Dive Brief:

• While the majority of human resource professionals say they perceive benefits from smartphone use in HR, they also indicate reluctance to embrace the use of mobile applications in their organizations, according to new research from Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP. 
• The new research shows that a majority of HR professionals surveyed say they believe that increased use of HR applications on smartphones likely would result in increased benefits, including workforce productivity (60%), more timely responses from users (50%), improved real-time decision-making (53%), and even increased employee engagement (52%).
• Despite such demonstrated benefits, those surveyed indicated that their plan for future use of mobile HR applications was negligible.

Dive Insight:

"More than half of HR professionals we surveyed indicated that they have no intention to add mobile applications for themselves, their managers or employees in their organizations," said Katherine Jones, vice president at Bersin by Deloitte. "However, when we interviewed HR executives, many indicated that they would like to be able to provide mobile access to HR applications."

Jones said that the biggest barrier to using smartphones for HR applications is the existing HR information system or enterprise resource planning system that typically integrates financials, HR, manufacturing, supply chain, and customer relationship management.

HR professionals, though frustrated with on-premises systems that do not support mobile access, often express both desire for mobile access and acceptance of the fact that they feel very unlikely to get it. However, the perceived benefits of HR applications on smartphones, including higher productivity, improved timeliness in decision-making, and enhanced end-user engagement "bode well for increased adoption – when the core HR and talent applications currently in place in the organization support smartphone integration."