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Human Resource Management in Digital Age: Trends in Indian
Corporate H R Prctices
Dr. Harsh Sharma,
Associate Professor,
Institute of Professional Education and Research,
Bhojpur Road, Misrod, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Prof. Sneha Shukla,
Assistant Professor,
Institute of Professional Education and Research,
Bhojpur Road, Misrod, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Abstract:
This paper attempts to explore the latest trends in adopting IT for human resources practices by many Indian
Organizations. It also highlights the changing role of electronic human resource management (EHRM) in
organizations. The paper discusses the impact of technology on different H R functions apart from HRIS (Human
Resource Information System) and Database Management, covering the technological changes in the areas like
Recruitment, Training & Development, Performance management, ESS & Workflow management. As a result, first
of all, the present paper reviews the relevant literature about E-HRM. Thereafter, with the help of Indian Corporate
case studies like Relaince World, SBI, TIS, BOB, Infosys, PNB, ABB etc. the applications and benefits of E-HRM
are illustrated.
Keywords: Human Resource Management, Information Technology, Electronic Human Resource Management &
HR Functions.
Introduction:
Through the years as the world has undergone far reaching societal, cultural and economical changes based on the
increasing dominance of digital media and tools. This has led to the current period being characterized as the “digital
age”. Digital is an evolving approach to business practice, customer interactions and employee behaviours. It is
present throughout any business and in the everyday lives and interactions of employees. The impact of the rapid
growth in digital has meant that organizations have had to adapt to new market expectations. Business functions,
where communication and customer dialogue is crucial, have been early adopters of digital technology such as
marketing, communications and customer service. Slower to come to the table is Human Resource Management,
but with a very less spam time has created a whole new sector of Business Known as Electronic HR or Digital HR.
In line with these changes, digital technologies play an increasingly prominent role in Human Resource
Management (HRM), which is affected in several ways we manage human resources. The widespread use of
electronic technology has entirely changed the concepts of Human resource management. The human resource
Industry in India grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 21% over the past four years and is going to be
around Rs 22,800 crore, according to a report by Executive Recruiters Association and Ernst & Young.
In case of Human Resources, technology helps in all processes from recruit to retire functions and has drastically
changed the way employees and managers get access to the human resource data. How to use technology in a human
resource perspective to connect people and information is the challenge faced by the business leaders presently. HRIT has achieved much importance now because of its use in most of the organizations to increase the productivity
through maximizing the value of the organization’s most significant asset, PEOPLE. In the digital age, it is
imperative to train a human resource base who are capable to handle large amounts of information and subsequently
transfer the same information, after processing and repackaging the formation, efficiently, faster and effectively.
With the effect of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the world becomes the proverbial global
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1. Literature Review
It has been said that the most important assets of any business walk out the door at the end of each day (Boxall et
al., 2007). Indeed, people and the management of people are increasingly seen as key elements of competitive
advantage (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Pfeffer 1998; Gratton et al. 2000). Spurred on by increasing competition, fastpaced technological change, globalization, and other factors, businesses are seeking to understand how one of the
last truly competitive resources, their human resources, can be managed for competitive advantage (Boxall et al.,
2007). Thus, human resource management has grown in its range to the point where it has become an industry rather
than just a simple occupation. According to Armstrong (2010), the practice of Human Resource Management
(HRM) is concerned with all aspects of how people are employed and managed in organizations. It covers activities
such as: Strategic HRM, Human Capital Management, Knowledge Management, Organization Development,
Resourcing (Human Resource Planning, Recruitment and Selection, and Talent Management), and Performance
Management, Learning and Development, Reward Management, Employee Relations and Employee Well-Being.
E-HRM / Digital HRM is a way of implementing HR strategies, policies, and practices in organization through a
conscious and direct support of and/or with full use of web-technology based channels. The e -HRM can range from
basic personnel records to sophisticated networks of sub-systems with definite purposes. Today most of these will be
computer systems. The manpower information system can provide necessary information in a form which can be
integrated with any other business data. With most data base systems, there are facilities to pull out any of the data
and present them in the required form.
