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Unit 2: e-Human Resource Management

After having modelled e-HRM, there is another question for us to answer: what are the Notes
consequences of e-HRM for the HR department itself?

e-HRM is seen as offering the potential to improve services to HR
department clients (both employees and management), improve efficiency
and cost effectiveness within the HR department, and allow HR to
become a strategic partner in achieving organizational goals.

2.3 Consequences for the e-HRM Department

The literature seems to clear: e-HRM will not leave HR departments ‘untouched’. Less
administrative tasks for the HR department and therefore less administrative positions,
more focus on the strategic goals of the organization and therefore an HRM staff consisting
mainly of ‘thinkers’; this is, in essence, what HR departments can expect or are already facing
and experiencing. From our definition of, and approach to, e-HRM the following can be
concluded about the consequences of e-HRM for the HR department. e-HRM will assume an
active role for line management and employees in implementing HRM strategies, policies,
and practices. In terms of the more operational and information processing work, such as
administration, registration and information distribution, there will be less demand for HR
people. This seems most logical for organizations with an operational e-HRM approach.
However, also with a relational e-HRM approach dominating, a smaller HR staff will be
necessary if line management and employees pick up and use the HRM instruments provided
by the HR intranet. There will still be HR experience necessary for the renewal of instruments
and to prepare them for easy intranet-based use. Finally, with a more transformational
e-HRM approach, strategic HRM expertise will be necessary in order to formulate adequate
strategic HRM plans. The scarce empirical studies on this topic suggest that an investment
in e-HRM seems to result in companies reducing the number of HRM employees. Based on
the earlier arguments, it is likely that this concerns primarily the operational/administrative
HRM workers. At the tactical and strategic levels, HRM staff will remain necessary, but will
see a shift in their expertise from face-to-face skills towards intranet and internet activities.
In other words, the web-dimension will be added to the toolkit of HRM professionals.

Organizations should use websites to promote values that will be
attractive to most employees rather than just select those that fit with
traditional culture.

2.4 e-HRM Goals

In this section the “e-HRM goals” block of the preliminary theoretical framework will be
describe

Figure 2.2: Uncovering the “e-HRM Goals” Block of the
Preliminary Theoretical Framework

Effectiveness of
e-HRM goals Use of e-HRM
the HR system

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