HR During Covid-19 Era: Study On Recent HR

Transformations Through Technological Tools

2021 11th International Conference on Cloud Computing, Data Science & Engineering (Confluence) | 978-1-6654-1451-7/20/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/Confluence51648.2021.9377167

And Trends
Dr. Teena Bagga Dr. Sangeeta Gupta
Mansi Saxena Amity Business School, Management
Research Scholar, ABS, Amity University, M.E.R.I,
Amity University, Noida, India Delhi, India
Noida, India [email protected] [email protected]
[email protected]

Abstract: Virtual Organization a reality and posing remote

technology a solution to many [1].
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has created grand
challenges for many be it a health and pharmaceutical Technology has changed the working approach for
industry, law chambers, educational institutions, FMCG, entire working units during global pandemic
banking, small – micro units or suppliers -
transportation units. Every single organization of any
especially after Artificial Intelligence in digital health
size or category, faced challenges in one or other form, technology. The fact of counting infected area or
leaving workforce to adapt and adopt the new online person through mobile phones, cameras, web-based
work culture and advocate technology integration to toolkits and wearable technology made an ease to
their profiles. AI, Machine Learning, Talent Analytics, visual depictions [2] giving a ray of hope to HRs to
Automation, IoT, Gamification are recent up gradations manage employees remotely with advancing in
for HRs, where HRs are pushing hard to keep up with technology [3]. This was perhaps the most stemming
the pace of technologies to manage employees remotely, challenges for HRs raising queries for policies [4]
cost cutting and developing Culture-Tech platform. The which was designed for employees working in the
primary study was made with 64 HRs of Indian Service
Industry to study the recent HR technology integration
office structure, procedure of work flow, what will
during COVID-19 to able to manage crisis, employees, happen to manual jobs, impact on earnings, limiting
projects and their own jobs. human contact where jobs require building
relationships and performance parameters. But,
Keywords: COVID-19, Technology, HRM, AI, People undoubtedly, giving cutting edge solution through HR
Analytics, Machine Learning – Technology integration making base for Cloud based
Technologies and Automations to help HRs to manage
I. INTRODUCTION various employee tasks with an ease and go beyond
the functional aspects of working to guiding systems
The outbreak of COVID-19 shaping from streets of and improving employee experiences.
Wuhan, China to all over the world, making one-third
of the world population into lockdown, created waves II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
of suppressed emotions, for some in terms of losing
their love ones, for some it’s losing jobs or facing The qualitative study with 64 HRs – Executives,
losses in businesses, for some it’s over work and Managers and Heads, of Service Industry across
anxiety and for some it’s safety and protection issues. different regions in India was conducted. We
These mixed emotions got piled in the working approached 86 HRs through social media from which
understanding, leaving people to take best use of 64 gave consent to participate. Thus we study 64 HRs
technologies around them and sail through these hard as respondents who have experience from 5 years to
times. HRs being the front face of the organizations 35 years, aged from 27 years to 59 years. All the
was accumulated with the number of questions from respondents were well qualified and involved in
employees regarding work, protection, policies, making day – to – day changes due to COVID – 19 in
technology, project and pays, to which making break their working environment. They were hard on
through was by adopting and adapting technology as employee safety, protecting their rights of
part of their routine jobs and making the existence of

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 employment, making up for cost incurred during Fig 1. Represents the respondent data from different regions of
India
pandemic and sustaining performances with right pay.

The study was made on video meeting through Google

meet and Zoom with semi-structured interview after
assuring the availability of respondents for 50 – 75
minutes. The confidentiality of respondents, the name
of the organization’s, their working process,
procedure, methodology adopted with changing work
techniques. The interview was performed with open- 20
ended questions related to their work, technology 18
adopted and transformation in their roles to understand 16
the recent technological trends and tools adopted by 14
HRs during global pandemic and what shift they 12
experience in their roles. MALES
10
8 FEMALES
6
III. FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 4
A. Respondent Data: 2
0
Respondents across India were approached through NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST
social media sites. 65.7% of them were male
respondents and 34.3% were female respondents, from
these respondents 28.5% of male respondents had past IV. RECENT HR – TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
technical experience and 18.18% of females were DURING COVID-19
technically sound. These respondents were have some
past experience where they worked on software, COVID- 19 badly affected the world and making
analytics or integrating system reports for decision lockdown a basic need for survival, with no solution
making. Figure1 shows the respondent data from for businesses to make sail leading to 360 degree shift
different regions of India to conduct the study. in the working environment from offices to living
rooms, desktops to laptops, personal meeting to zoom
setup, 8 working hours to no limit of working in a day,
work-life balance to no personal room. This shift was
not easy for HRs to handle as employee experiences
impact the performances and businesses are already
into losses, coping up with the situation was made
through integrating the activities with technology and
experiencing shift in the roles, work culture, policies
and engagements. Table 1 represents the recent trends
and tools of HR during global pandemic with user
acceptance as per respondent’s data. It also shows
where HRs made use and how it impacted their work.