In the view of Michael Armstrong (2003) e-HR provides information required to manage HR processes.´These may
be core employee database and payroll systems but can be extended to include such systems as recruitment, elearning, performance management and reward. The system may be web-based, enabling access to be remote or
online and at any time. The information provided by the e-HR process can communicated across organizations, if it
posts static data such as information on HR policies and communications about employer facilities such as learning
opportunities and flexible benefits. It can include links that enable managers and other employees to interface
directly with HR applications and make changes or enquiries.
It seems that electronic human resource management (E-HRM) is gaining importance in today‘s business (Cedar
Crestone, 2005) and the use of web-based technologies for HR practices, policies and processes is enhancing within
organizations.Further, surveys of HR consultants suggest that both the number of organizations adopting EHRM and
the depth of applications within the organizations are continually increasing (e.g.CedarCrestone, 2005). According
to Esen and Erdogmus (2011), using information and communication technologies in human resource services has
become an important strategy to achieve competitive advantages for organizations. Moreover, the literature on EHRM suggests that, overall, the three goals of e-HRM are cost reduction, improving HR services, and improving
strategic orientation (Brockbank, 1997; Lepak and Snell, 1998; Stanton and Coovert, 2004).
E-HRM is a way of implementing HR strategies, policies, and practices in organizations with the full use of webtechnology-based channels. Thus, E-HRM is the application of information technology for performing HR activities.
Utilizing information technology highlights two aspect of E-HRM; first, technology integrates and connects people
who can be in one room of the organization or in different countries. Second, information technology supports HR
managers by fulfill their activities (this task fulfillment can be both partially or completely according to
organization‘s strategy and purpose). Similarly, Voermans and vanVeldhoven (2007) defined E-HRM as the
administrative support of the HR function in organizations by using internet technology. As Zafar (2009) stated, the
rise of the knowledge economy is accompanied by a transformation of the bureaucratic organization into one of the
networked types. This transformation also becomes visible in the relationship between the individual employees and
the organization. To sum up, the chosen statement by Ulrich (1997) tries to show that the e-component adds a new
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dimension that ‗rocks the HR boat‘. In other words, E-HRM forces ‗traditional‘ HR professionals to rethink and
redefine policies and practices and, indeed, their own profession (Zafar, 2009).
2. Objective
The major objective of this paper is to find out the extent and nature of IT applications in HR function implemented
in various companies & to capture the future trends in the digitalization of HR functions.
3. Research Methodology.
HRM in digital age is a exploratory study & main purpose of the study is to identify the influence of the technology
on the various HR function & understand the changing trends in HR with respect to technology in different
organization. The data have been collected from secondary source . Case study research method is used in this
paper,Multiple case have been used to show the literal replication of the various technologies available in the market
& used in the different organization. The main reason behind using case study research method was to bring in the
detail description of the HR technology used by different organizations, Case study research is one method that
excels at bringing us to an understanding of a complex issue and can add strength to what is already known through
previous research. Case study research emphasizes detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or
conditions and their relationships. In this paper also it has helped to identify the actual technology used by HR
professionals in public & private sectors.
4. Digital HR in 21st Century
Many of the administrative tasks associated with HR are now outsourced, or automated. As a result, businesses
are demanding new expertise from their HR staff. To add value, modern HR professionals are now becoming
more strategic and proactive, and have to be experts on all social and technical trends that can improve their
teams. To fully understand this shift in HR, we must understand the changing trends of HR with respect to the
change in technology. Huge impact of digitalization can be viewed on the HR functions such as Recruitment,
Training & Development, Performance management, Payroll, ESS & Workflow management.
As per the 2012 survey following is the table showing the average effectiveness of the technology on the various
areas of the HR. Effectiveness is measured on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is not at all effective and 5 is very effective.
