The Role of Technology in Managing Human Resources Globally

Managing HR resources on a global scale is no easy task. As international teams become a prominent feature of high-achieving companies, the HR department is faced with new communication problems waiting to be resolved.

Luckily, technological advancements of the 21st century have made global human resource management much easier. Today, we will take a look at how technology can help us optimize HR processes on a global scale. Let's jump in.

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The Basic Principles

Let's start from the beginning by asking a simple question: How does technology help bring success to a company?

A company, fundamentally, is a group of people cooperating towards a shared goal.

No one would disagree that financial success is the measure of a high-achieving company. Similarly, no one would disagree that those people can only invest a finite amount of time in working towards that shared goal.

Technology, effectively utilized, saves you time, and, therefore money.

By delegating parts of the HR processes to a non-human agent, your HR staff can invest their time and attention into coming up with new ideas and solving problems that may arise along the way. This, effectively, increases your company's ROI, leading to better annual results.

Taking it a Step Further

In the most basic way, technology, properly applied to global HRM, allows you to:

• Automate repetitive tasks
• Identify solutions quickly
• Manage large volumes of data
• Communicate more effectively

All of these technological solutions factor into the efficiency level of your global HR strategy. Later, we will take a more in-depth look at how these premises can be applied practically in different aspects of HR.

Why is it Important?

As already stated, international human resource management is no trivial topic. When working with an international workforce, the human resources department is responsible for all employee communication, from the scouting and recruitment phase, and all throughout their employment.

Additionally, in today's competitive landscape, companies are constantly in a race to discover the next best HR tool, the next best method of communication, the next best recruitment strategy, and so on.

With so much at stake, it's easy to see how conducting global operations can be a daunting task for HR staff.

What technology has done, however, is give us a stronger foundation to build upon. Combining the infinite creativity of the human mind with the superior computing power of technology, we are now able to take our business ideas to the next level.

Paying respect to this principle teaches us to create a healthy work environment, summoning prosperity on the company level and all the way down to the individual employee.

How It All Ties Together

An understanding of the principles mentioned yields no merit unless properly applied in the workplace. While theorization and contemplation are useful, only action can bring forth tangible results for you and your employees.

Let's bring this full circle by going over and analyzing how technology can be used to boost workplace productivity and make for a much more efficient international human resource management strategy.

Bridging Cultural Differences and Language Barriers

Working with a global team means cultural differences and language barriers. This has been a recurring challenge for HR ever since the internet revolutionized the employee scouting game.

Utilizing modern HR translation technology, you can bridge the language gap between you and your foreign employees, embracing cultural differences and building a relationship of trust and respect.

Building a global business requires, above all else, good communication. For this reason, multinational corporations around the world are constantly adapting their approach to global human resource management with respect to the advancement of translation software.

Employee Management

In HR terms, employee management refers to the process of helping employees increase their productivity and achieving their full workplace potential through an appropriate work ethic.

This is most often done by improving communication with your employees, subjecting them to appropriate levels of challenge, and offering them opportunities to improve their skills through courses and training programs.

Today, technology has allowed us to automate many employee management processes. Incorporating a systematized approach into your HR strategy garners employee development and helps your company achieve its objectives a lot faster.

A good example of this is utilizing membership management software to organize administrative tasks. With the right tools, tasks that used to take hours to complete can now be done within minutes of concentrated effort.

It is the job of a manager to ensure that all branches of the company are continually improving their workflow and help them find new ways to overcome obstacles.

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is one of the most important factors for the success of a company. If your employees are disengaged, or lack understanding of their tasks, workplace productivity suffers greatly.

For this very reason, many successful companies have adopted the policy of using employee engagement apps as part of their global human resource management strategy.

Additionally, applying the principle of gamification helps drive employee engagement and incentivize action by utilizing game-like mechanics. This means features such as:

• Point-scoring system
• Leaderboards
• Checkpoints and Objectives
• Awards

If your company results aren't quite up to par, a lack of employee engagement could be the main culprit. Take time to talk to your HR staff about the ways in which you can increase employee engagement and boost workplace productivity.

