Tapping on technology to accelerate business transformation has given many enterprises a competitive advantage, particularly those who have focused on data and talent as the primary drivers.
As with other business operations, an organisation’s Human Resource (HR) functions can also be digitalised and transformed for improved productivity and enhanced employee experience, and it is therefore critical for HR professionals to have the knowledge and tools to make that transformation.
To this end, Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have launched the HR Tech Transformation Programme (HRTTP), which targets to benefit 50 enterprises and over 250 local HR professionals from SMEs and non-SMEs.
The aim of the programme is to support enterprises in implementing HR technology through HR process re-engineering, redesigning of impacted HR job(s) and managing HR job transitions arising from the HR technology adoption. Participating enterprises have up to one year to complete their job redesign project.
With strengthened HR processes and redesigned HR roles, HR professionals could spend more time addressing strategic HR issues to meet organisation’s business objectives while leveraging HR technology to enable a positive employee experience and enhanced connectivity through online delivery of HR services.
The programme launch follows a pilot that started in March 2020 where 10 enterprises, of which five were SMEs, participated and implemented HR tech solutions. This programme enabled HR to implement various technology solutions such as mobile learning, digitised employee data collection, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
These resulted in higher productivity, time and cost savings and allowed close to 70 local HR professionals, of which 25 percent were mature workers, to take on higher-value job roles, like data analytics and designing employee experience strategies. Participants were from diverse backgrounds, including those who did not hold formal HR qualifications or individuals who have been working in the HR field for many years.
In conjunction with HRTTP, a HR Job Redesign Toolkit has been developed to enable enterprises to self-help at scale for HR job roles to enable digital transformation and job redesign implementation at their workplace.
This toolkit is a broad-based interactive tool to support HR in job redesign methodology and change management with downloadable templates, and will help HR professionals apply HR technology to different HR practices, understand its benefits and potential.
Mr Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive of WSG, said, “Technology has been a critical enabler in business transformation as it raises work efficiency and creates a more agile workforce.
“WSG is pleased to support the transformation of the HR workforce by harnessing HR technology to redesign jobs to more strategic HR roles, thereby transforming HR from a cost-centre to a business-enabler.”
Mr Sim Gim Guan, Executive Director of SNEF, said, “By leveraging HR technology, employers, in particular SMEs, can achieve significant benefits. First, much of the HR processes that are currently done manually can be automated.
“Through greater productivity, HR professionals will have more time to focus on strategic issues, such as transforming their workforce and workplace practices to support business transformation. HR professionals can be better skilled, and the reduction of time-consuming manual tasks will also improve job satisfaction.
“Through the use of HR technology, HR planning and decision-making can also be better supported. Overall, I strongly encourage employers to embark on their HR tech transformation journey now.”