Table: 01 Talent management — Average effectiveness of technology:
Average effectiveness of talent management
technology currently in place
Current
HRMS
Best-ofbreed
technology
Manual/
Paperbased
3.46
Custom/Inhouse
developed
tool
3.43
Recruiting/Staffing — External
3.99
2.80
Recruiting/Staffing — Internal
3.49
3.42
4.02
2.94
On boarding/Joiner administration
3.56
3.63
4.16
2.52
Compensation — Market analysis/Survey
management
Compensation — Plan design and analysis
3.55
3.62
4.08
2.88
3.46
3.60
4.08
2.98
Compensation — Global grading/Job leveling
3.69
3.65
4.04
2.70
Compensation — Base pay
4.01
3.74
4.10
2.97
Compensation — Variable pay/Bonus
3.80
3.74
4.05
2.87
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Compensation — Sales/Incentive
3.70
3.71
3.96
2.66
Total rewards statements
3.97
3.66
4.10
2.67
Performance management (goal setting,
assessment)
Learning management and training
3.88
3.65
4.19
2.83
3.58
3.53
3.85
2.87
Career development/planning
3.60
3.37
3.68
2.66
Succession planning
3.64
3.57
3.65
2.61
Workforce planning/analytics
3.35
3.19
3.64
2.51
Competency models
3.61
3.47
3.85
2.50
Source: 2012 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey Executive Summary Report.
4.1Digitalization in Employee Selection /Recruitment
The recruitment industry is probably one of the oldest among the service industries in the world and it is still the
largest segment of the HR industry with an annual turnover of over $400 billion globally In India, recruitment
services started about 20 years back when the economy got liberalized and there was a sudden spike in the demand
for talent.
In case of Recruitment, IT has a highly positive impact. E-recruitment is the use of technology or web based tools to
support the recruitment process. The major ways of recruitment, which companies commonly use are by displaying
the career opportunities on their websites, depending on the job portals for making the potential hires and using
social networking sites (SNS) for getting the database.
E-recruitment can be divided in to two types of uses:
a) Corporate websites are a company‘s own website with a link for job posting/career options where candidates can
log into for current openings. Major IT services companies in India like HCL, Wipro, TCS etc hire 7-10% of their
overall employees through Social Networking Sites (SNS) and these companies have a separate recruiter team for
coordinating these activities.
b) Commercial Job boards is a website that allows employers to post job requirements for a position to be filled
and allows fresher & employees to post their profile in order to get a job opportunity, in simple words job boards
are employment websites. There are several top job sites in India like Naukri, Monster India, Times Jobs, Careerjet,
Naukri Hub, Career India, Bixee, ClickJobs, CareerAge, and Freshersworld that provide you information on various
openings and also on other relevant topics.
Technologies Used in Recruitment & Selection
a)
Internet Job Boards: Internet job boards were created to provide a place for employers to post openings,
and job seekers to find openings at the touch of a button.
b) Resume Databases and Applicant Tracking Technology: Resume databases can include installable and
web-enabled software. Applications are sent directly to the resume database, and companies run queries to
find applicants qualified for job openings.
c) Online Testing and Assessments: Online testing and assessments are used to allow companies to assess a
candidate's skill and personality. After assessments are completed, a company can chose a smaller amount of
candidates to bring in for an interview.
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d) Combined Technologies to Assist in the Recruiting & Selection Process: Some technologies offer
combined software to receive, track, test and assess applicants to narrow down the selection before the
applicants' information is reviewed by the organization.This type of technology offers a streamlined process
for the organization, saving time and money.
Table: 02 E-Recruitment:
E-RECRUITMENT BY RELIANCE WORLDS
Reliance World‘s provides e-Recruitment & Training
suite of services which is designed to make recruitments
fast, effective & extremely cost-efficient and perform
training & retention functions across the country without
having to travel. The entire process—from recruitment
to retention—is carried out using innovative technology
solutions.
Reliance World‘s eRecruitment & Training suite, consist
of three steps:1)Assessment, 2) Shortlisting Resumes
3)
Conducting interviews.
