While majority of human resource professionals agree on the benefits offered by Smartphone usage in HR, but there are contrary findings that indicate reluctance to embrace HR mobile applications by organisations.

According to research findings published by Bersin from Deloitte that appeared in “Smartphones in the Workforce: What HR Practitioners Say about Planned Use” spoke at length about restraints in the use of Smartphones in the HR space.

The findings based on survey of majority of HR professionals in the industry believe that, “HR applications on smartphones likely would result in increased benefits, including workforce productivity (60 percent), more timely responses from users (50 percent), improved real-time decision-making (53 percent), and even increased employee engagement (52 percent).”

However, despite these significant benefits and positive trends promoting mobile usage of Smartphones in HR, organisations exhibit reluctance to embrace mobile apps for employees and managers.

While many organisations welcomed the change to be able to provide mobile access to HR applications, Katherine Jones, vice president, Human Capital Management (HCM) Technology research, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP said, “The most expressed barrier to using smartphones for HR applications is the existing HR information system or enterprise resource planning system that typically integrates financials, HR, manufacturing, supply chain and customer relationship management.”

See: HR Trend Next: Talent Management on Smartphone

Jones further added: “HR professionals, who are in environments with a deeply-entrenched on-premises system that does not support mobile access, often express both desire for mobile access and acceptance of the fact that they feel very unlikely to get it.”

In-pocket applications available on a Smartphone provide immediacy of services and 24/7 accessibility to both employees and managers alike. Such applications further support Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions. Hence providers of HCM solutions are in unison consensus, favouring in-pocket mobile applications for HRs on smartphones.

Some of the key market trends that are converging in the market to support increasing adoption of mobile HR applications by HR leaders in the industry are:

• The computing power to run large scale HR applications on mobile devices at lightning speeds is more economical for businesses.
• Also transactional applications that allow managers to improve compensation rates, hike bonus and merit pay can be complemented in future with computational capabilities.
• With HR moving to the cloud, HCM providers are increasingly developing HR software and solutions to facilitate smartphone usage by jobseekers, managers and employees alike.
• More sophisticated applications will be available for HR managers in future to cover different aspects of HR that are currently managed and used on “tethered platforms” today.
• Use of smartphone applications in the retail and hospitality industry, wherein staffers are managed on an hourly basis is likely to accelerate mobile phone app adoption in HR in the near future.
• Industries that have an hourly workforce such as manufacturing and others, wherein clock-in and clock-out schedules are maintained, the use of apps on smartphones is growing exponentially.

“The perceived benefits of HR applications on smartphones, include higher productivity, improved timeliness in decision-making, and enhanced end-user engagement,” Jones added. “They bode well for increased adoption – when the core HR and talent applications currently in place in the organization support smartphone integration.”

Also read: Boosting the Mobile Recruitment Trend in India

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