HR knows technological development is not only inevitable but also needed—but according to SilkRoad’s HR Technology Report, only 55% of recruitment professionals reported that their HR functions are only ‘partially automated’. Not only this, but despite 75% of big companies and 41% of small-medium businesses reporting high integration levels, actually this usually only accounts for about two or three HR functions.
On the one hand, this lead to significantly inconsistent workflows but interestingly the report warns of substantially high rates of critical data deprivation as a result of lacking a cohesive system. While this problem is at large, SilkRoad points to a worrying lack of progress in moving towards using the data available more effectively for decision-making. 44% of respondents still reported using spreadsheets as opposed to automated systems to analyse data with 49% at a halfway house towards fully automated systems.
Though it seems HR professionals are concerned about this as 62% of respondents believed that data regarding performance management could be more effective with workforce planning coming as the second most important area for improvement. As for technology firms looking to help HR out, they are better off investing in a well-designed user interface as this was ranked as the most important feature a system needs followed by having self-service applications available.