1.ASSESSMENT
Reliance World has a robust and proven Online Testing
engine that works as an effective filtration mechanism,
particularly for high-volume recruitments. Reliance
World is also the authorised examination centre for
several certifications, including TOEFL.
2.SHORTLISTING
VDO Resume from Reliance World is a unique online
system that integrates a video file into a candidate‘s
resume. It is a complete web-based system that offers the
flexibility for employers to specify question(s) that the
candidate should answer in the video.
E-RECRUITMENT OF INDIAN NAVAL PLACEMENT
AGENCY (INPA)
Indian Naval Placement Agency (INPA) is an online
placement site of Indian Navy, Government of India.
INPA established on 28 Feb 06 has been providing
employment assistance to retired/retiring naval
personnel and widows/next of kin of deceased naval
personnel.
INPA has a job portal www.inpa.net.in. INPA provides
you to find genuine candidates from Indian Navy
background as well as genuine employers. As an
employer you can search for the job-seekers, and can
directly contact them. As an INPA candidate you can
search for the jobs, being provided by the Employers.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURE OF INPA
Registration at INPA is undertaken online by filling up
two forms for the Temporary Registration.After
sucessful submission of the form Temporary ID is
generated and sent on the candidate‘s email. Using the
Tempory ID he can fill the second form in which a
candidate has to fill its intrest area for jobs. & required
to upload the photograph on My candidates page.
After the succesfull registration, the agency verifiy the
details of the candidates & if the details matchs with the
INPA database then the candidate gets the permanenet
registration & now he can avail the benifts from INPA.
3.INTERVIEWS
Reliance World‘s Video Conferencing service is an ideal
way to interview outstation candidates face-to-face
without having to travel.
The above to examples shows that there is a need for companies to have a conceptually sound framework and a costeffective, speedy and convenient system (online testing) at their disposal to meet their personnel selection needs in a
highly competitive environment. Internet is considered as the latest tool in hiring. It is a real revolution spreading
over the world of job hunting and hiring.
4.2Digitalization in Training & Development
Internet and Web-based technologies have affected formal learning in the workplace and contributed to improving
workplace performance (Lee, Owens, & Benson, 2002). The American Society for Training & Development
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(ASTD, 2002) pointed out that although face-to-face, instructor-led training exceeds Web-based training today, the
growth in Web-based training continues.
In the case of Training & development, e-learning is an intense opportunity provided by the companies for their
employees, which help them to increase their knowledge level. The training materials are provided online;
employees can utilize these materials and get trained. In the case of e-learning, employees have an advantage that
they can learn at their own pace. The stretched duration taken by the employees to complete the training and the
assimilation of the training independently can be few disadvantages in the e-learning mode.
In a period of rapid technological change, there have been many training technologies. These technologies vary from
basic training activities such as lectures, talks, discussions, role-play and case-studies to more complex techniques
including. Technology-based learning (TBL), computer-based training, interactive video, multimedia supported
training technologies, the Internet, intranet (corporate-wide Internet systems), virtual reality and so on. The need for
more information is becoming more crucial as organizations want to be sure of TBL‘s effectiveness before they
decide whether they should use it or not.
Tata Interactive Services provides online training module to its parent company along with other 500 companies all
over world. On other hand the SBI one of the oldest bank of India has also started trying its hands on technology &
started an e-learning modules for its employee & have planning to expand it for fresher‘s. A brief of both are as
follow:-
Table : 03 Digitalization in Training & Development :
TATA INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS
Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) is an Indian developer
of custom e-learning based in Mumbai, Maharashtra &
Marks its presence all over the world. TIS offers
corporations, universities, schools, publishers and
government institutions training including simulations,
story based learning, courseware and curriculum design
& development, special-needs education, assessment
tools, electronic performance support systems (EPSS),
mobile learning, game-based learning, consulting
services and training outsourcing services.
TIS is the only e-learning organization in the world to be
assessed at Level 5 in both the SEI-CMM (Carnegie
Mellon University Software Engineering Institute‘s
Capability Maturity Model) and P-CMM (PeopleCapability Maturity Model) frameworks.
