HR in 2010

In the article "Top 10 Predictions for HR in 2010", Jason Averbrook, CEO of Knowledge Infusion, states that master data management will be vital in using HR data to assist the company. I completely agree with him. Our recruiting system and HRIS are separate and it would be great if one employee's information was located all in one place that is easy to search. I would like to see a profile page for each employee, like Averbrook suggests, that provides information on where the employee has worked in the past, the skills and education they have, what they would like to be doing in the future, and how they are currently performing. This would give Recruiters and Managers one location to find very pertinent information on current employees applying for open positions in the company.

The article also talks about how most companies who laid off employees with the recession did not evaluate who should be laid off, but just laid off blindly. I can see how this will be a learning experience for HR professionals, especially those that had not been involved with layoffs before. My company actually did a little of both. Some of our layoffs were very targeted and allowed us to keep the more vital and productive employees. Some layoffs were across the board because an entire segment of the business was no longer needed, however many of the strong performers in those groups were eventually re-hired in other departments. It is always important to remember those employees when a new position opens up.