ABSTRACT

The HR department is being transformed by digital technology. This isn’t because people are being replaced by computers. It’s because a number of very powerful new ways of working are open to HR teams that make the most of digital technology. But as always with digital technology, many risks are present and these need to be addressed carefully.

Digital technology can help employers find the right employees although it can also, if badly used, help you find the wrong ones. It can make your organisation appear to be a more attractive place to work, strengthening the “employer brand”. It can be used to manage employees and to strengthen culture. But perhaps most importantly of all, digital technology provides opportunities for individual employees to deliver greater value to their employers. Managing those employees so they have the skills and the motivation to do so is a critical challenge for organisational leaders. And the HR department itself needs digital skills.132