GYANODAYA E -LEARNING GATEWAY OF STATE
BANK OF INDIA
Gyanodaya is an e-learning portal of SBI which is
designed for training of new recruits & the existing one.
The portal has the learning modules for Branch
Manager, Cash officer, Customer Relations officer,
Field Officer& Front line staff separately. The portal;
can be used by all the employees of SBI who have their
data in HRMS portal. The basic idea behind designing
this portal is to make learning anywhere anytime &
anyplace. By using this portal employee can choose a
suitable module for them & they can get self certified by
accessing the test.
Getting Started with portal have following steps:1.
The broad categories into which TIS’s solutions may
be divided include:


Orientation & Compliance training for new
recruits.
Technical Training related to engineering, use
of machinery, technical procedures etc.
2.
NEW USER REGISTRATION : To get registered
with SBI e-Learning application, employee has to
click on "New User Registration" link from the
Login Page & has to enter his PF no & date of birth
in registration form after which all the details of
employee is automatically generated by HRIS.
After all this he can create his account & get
registered with e-Learning application.
REGISTERING FOR LESSONS: - To register for
courses and lesson, employee has to click on
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



Enterprise Application Training – these follow
the CREAT methodology (Customized Range
of Enterprise Application Training) – and are
for providing training on any software including
SAP, Oracle, Siebel etc.
Performance Support is a key area that
encompasses various domains and helps in
providing on-the-job training using Electronic
Performance Support Systems – software tools
like process maps, calculators, encyclopedias
etc.
TATA Interactive Systems‘ (TIS) business
simulations
include
TOPSIM
(highly
customized simulation workshops designed to
build business acumen and develop leadership)
and SimBLs - Management Simulations (library
of 160+ simulation based learning objects,
based on real life problems and designed to
provide a complete immersive learning
experience).
Product Training uses the Prod Pack format to
provide holistic training for telecom service
providers, retail chains, pharmaceutical
companies, medical equipment manufacturers
etc. Prod Pack comprises ―learning nuggets‖,
manuals, and case studies etc.
"Course Registration" menu from "My Courses" in
"My Workspace‖. In "Course Registration" page, he
has to click on "Enrollable Courses" menu & he can
search for required lessons.
3.
ACCESSING LESSONS To access registered
courses, employee has to click on "My Courses"&
he will get list of registered courses. He only has to
click on the course link that he wants to access.
Respective course will be opened for him.
4.
TAKING TESTS & QUIZZES TO access tests &
quizzes of the course, click on "Tests & Quizzes"
menu from "Course tools"& he will be directed to
Tests & Quizzes window. Under "Take an
Assessment" section, list of test & quizzes will be
displayed Click on "Begin Assessment" button to
take the test. At the end of the test, click on "Submit
for Grading" button to complete the test.
System requirement for SBI e- learning portal is very
normal any operating system, which allows the use of
the most recent Firefox or Internet Explorer browser,
works with SBI e-Learning Portal. This includes
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Linux.
E-learning is a very effective and efficient way of training. As the cost of accessing the internet is going down, as
the personal computers are becoming more powerful, e-learning will become even more cost effective in upcoming
years with number of players in market.
4.3Digitalization in Performance Management
E-HRM allows the whole performance appraisal to be conducted on-line, on the corporate internet interface. This
means that the manager and the employee are able to submit performance data directly to the HR department in
electronic form. This practice, though criticized for the lack of written evidence, reduces paperwork and if read
receipts for both supervisor and supervised are used, it can impressively decrease time and cost for the HR
department.
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Figure : 01 Format OF APPRAISAL Software Available in India
Source: www.appraisal-smart.com
With the advent of technology, performance appraisal software‘s are becoming common in organizations.
