As I was working on my laptop in my hotel room, my mousepad and keyboard locked up. I reluctantly called my work’s technology support line. After waiting a few minutes, the lady who answered could not figure out the problem. She then instant messaged with a guy who was in a different location so that he could try to help. He couldn’t figure out the problem either. So while I waited impatiently, I grabbed my I-Pad and started googling ‘how to unlock mousepad and keyboard’. Immediately the answer popped up on my screen with step-by-step instructions, pictures, and even a YouTube video that showed how to fix the problem. So I told the support team I found the answer and even copied the information and emailed it back to them in case someone else had the same problem.
As I went through this whole process, it dawned on me, this happens every day in our businesses and in particular HR. We are surrounded by information. It is all around us in hundreds of different ways. Information is knowledge and as human resource professionals we are charged with wading through the information and providing knowledge to our chapters and businesses we represent. The experience I had with my laptop made me realize that we don’t always have the answers ourselves. But technology has made information available to all of us just with the click of a button. It is important for us to understand how technology has intertwined itself into our world and the world of our employees and chapters.
As the SHRM- Texas State Council we strive to help Chapter leaders see through the weeds and find solutions for their chapter needs. Information can be overwhelming. Our goal is to streamline relevant information, while bringing the State Council fresh content, best practices and resources for success. How can you connect to this information? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, read what’s new on our Blog, and connect with us on LinkedIn! All of the ways to connect are located on our website at http://texas.shrm.org
Shannon Elrod
Co-chair of Technology
Texas SHRM