The Impact of Social HR on HRMS Software

In the past few years, the world of HRMS software has become more exciting due to the explosion of technology! As software applications move to the web and usability starts to factor into HRMS development more often, it is no longer the case that the system is there just for record keeping. When you consider how sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have become ingrained in one’s daily life, it is no surprise that aspects of social networking should begin to develop into social HR practices which are influencing the HR technology and HRMS markets.

How are we seeing the impact of social HR in HRMS? As employees become increasingly connected with fellow employees and put more of their personal lives out on the web, it becomes quite common for employees to network online, including providing professional recommendations for current and past colleagues. In the HRMS market, we’re beginning to see software that reflects such functionality too, with self-service features that allow employees to endorse or recommend the work of a fellow employee. Ten years ago, we’d only see such activities occur during a performance review cycle in a formal setting, such as a manager requesting feedback about an employee. Now, we see employees recommend one another quite readily, and all of this data is available in the HRMS.

As well, many new HRMS solutions are delivering functionality which allows employees to integrate their social network profiles into their HRMS profiles . This social HR integration opens their network to your workforce population through employee directories, allowing an employee to easily find one another and connect, all from inside an HRMS. These connections lead to improved referral structures, and it is these structures that your company can use to inform succession management, recruitment and a multitude of other HR processes.

An Open Door

Should we worry, is social HR too much of an open door? Is there risk, can the company be liable from employees who share too much? How will social HR affect our HRMS data security? We need to remember that employees will network outside of the office, whether or not we facilitate it. However, it’s important to have a social policy overall, to encourage appropriate behavior. Rather than fear social networking, as HRMS professionals we need to encourage and embrace it, as well as taking advantage of the benefits that it produces. For example, employees who endorse others contribute to positive morale within the company. As well, endorsements often provide another layer of information about an employee’s skills that we might not otherwise know, so it’s another data point that is useful from a staffing and development perspective.

If still concerned, start slowly in this area, with limited functionality. Then, it’s possible to see how employees will react and utilize social HR, while you continue to build your strategy on the subject.