PUBLIC SECTOR HR BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE
The HR
Digital Revolution In today’s climate, it is HR that could accelerate Digital Transformation in Government and the public sector… Empowering the SA workforce Digital transformation, essentially, refers to the utilisation of emerging digital tools geared towards solving business challenges. This term, which society has come to know pretty well, typically pushes the mind towards ideas surrounding AI, Cloud and software development. However, at its core, ‘digital transformation’ is actually underpinned by empowering individuals to work more effectively. A new way of efficiency While many industries have looked at news ways of embracing and savouring the benefits of digital transformation, now more than ever, there are others that find themselves stuck and challenged by the idea of pivoting. Government has, historically, embraced transformation slower than
others. However, in South Africa, we are starting to see positive change as more and more organisations and agencies begin to acknowledge and celebrate the human element of digital transformation. Thus, digital transformation within the public sector has become an imperative.
We developed the leave module and we were able to successfully integrate with the government HR system Moving to a more ‘digital way of life’ will, undoubtedly, not only assist in organising Government structures and making operations more efficient, but it will also permit the public sector to better serve its citizens. In order to ensure that digital transformation becomes
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a reality in this stream, Human Resources (HR) is required to step in and pave the way for critical transition - leveraging technology to innovate from within Government. Better recruitment strategies In order to pivot around digital transformation, it increasingly becomes HR departments’ responsibility to prioritise key elements such as skills development, digital fluency, and adequate adoption of new technologies. Innovative, automated recruitment tools help save time and resources for HR staff, streamlining administrative tasks such as scheduling, pre-screening candidates and recruiting on-the-go by means of a mobile app. Digital tools as such improve candidate experience, providing applicants with a good first impression of
