Weekly Topics

Week 1:

The paradox that intrigued me the most was Strategic and Administrative. I was interested in seeking out more information because I loathe having to spend time doing tasks that, while they are necessary, take time away from my ability to be a strategic business partner. On the other hand, too much technology can take away from the "human" in human resources. It's up to the HR professional to determine what processes should be completed via technology and what shouldn't. Most organizations utilize some type of Human Resource Information System, and it's essential to recognize the cost-benefit. "The Human Resources Information System brings many benefits to the department related to data integration, accuracy, benefits management, recruitment management, but it may also have some disadvantages such as security, cost and the need for an IT specialist to manage the system (Bruce, 2014).


Bruce, S. (2014). HRIS: Advantages and disadvantages, available at: https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2014/01/22/hris-advantages-and-disadvantages/, accessed on 9.12.2021, at 14:20.

Toader, A.-M. (2020). Digitalisation of the Human Resources Department. Scientific Annals of the "Al. I. Cuza” University, Iasi. Sociology & Social Work / Analele Stiintifice Ale Universitatii “Al. I. Cuza” Iasi Sociologie Si Asistenta Sociala, 13(2), 127–139.

Week 2:

    One of the areas I identified my organization as having a deficiency is learning. The organization has always struggled with knowledge management and sharing ideas due to being a global company, with part of our operations being spread out in Latin America. The physical distance, combined with the language barrier, has made this a difficult task. More often than not, a technical problem in one country may occur that another country has already created a solution for. Still, the lack of knowledge sharing means the problem takes longer to correct. One solution I am working on is to create an online "University" comprised of knowledge by some of our most experienced and tenured employees across both the northern and southern hemispheres. One aspect of the university will be to have it translated into other languages so employees in any country may attend the training and understand it. 

Week 3:

The communication method can be used to assess the efficiency of shared learning interviews and critical incident reviews. Specifically, this could be done by identifying how consistent the repairing of equipment is in North America compared to Latin America. The data needed to perform this audit would be the downtime reports of equipment and parts usage. Additionally, speaking directly with each of the individuals in charge of maintaining and fixing the equipment would give us better insight into how well we are sharing knowledge when it comes to finding solutions for issues in the processing line. For example, if an oil extractor at one plant is continually underperforming, documenting the problem and performing a root cause analysis may lead to an uncovered solution at a plant in Latin America. Likewise, by reviewing areas where downtime occurred and speaking with mechanics responsible for fixing them, a consistent solution may be identified to prevent future issues.

Week 4: 

The uses of social media in the workplace are plentiful. According to SHRM, these internal platforms can best be used to recruit talent, engage employees, communicate externally, learning & development, knowledge sharing, and many others. It is through these channels that Human Resources can assist the organization in reaching its strategic goals. SHRM also recommends not leaving these platforms up to IT, as their realm falls under human resources. Instead, IT and human resources should be a collaborative approach when developing and implementing social platforms. There are some areas where IT expertise comes into play, cybersecurity, for example. It's essential to make sure there are protections to protect the integrity of the data and communication. Human resources is responsible for the "policing" side of these platforms. As with anything, there are do's and dont's with these types of platforms, and it's up to HR to have policies and guidelines in place to mitigate any issues that may arise. 

SHRM. "Managing and Leveraging Workplace Use of Social Media". 2016, January 19.