by the HR Personnel by dramatically   improving   their   level of service,  allowing  more  time  for  work  of higher  value  and  reducing  their  costs. Though some says that by implementing e-HRM systems the management wants to cutting    HR    staff,    outsourcing    and imposing   new   technology but consequently it motivates HR and other staffs to make them more skilled, attain new and advanced knowledge to make them fit and up to date for the challenging working environment. Since the system is web-based, it enables the employees to get access to the system from remote or online and at any time. Organization in Bangladesh those have different branches, outlets, establishment etc in different location can get the huge benefits and it will bring more satisfaction to the employees who have to travel frequently to different locations. Though people prefer the branded vendors but in-house IT team can easily create the software and infrastructure for it, which is more cheap and easy to customize. It’s high time to adopt and implement e-HRM in our organization now and be the benchmark for others.

P.S: This Article also published in HR Focus, Newsletter of Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management. 

© Shaki, 2012

e-HRM and Value!!!

A considerable gap between HR and line managers can be observe in organization. For instance, we can find a gap between HR involvement in e-HRM and its ability to use to 'operationalize' aspiration through actual delivery. Unless the stakeholders in the organization is able to understand the benefits of e-HRM in a way that is palpable and tailored to the needs company, it will be difficult to define a compelling reason for change and warrant a financial investments. This may explain why the majority of investments continue basic administrative / operational level only obvious cost is seen as a possible result of using technology to reduce the basic processing functions. Based on the above discussion it is obviously the HR personnel responsibility to make aware the top management as well as the line manager about the benefits and value of e-HRM.

e-HRM certainly create value not only for the HR department but for all. Apart from the administrative support e-HRM can easily put significant contribution for organization strategic management. Though there is a dilemma that benefits of e-HRM is seen as the only tangible and related to the reduction, the business benefits of e-HRM cost can only be based on this narrow aspect, and greater investment in e-HRM functions (Productivity and strategic functions) will not happen. But if these intangible assets represent the most powerful forms of investment in technology, but the organization is unable to justify the investment in them, they miss opportunities and The greatest benefits will be unattainable.

That is not so far when the value of e-HRM can be understand by all and more organization will adopt e-HRM for gaining optimum benefits.

Shaki, Candidate of PhD, HRM, University Utara Malaysia; 2011