Performance management software is also helping to dramatically improve HR‘s ability to carry out effective people
relationship management (PRM), and improve their organization‘s employer brand. It enables companies to move
away from subjective people management to objective and efficient people management to the great benefit of the
employee / candidate. To help and automate the processes of Performance appraisal management, organizations are
increasingly taking the help of various performance management software‘s like Workforce Performance
Management (WPM) Suite Systems and Talent Management Software ,which help to systematically record all the
data about the employee performance, pre-determined targets and the results achieved, compensation, succession
planning and other related HR systems. The various forms can be filled online and can be submitted to the HR.
Let us see the performance management system of Infosys & Bank of Baroda. Both the companies are leader in
market & have employees in pan India so it is very necessary for both the organizations to have similar & fair
appraisal system.
Table : 04 Digitalization in Performance Management:
INFOSYS - ‘PERFORMAGIC’
BANK OF BARODA - HRNES
Infosys BPO‘s ‗Performagic’ is an online appraisal tool
wherein the whole appraisal cycle is completed on the
system itself. This tool has been developed by Infosys
BPO parent organization ―Infosys Technologies‖ and is
used by the Infosys group of companies. The tool opens
only twice a year for employees during the appraisal
cycles and is easily accessible to all employees as the
link for the same is available on the company intranet.
Bank of Baroda under HR Initiatives started a HRNes
(Human Resource Network for Employee Services)
which covers the entire gamut of human resources
management function in the Bank. Under Oracle Core
HR Module a new Performance Management system has
been formulated and implemented for all officers w.e.f.
2009-10 onwards.
The system is used simultaneously used by more than
10,000 employees at a time to complete their appraisals.
This unique system allows for employee evaluation not
only on the tasks assigned to him/her but also the
competencies that have been defined for the particular
band level. Infosys Performance Management solution
leverages Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise Performance
It starts from performance planning and Goal-setting and
takes it forward into performance review discussions,
feedback and development. The new system is businesslinked, highly objective and fully transparent, with
individuals owning and managing their own performance
themselves
online.
Baroda
Sujhav
and
ideaonline@bankofbaroda.com are the platforms where
employee can give their new ideas & the bank elects new
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Management.
ideas from employees with structured rewards provisions
for the best ideas.
―IT platforms free the HR professionals from being mere book-keepers of labor statistics. They provide them with
an opportunity to play a key role in organizational renewal and revitalization….HRMS helps in generating critical
reports on the demographics profile, performance on an individual basis, team performance etc., which help the
business to do deep dive analysis, especially while planning and reallocation of resources. It also serves as a single
repository for the business to access information on employees located in different locations, across the globe.
(Venkatesan, (2001) Sr. Vice-president, Global Human Resource, ISGN)
Digitalization in Payroll Management
Payroll is defined as a method of administrating employees‘ salaries in the organizations. The process consists of
calculation of salaries and tax deductions of the employees, administrating the retirement benefits and disbursements
of salaries to employees. It can also be called as an accounts activity which undertakes the salary administration of
employees in the organization.
HRMS Solutions INC (2007) point out that that the payroll module sends accounting information to the general
ledger for posting subsequent to a pay cycle. Produce paychecks on demand, run trial reports, and make last-minute
changes with no hassle. Flexible features include simplified pay processing, Comprehensive reporting, Check
printing, Direct Deposit, Tax Management, Earning etc. Manage the flow of employee information and make
changes to payroll quickly and easily with Sage HRMS Payroll, the cost-effective payroll management solution.
Integrate your payroll data to leading financial accounting packages, deposit employee pay to an unlimited number
of banks, reconcile payrolls and quarter-ends with up-to-the-minute facts and instant analysis, retain all of the
payroll transactions for an unlimited time period without having your data purged by your payroll provider.
Payroll technology is witnessing continuous movement from traditional software to ―cloud computing ―technology,
which makes it easier for service providers to deliver their best products to end users as cost-effectively as possible.
