IT increasingly plays a key role in people development with HR departments making the best use of their systems for storing, organizing or disseminating information to their employees. This article looks at the interface between technology and HR, HR innovations such as HRIS, HR portals, Employee Self-Service and Software Collaboration. It concludes with pointers that firms need to be aware of while selecting software applications and solution-providers.

Human resource management is a set of interrelated policies, practices and programs whose goal is to attract, inspire and retain the firm's workforce. The design and implementation of the systems ensure proficient utilization of employees to attain the organizational objectives. The fundamental principle of the academic discipline of HRM is that people are not machines; consequently, we require to adopt an inter-disciplinary approach to employees at the workplace.

With technology touching all the aspects of today's business, there is an increase in the usage of information and Internet technologies across the enterprise, including the company's HR department. The routine activities of the past have now become automated, making the HR functions simple and more effective. This interface between human resources and information technology is a strategic tool for the firm.

The case of Boeing exemplifies the HR-technology link. Boeing, the world's leading aerospace and defence manufacturer, uses TALX's interactive communication technology for employment verification in loan processing.¹ Boeing Company, before the implementation of this technology, was bogged down by constant calls which required excessive, time-consuming manual processing. While the company introduced the measure of limiting the time available for such calls, the staff continued to complain of delayed loan sanctions, deferred closings and lost income. Boeing approached TALX which is reputed for interactive communication solutions. TALX used interactive technology to develop the work number—an outsourced automated service offering income and employment verification. The technology prompts callers to input a specific social security number, the Boeing company code number and a coordinating authorization code to receive income or employment verification through voice response, mail or FAX. As Tom Mackay, Senior Manager of HRIS for Boeing, remarks, "the technology produced a single user-friendly verification phone number to service over 1,00,000 employees and successfully solved our problem". Technology has not only reduced HR administration costs in Boeing but also improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the loan processing service.

Technology Interface, Human Resources, HR departments , Internet technologies, Communication technology, Computer technology, Telecommunication systems, CD-ROM and Laser Disc Technology, Relational Database Management Systems , Interactive Voice Response , IVR, HR software applications.