There is no doubt that organisations across Asia Pacific are investing more time and money in HR technology, particularly in HR portals and software-as-a-service (SaaS) systems, via cloud and mobile applications, as they strive to make greater efficiencies, better processes and to raise skills levels within the HR function.
The 2014 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey, released earlier this year by Towers Watson, found that one in three (33%) of the 1,048 companies surveyed across the globe plan to spend more on HR technology in the coming year compared with the previous year and some as much as 20% more.
The survey also revealed that adoption rates of SaaS systems in APAC firms climbed to 46% from 35% last year and typically include such work as performance reviews and leave approvals. Increased adoption of cloud technology is also noteworthy among the companies surveyed, particularly those in markets where the Government has taken a more proactive approach to the development of cloud, such as in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Whilst the rising popularity of digital media is undoubtedly improving efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace, however, some have raised concerns that the growing trend may be having a negative impact on employees across the globe. One such individual is author Baroness Susan Greenfield who, speaking at the recent HRM Expo 2014 in Germany, went so far as to suggest that digital media could make employees lack empathy.
Greenfield believes that instant messaging, network identities, diminished privacy and here-and-now experiences are increasingly creating a completely new realm of experience in day-to-day life and consequently having an effect on the way people work, triggering changes in the human brain. She explained, "We find human beings more interesting than objects. When people look at a table and a face, you normally have a much bigger EEG response to the face than to the table. However, heavy internet users show similar brainwave patterns to those seen in autistic people." She suggests that digital media might be causing problems with empathy and interpersonal relationships as well as some other alarming effects on employees at work.
Employee identity
Greenfield believes mind change in the workplace often depends on how the technology is used. For HR managers, it is all about recognising and accepting these developments—only then can they act appropriately. She suggested that people with low empathy and a weak identity need constant feedback and, in this respect, it is important to give employees a sense of identity and to show them that actions have consequences. She added, "Companies need a conceptual framework to help employees to join up the dots, so that things mean things."
Lack of imagination
Greenfield said, "The most wonderful thing you can do for a child is to read them a story where they can use their imagination. With digital media, you are substituting that for someone else’s imagination even if the pictures are technically very arresting and cleverly made." In essence, she suggests that digital media presents us with ready-made pictures and alleviates the need for us to use our own imagination to create them, thus crippling our own creativity.
Shorter attention span
Greenfield also suggests that dealing with digital media brings both good and bad changes, "The positive thing is that people used to socialising through modern technology may have a higher IQ because if you rehearse mental agility with say, video games, then you can process information more quickly. However, you could have a shorter attention span in the process. If you play action games, you might be a greater risk taker, because you have learned that you can do things and it doesn’t have consequences."
Lack of interaction
Greenfield argues that another aspect of this development is that many people feel overwhelmed when confronted with digital media—especially in the workplace. To improve employees’ well being, she recommends offices with access to the outdoors or at least a view of the natural environment outside. She explained, "It has been shown that creativity is raised by exposure to natural environments. We also know that thinking can be inspired by walking. That is why it is helpful if employees can simply walk around in a building. And this has the added advantage that you may bump into someone who inspires you and it also gives your eyes a rest because you are not focusing on the screen.”
The importance of maintaining human contact within the workplace is something that Nicole Lui, Associate Director, Randstad Hong Kong also advocates. When discussing the role of digital media from a recruitment perspective, she explained, “Technology can be a good thing and a bad thing. Nowadays we don’t only use our mobile phones or emails to communicate with each other, we have WhatsApp and various social media outlets to connect with people. This is particularly common in the recruitment world when we are dealing with candidates who are not based in Hong Kong. Whilst technology can undoubtedly help to bridge the communication gap, it can often remove the human element from our daily interactions. That is why it is so important to meet face to face with colleagues and have conversations, not only to maintain human contact, but also to learn and develop from others.”
Jonathan Lo, Regional Practice Leader, HR Service Delivery Asia Pacific, Towers Watson suggested that HR should be specific about how they use digital media to engage with employees in the workplace. He explained, “Companies are seeing the value that smartphone and other consumer-grade technology brings to HR, with an increased appetite to make strategic investments that can adapt and grow with the business over time. Companies that are intentional about how they engage with their managers and employees through HR technology and HR portals acknowledge it as an effective way to meet their intended objectives.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