Because cloud computing allows all of the functionality of a server based system with none of the maintenance and
cost, it has also opened doors to new mobile technology methods, such as payroll applications for smart phones, and
innovative payment methods ,such as pay cards
Table:05 Digitalization in Payroll Management
PAYROLL TPS6 OF PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK
Payroll Transaction Processing System Payroll TPS,
which is a typical accounting transaction processing
system found in PNB. A payroll system keeps track of
the money paid to employees. The master file is
composed of discrete pieces of information (such as a
name, address, or employee number) called data
elements. Data are keyed into the system, updating the
data elements. The elements on the master file are
combined in different ways to create reports of interest
to management and government agencies and to send
paychecks to employees. Management notices the record
of the employee‘s efficiency to work and may declare
added bonus or other incentive. This report is checked
and approved by the branch manager after which cheque
is issued to the employee.
L&T INFOTECH SAAS PAYROLL - PAYFAST
L&T Infotech, a premier IT services company and a
wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro,
introduces payfast - a revolutionary cloud-based payroll
processing application. Payfast is designed to meet the
growing needs of all types of enterprises.
It enables easy, quick payroll processing and supports
customization to meet specific business needs. Payfast
caters to all aspects of payroll processing including
income tax, provident fund, bonus calculation, flexi
salary etc., and generates all statutory as well as other
reports that are required for your business.
L&T Infotech‘s payfast on the cloud will reduces payroll
processing cost substantially as enterprises don't need to
invest in either hardware or software.
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4.4Digitalization in Employee Self Service:
Employee Self Service (ESS) is a combination of technology and organizational change that enables users to interact
directly with their human resource data to inquire, review and act upon transactions in the workplace. This human
resource technology is known as employee self service, manager self service, or employee direct-access systems.
ESS promises a "paperless" office, streamlined business processes, and the elimination of "administrivia" for human
resource staff because employees and managers conduct basic transactions via computer that were formerly
completed on paper forms and then processed by HR staff. There are several types of self-service applications:
Interactive Voice Response, Internet and intranet.
EMPLOYEE SELF-SERVICE PORTAL (EP-ESS)
The Employee Self-Service Portal (EP-ESS) Benchmark is part of the SAP Standard Application Benchmark suite
for SAP NetWeaver Portal. The EP-ESS Benchmark uses the Business Package for Employee Self-Service. EP-ESS
provides a number of iViews that allow employees to create, display, and change their own data, such as
department, name, address, and more in the SAP R/3 back-end system. This benchmark focuses on concurrent users
with the employee role (workset Employee Self-Service) and their top-level navigation behavior in the portal. From
a technical point of view, this benchmark tests the performance of the portal platform (running on the SAP
NetWeaver Java stack), while launching business transactions.
Examples of two organizations using Employee Self Service models are:-
Table:06 Digitalization in Employee Self Service
EMPLOYEE SELF-SERVICE P ORTAL OF
TELECOMMUNICATION CONSULTANTS INDIA LTD.
TCIL have their own internal HR self-service portal
(Employee Service), which is helping employees a lot in
finding out most crucial information about them. It is
saving time for the employees as they are not worried at
all for not keeping a track of their service related records
like leaves, recovery of different types of loans, tax
calculations etc. The tax card of the employees as well as
pay slip, IT card, PF statement, Loan statements
(Housing/ Car) are just one click way. For this employee
have their own email ID & passwords & they have
authority to view & update their personal information,
work history, disciplinary items, skills, competencies,
career planning etc.
CAFÉ HR FOR ABB EMPLOYEES .
ABB employees may access the Café HR Employee
Self Service tool from the internet. It is an efficient
means of accessing and maintaining data in real-time. It
permits the off-load of data entry activities and related
tasks that are typically performed in a company‘s
human resources and payroll departments. Café - HR is
provided to the Users on the Internet to enable them to
perform their Café HR Activities like Search the Who's
Who , Individual information (Payroll Result, Time
Management, Personal Details), "Public information"
(Who's Who, Calendar) from any Internet Enabled
Location .
When a company implements ESS, HR may choose to give employees the ability to view and update information.