Performance Management

An essential function in a successful global human resource management strategy is the ability to track your employee's performance in the workplace.

Having a diverse, international team means very little if the team members aren't properly prepared for the tasks you assign them to. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your global team is essential to optimizing your HR approach and promoting employee development.

Integrating a performance management module into your company's IT is one of the best ways to achieve this. These systems make tracking the progress of your employees effortless. They also offer features that allow you to collect employee feedback.

Companies that get this step right will always gain an edge in the global competitive landscape.

Employee Recruitment

Having a global pool of talent to choose from has revolutionized the game when it comes to human resources. Consequently, companies are constantly competing to hire the most competent people in any line of work.

Today, there are plenty of technological solutions to choose from that will make the recruitment process much easier and more effective for your HR team. Most job placements are advertised online, where your scouting strategy can be applied to a much larger scale.

In addition to that, you can create a systematic job application process that applicants can fill out online, automating it so that those who don't meet the criteria are automatically disqualified, and those who are qualified are stored in a database for further evaluation.

Training and Development

No two companies are identical. Every company possesses individualities when it comes to work protocol and workplace policy.

When building a global team, you can utilize digital training programs and courses to help your newer employees get used to an unfamiliar work environment. Additionally, digital training material is easily adaptable to cultural differences you may encounter when working with a global workforce.

There are 2 main options to consider:

#1 - On the Job Training: Giving your employees the ability to hone their skills during working hours. This option is great when working with ethnically diverse teams within your workplace.

#2 - Extra Hours: Offering employee compensation for studying training material outside of the workplace. Preferable for working with foreign employees that might be in a different time zone.

The best option for you will depend on the individualities of your company, as well as the demographics of your employees. Still, whichever method you go for, you can look forward to an increase in your employee's level of competence.

Scheduling and Organization

An increasing employee count can become quite intimidating for an HR team. Things can get especially out of hand when the employee base is spread out across the wide world.

How do you organize and communicate with so many different people, from different countries, speaking different languages, and operating in a different time zone?

Utilizing software designed for effective scheduling and planning can help your HR maneuver through all of the variables present when collaborating with your global team. You can always check employee availability and manage your communication accordingly.

By following this principle, you reduce downtime during work hours and ensure maximum company productivity throughout the year.

Documentation

Nobody likes paperwork, not even HR people. Alas, managing human resources documentation is a certainty present in every high-achieving company. But that doesn't mean the process should be difficult and ineffective.

The use of cloud-based technology can be a great asset in managing important employee information. Similarly, you can use different HR software to create document templates and fill in the necessary information a lot faster than you would by hand.

By putting in place an effective strategy for managing documentation, your HR department ensures that employees are given access to important information at the right time. This, in turn, fosters employee engagement and makes for an overall better workflow.

The Future of Technology in Global Human Resources

You never know what or when the next big technological jump will be. However, one thing is certain: technology dictates the terms of the competitive landscape in business and entrepreneurship.

When it comes to global human resources management, it's likely that we will see more complex and sophisticated strategies become standardized. As younger generations, those more accustomed to a technologically rich world, enter the workforce, there is no telling what kind of creative solutions they will bring with them.

You never know. Perhaps, in a hundred years, artificial intelligence will take over human resource management entirely.

Closing Thoughts

As a closing remark, it's safe to say that the advancement of technology has undoubtedly improved workplace communication and made global human resources more versatile than ever before.

Keeping up with new technological trends and innovations as a common practice will help you optimize your global human resources strategy, leading you to your business goals.

Do you need help with international human resource management? Are you planning a global expansion to multiple international locations? Or do you simply have employees in multiple other countries you want to comply with local laws and avoid legal trouble? Then you definitely need help.

Bureau Works helps with international expansion, legal compliance, and other global HR challenges. Read how Bureau Works can help your business and global HR team stay effective by downloading this white paper.

By leveraging Bureau Works, your HR team will be able to face all challenges international operations management throws its way.

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