TABLE1. REPRESENTS RECENT HR- TECH TRENDS AND TOOLS LEADING TRANSFORMATION OF HR ROLES

Trend Tool User Purpose New Responsibilities Challenges

Percent
VIRTUAL Flock, Focusmate, 92.18% Remote working Collaboration beyond mails and Administrative
WORKSPACE Pukka Team sharing updates and Fighting challenges
procrastination
CULTURE TECH CultureIQ 4.6% Measure and Build the compelling culture Cost and use
PLATFORM Improve culture inside the organization and
attract new talent
RECRUITMENT LinkedIn Marketing 90.6% Branding and Talent Management and Harder to find quality
MARKETING Platform, advertising to Marketing talent
PLATFORM Glassdoor, attract talent
Pathmotion,
Honeypot

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 ONBOARDING Boardon 14.06% Improve retention Strengthening onboarding Usage and reaching to
SOLUTIONS process and automate the insight
process
PEOPLE Python, R, Power 84.3% Insight and Data Analysis, Data Data adequacy, Lack
ANALYTICS BI, Tableau, Visier decision making visualization and reporting using of knowledge to use
new tools
AI AND MindMatch 32.8% Identify employee Automates insight using Data security
MACHINE HRForecast Trends and Tracks machine learning and improve
LEARNING - employee engagement
AUGMENTED
ANALYTICS
EMPLOYEE Gamification, 60.9% Team productivity Focus on employee mental Stress to deal with so
MENTAL wearables, Lantern and job health and physical being many things
HEALTH performance
LEARNING AND Gamifixcation, AI, 37.5% Online employee Building multiple career path Reviewing job
DEVELOPMENT AR/VR, Pathsavvy, training scenarios competencies
Talent Guard
EMPLOYEE AI, Machine 56.25% Employee Building personalization Lack of knowledge to
ENGAGEMENT Learning, wellbeing experience enablement with use tools
Rallyware employee feedback

Tech innovation and integration is frontline act for HR strategic partner. Analytics is also making significant
to fight from the changes [5] introduced by COVID- contributions and helping HRs to make decisions
19 and lockdown. AI, Machine Learning [6] and HR based on facts and not on intuition. Infact HRs has
Analytics pose solution for many HRs, defeating the shown greater capability than expected.
debate to adapt technology beyond HRIS. The range
of solutions is too wide but usage in this short span VI. FUTURE SCOPE
was too difficult for the unit. On one hand its Cloud
based HR which is making HRs to integrate various The paper highlights the recent technology trends and
core functions from payroll, schedule management, tools in HR during global pandemic with its purpose
employee experiences and integrating reports to make and transformative role of HR from the traditional
collaborative decision where on the other hand the rise practices. The researchers can test the efficiency of the
of Analytics has already created penetration among new tools, innovative use and quick decision making
HRs from 2017 after observing benefits derived by big aspect. As HRs experienced a ranged of change in their
giants like Google, IBM, Deloitte, Shell, PwC, style and work profile through technology [10] with
Accenture, Nestle [7]. Analytics into people data lead high concerns in how to adapt without guided
to many solution in terms of right sizing the instructions, lack of training and burden of not
organization, talent need, retention of employees, increasing cost. One can also study the shortcomings
performances and improving employee engagement
of these quick adoptions without clarity at times and
[8]. Together with AI and Machine Learning [9] HRs even what made HRs so long to adapt when the
experienced a new line of working through Sentiment technology was already out and was in practice.
Analysis and Social Network Analysis.
VII. CONCLUSION
V. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATION
HR embracing technology extended solutions during
COVID-19 has distorted the normal way of working the outbreak of global pandemic, securing jobs for
and routine jobs of many but technology innovation
many and extending protection on their workplaces.
and intervention lead to best practices which are
The use of AI, Machine Learning and Analytics helps
expected even after COVID. The best of them are in
HR to be strategic leaders, Automation and
form of AI, Machine Learning, Analytics, Cloud-
Gamification helps them to find new ways of
Based platform, Gamification and IoT. HRs moved a
employee engagement and improve employee
step further to be a strategic partner and pose one more
experiences with mental wellbeing and physical
argument towards their relevant role in the success of
health. HR practices took a new turn and now the
the organization. It’s the HR who made step ahead to
efforts are put in new ways of working. On boarding
organize the structure, learning environment, employees, employee engagement and employee
development of platforms and change management at performance are made with new perspective of
right time with right technique. HR-Technology
Gamification, AI and Analytics.
integration is a pathway for HR to lead and be true

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