The ability to update information is dependent upon two factors: a) if the information is the employee's own
personal information and/or b) if the employee is given management rights. Otherwise, the employee will have the
ability to view the data only. Additionally, managers can be granted the right to view and update information about
their employees and to perform manager-specific tasks. Number of Self Service applications are available in India
among this Employee self service portal of SAP India Pvt. ltd. is commonly used in Indian companies.
4.5Digitalization & Workflow Management:
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Workflow management/Business Process Management is a system of overseeing the process of passing information,
documents, and tasks from one employee or machine within a business to another. Through the proper use of this
system, each of these employees or machines will pass the work on according to a predetermined procedure. As
technology advances, much workflow management has become automated and takes advantage of special software
to make the process much smoother.
Table:07 Digitalization & Workflow Management:
SMART STREAM AND WORKFLOW .
NEW BUSINESS AND UNDERWRITING AUTOMATION
SOLUTION OF C ANARA HSBC.
The SmartStream environment —specifically the
Activity Manager facility within Smart Stream — is the
vehicle by which D & B Software provides automated
workflow management for the new SmartStream series
of enterprise-wide business applications.
Canara HSBC decided on a New Business and
Underwriting Automation solution. Based on its proven
scalability and robustness IBM FileNet was chosen
from amongst the various products evaluated. Imaging
features of FileNet such as the facility for decentralized
scanning and centralized indexing were also
advantageous.
SmartStream identifies a business procedure as an
activity. An activity may be processing invoices or
issuing purchase orders and it may have several steps or
events (such as a credit approval). When an event
occurs, Activity Manager identifies all of the event's
next steps, and sends messages to the users who are
responsible for them. It addresses the workflow
requirements of who's next and what's next.
SmartStream includes a special type of folder placed on
the user's desktop called the To- Do folder. It is through
this folder that SmartStream automatically notifies the
user of what they need to do.
The To-Do list is dynamically generated as events flow
to each user's attention. The user is also routed the
necessary information to act upon that message.
Once the solution was put in place, the New Business
process became automated from end-to-end – from
generating receipts to policy dispatch.
As the solution supported ‗Search‘ of the work Item, the
status of the application could be tracked by channel
partners, sales force and outsource vendors by
generating a query. Due to the scalability of the solution
it was extended to partners, including those functioning
outside of the company‘s premises. The automation also
made it possible to outsource part of the workflow to
various vendors, resulting in improved Turnaround time
(TAT) and better customer service.
Although workflow products are still new in the marketplace, many organizations have clearly stated what they
expect from them. Information systems mangers and business managers are looking for significant return on their
investments by greatly improving the efficiency in their organizations, using workflow technology.
5 Discussion & Conclusion
With the increased need for IT in HR and an urgent need to reduce costs in organizations, one may be tempted to
wonder about the possibility of replacing a few, some, or all of the traditional HR activities through wider use of IT
and automation. Although this thought might be entertained by a few, by no means does collaboration mean
replacement. There is clearly an urgent need for intense collaboration between HR and IT especially given the
significant investments placed separately in labor cost and IT.
Companies in India have been trying to convert their HR services into an array of e-HR functions. On the one hand,
some of them have all their HR functions online through the intranet and, on the other hand, some companies are
revolutionizing with new work patterns such as the virtual teams, concept of working from home etc.
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There are so many companies which are using different types of software‘s for different HR functions, but the major
problem is that the software‘s are not user friendly, especially the software for payroll, ESS, & performance
appraisal. Most of the organizations are outsourcing their HR technology because of which they have to depend on
the third party for the smooth functioning of HR activity. Another problem is the level of automation is not
dependent on nature of the industry; it depends upon the intention of the top management. Still About 60% of the
companies have a minimal or no role of IT enablement in the areas of Policy formulation, Career and Competency
management and enhancing the morale of its employees.
The concept behind e-HR is to create an organization culture that is system and process driven. The future
challenges for the organization would be to enhance the working knowledge of applications of e-HR among the HR
practitioner without which e-HR cannot add value to business.
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