[Editor’s Note: The HR Guru is a column from Kalibrr answering all your HR-related questions. For the second release, Kalibrr shares some technologies your HR department can adopt to keep up with our new digital landscape.]

Dear HR Guru,

I am the HR manager of a small and medium-sized business, and the owner of the company has given us the directive to use digital technologies as much as possible. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many of our systems and processes were analog, manual, or paper-based. What kind of HR technologies should I recommend to our boss? How can we make our HR department more tech-savvy? Where do we start? Help! 

With thanks,
 Technologically Challenged 

Dear Technologically Challenged

Many HR managers like you have asked Kalibrr this question over the past few months. 

I understand the difficult situation of your business. During this global health crisis, companies across all industries and sectors must quickly embrace technology across the organization. This is especially true for your department, where your team needs to manage colleagues who work from home, virtually engage colleagues, and recruit and hire new people without seeing candidates in person. These are very demanding times for your team. However, think of it as a great opportunity to completely transform your department and, in turn, the business. 

It’s good that your boss understands the value of going digital and staying connected. I recommend that you research, canvas, and inquire with different software vendors about the HR technology solutions (preferably cloud-based) available to SMEs. 

Before adopting any HR technology, discuss with your boss (i.e., the business owner) and your team what people matters or HR problems you want to solve with technology. 

Here’s an initial list of the essential HR technologies your business should adopt, especially in the new normal: 

• End-to-end sourcing solution: Finding and hiring the right talent is one of the most critical HR processes that you can easily automate. With an end-to-end talent sourcing solution, you automate tedious processes such as reviewing resumes, freeing up your precious time on more meaningful HR work like engaging with applicants. At Kalibrr, we now offer companies complimentary unlimited job vacancies and unlimited access to the platform for 30 days. Powered by artificial intelligence, our system provides instant talent matches, shortening the time of sourcing by 90%. Your HR team can also search an unlimited number of resumes, register as many users as needed, and use our integrated applicant tracking system. 

• HR information system (HRIS): The most challenging parts of HR are managing employee data, job information, benefits, and time off. Consider an HRIS to help automate common HR tasks and processes and to make things easier for your friends in accounting or finance. In the Philippines, Payroll Hero and Sprout are some options. 

• Engagement or rewards tools: Remember when your kindergarten teacher gave you a star for your efforts? It’s important to recognize the hard work and achievements of your colleagues, even in times of crisis; and your team should consider congratulating and rewarding employees online. The challenge SMEs face is finding ways to recognize stellar work without going over budget. Consider an online engagement or rewards tool like Nectar or Assembly, which is available for free or at a low cost. Storm Technologies is also a good option if you’re looking for a partner with a local team. 

• Video conferencing platforms: Zoom and Google Meet are buzzwords among remote workers, but video conferencing platforms aren’t limited to meetings. Video conferencing allows your team to host Town Hall events, people engagement activities, and even training programs. 

But remember, adoption is only half of your modernization and transformation. The goal is to develop a workforce and corporate culture that sharpen work relationships, behaviors, and skills that promote innovation. 

During this pandemic and into the new normal, there’s a lot of innovations and new tools, software, and platforms out there. Don’t hesitate to try them out and see what works best for the company. 

Stay in touch! I wish you and your team the best!
Paul, your HR Guru

About the column: Paul Rivera is the co-founder and CEO of Kalibrr, a careers platform for over 4 million young professionals and more than 18,000 of the most innovative companies in Southeast Asia. In the next few weeks, he will be answering any questions and giving advice about employment, getting hired, and getting a hire in the Future of Work. 

Need advice as a jobseeker or as an HR professional? Email your questions at hiretalent@kalibrr.com or send them a message on Facebook. – Rappler.com