Do organisations own their employees’ data? No, but many think they do, and these organisations are in danger of being left behind in the global democratisation of data that is making obsolete traditional human resources information systems.
Petra Nelson, the Managing Director of Bright People Technologies, recently told the CCI HR Conference 2017 in Perth that a cultural shift in the understanding of privacy was combining with data democratisation to change the face of employee information capture and use.
Democratisation of data refers to the increasing availability of high-quality data to a greater number of people within a business, improving decision-making and responsiveness.
“Those organisations that restrict their people data to departmental silos, because of their perceptions of security and privacy, are not paying attention to the way the world is going,” Petra said.
“Increasingly, people’s personal information is being held in independent, online locations, and individuals are consenting to their employers having structured access to their details. The individual is in control of their data, not their employer, and can allow multiple companies access to it.”
Petra said this paradigm shift was significant in light of the national trend of reducing job tenure that was forcing businesses to cope with higher volumes of people moving in and out of their organisations. Job tenure for people under 25 is currently just one year, while for those aged 25-35 it is two years and eight months, and those 35-44 four years. (http://mccrindle.com.au/the-mccrindle-blog/job-mobility-in-australia)
Online Workforce Management Platform
The emergence of new online platforms such as Cited is changing the face of workforce management. Cited does away with traditional spreadsheets and laborious fact-checking by providing a single platform that ensures workers meet relevant regulatory, legislative and operational requirements. For organisations, all areas of workforce compliance can be centrally stored and managed, while individuals can take control of their own career information.
Cited offers national police checks and a range of other authentication checks such as drivers licence, university qualification and visa checks. Cited provides a 100-point identity check for added confirmation of an individual’s identity.
Cited is the latest product offering of Bright People Technologies, which is proud to be in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA) to offer Western Australian businesses discounted access to workforce validation, automation and mobilisation systems.
Self-service models on the uptake
Petra said Cited was at the forefront of HR software trends that we’re seeing rapid take-up of self-service models of data management, attracting significant investment.
The benefits to industry are numerous, with the democratisation of data resulting in:
- Cost savings, as the need for multiple data handling is removed.
- Enhanced integrity, with continual updating of information not required.
- Increased reliability of information.
- Consistency of training outcomes.
The CCI HR Conference 2017 Post Boom Reboot saw industry leaders address the most pressing challenges and opportunities of a post resource boom environment, including strategies to engage employees, create adaptable workforces and responses to market changes.