Perceptions of Human Resource Practitioners on the Value of Electronic Human Resource Management: The Case of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

Using the perspectives of human resource practitioners, this study sought to determine whether the implementation of the e-HRM in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality increased the efficiency of the human resource practices. Manual human resource practices may be time consuming, error prone, and difficult to measure. They are further associated with time-consuming data management and analysis due to paper-based systems and spreadsheets. e-HRM enables businesses to increase organizational efficiency while saving time and effort by automating human resource procedures. The study was conducted within the theoretical lens of the Technology Acceptance Theory (TAT) which analyses the adoption factors, including external influences like COVID-19 and unique challenges like load shedding. The study applied a qualitative exploratory research design to acquire rich and descriptive information about the perceptions of human resource practitioners concerning the introduction of e-HRM. The intention of the study was not to generalise the findings to the study population. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from fifteen (15) research respondents. The study shows that human resource practitioners have a positive attitude towards the introduction of the e-HRM. In addition, E-HRM has been credited with improving the operational efficiency of human resources. The introduction of a recruitment portal has enabled the municipality to better meet the deadline for filling posts within the three months period. In addition, the municipality was able to reduce the costs associated with employee trainings by utilizing online training programs. Additionally, other respondents expressed skepticism regarding the introduction of e-HRM in the municipality. The respondents believed that the use of e-HRM would result in the loss of jobs in the long run. It is evident from the perceptions of the human resource practitioners that technological tools such as e-HRM can be used by public servants to significantly enhance human resource functions.