A few weeks back, I wrote an article on The four strategies organizations can use to hire talent: borrow, buy, build and borrow. The implications of the article for H.R. are more than just hiring. It is important to understand how to design different jobs.
Human resources are the architect of work, in my opinion. They assist in the creation of good jobs. They help organizations create jobs that people love, are enjoyable, and help them achieve their goals. In today’s technological age, we must design jobs with technology in our minds. It makes sense, right?
Here’s the deal. To design technology-based jobs in H.R., they must have a basic understanding of technology. While I do not believe they should be engineers, computer scientists, or coders, it is important to know the basics of technology. They must keep up with technology trends and be open to learning about new technologies.
I don’t mean the latest social media platform or app. These are all great things. However, innovations such as artificial Intelligence (A.I.) or augmented reality (A.R.) will revolutionize job design. These technologies, IMHO, change the way software is designed and used. This will change the way we do business.
We have a lot of work to do in terms of human resources. They should be part of the management team and an advocate for employees. They must demonstrate emotional intelligence and be able to speak the numbers. H.R. must have marketing skills to attract candidates. Now we want them to be tech-savvy. This is a difficult task. Here are some things H.R. professionals should remember:
Develop solid working relationships with your technology staff. This doesn’t mean that H.R. does not already have a strong working relationship with I.T. Think about elevating it. You could say, “Hey, this is confusing…can you explain?” or “Why does this matter?” Sometimes, H.R. professionals must let down their guard and admit they don’t know what they don’t. This is how we learn.
Search for resources to help you expand your knowledge. Find good information sources, whether blogs, magazines, or webinars. This is what the H.R. Technology Conference excels at. I know this has been said before. It is completely focused on technology. Everyone wants to keep up with technology and learn new things. You are not the only one.
Human resources should be the “go to” place for job design. It is important to maintain consistency in how jobs are created and modified. This means that H.R. must add another thing to their training. It’s hard, trust me. However, I believe that reading, listening and building relationships are the best ways to start.
P.S. P.S. I mentioned that one way to keep up with the technology scene is to attend the H.R. Tech Conference. It’s happening in Vegas Baby, October 10-13, 2017; H.R. Bartenders get a $350 discount using the code HRBAR17. To stay connected, if you cannot attend the event, use the hashtag #HRTechConf to tweet.