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Human
Resource professionals can all agree that administrative processes
are often much more complicated than they need be. Nothing illustrates
this more clearly than technical challenges. Due
to the multitude of standards, languages, platforms, and applications
currently in operation, information cannot always be easily exchanged.
Sharing
information with outside vendors and companies, or even between
different divisions of a single company, can require expensive
custom applications or manual methods to move information. The
result is inefficient solutions and wasted resources, making information
management
much more complicated than it should be.
Data
compatibility issues are fairly universal, and accordingly, many
industries are looking to emerging data exchange standards for
assistance. XML, the "Extensible Markup Language,"
is a new solution that promises to revolutionize the way dissimilar
systems communicate; and in doing so, make information easier
to exchange.
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XML was designed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to streamline
data exchange across the Internet. XML is a "self-describing system,"
meaning that the data carried within XML files is defined by using
a set of agreed upon terms. It is closely related to HTML,
the markup language used for web-page creation. In
fact, XML works similarly to HMTL. A website written in HTML can
be shared universally; it doesn't matter if the page was designed
on a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer. When data is written in
XML, it can be transferred between applications, regardless of
the factors that would typically mandate transforming the data
into a useable format.
The
benefits of this system are enormous. Companies using XML can
eliminate
the hassles associated with transmitting data to dissimilar departments
or external clients. Custom data feeds and custom integration
between systems would be substantially eliminated. Data could
also be easily shared between HR, other company divisions or departments,
and outside vendors or service providers.
What
does this mean to you? The human capital professional? Increased
productivity and time savings through the automatic, unimpeded
flow of data. XML will change the way we work by giving HR and
recruitment professionals a mutual technical vocabulary with which
to share and exchange information.
Industry
XML standards are currently being compiled by the HR-XML
Consortium, an independent nonprofit consortium created to
develop and promote a standardized XML vocabulary. The
Consortium brings together key players in the industry -- vendors,
users, multinationals, and start-ups -- to work together to find
the solutions the industry needs to stay competitive.
In
an effort to put XML implementation in the hands of the business
community, several industries have organized their XML efforts
around consortia. "Other data-heavy industries, such as finance,
insurance, and medicine have formed associations dedicated to
developing standards," said Lon Pilot, director of the HR-XML
Consortium. "HR is no exception." Without this kind of framework
and open involvement, industries face the risk of being forced
to adopt XML standards that may serve the interests of a few influential
vendors, leaving the rest of us at the mercy of those with the
most resources.
It
might appear that creating an XML vocabulary for HR would be a
simple process. Agreeing on terms like "job", "employee" and "salary"
seem straightforward enough. "When you examine the issues more
closely, the challenges become apparent," says Naomi Bloom, managing
partner of HR consulting firm, Bloom & Wallace.
Think about a term as deceptively simple as "employee," then ask
yourself, what's an employee? When does "employee" in fact refer
to a non-employee worker? What's a position-seeker? What's an
applicant? A candidate? What are the differences, if any? Does
the applicant transform into a candidate in the process of becoming
an employee? And what if said candidate is applying to become
a non-employee worker?
"Start
applying these kinds of questions to other HR areas like compensation,
benefits, job posting, and international programs, and you begin
to appreciate the magnitude of the task." Bloom continues, "developing
a common vocabulary is certainly not a simple process, but it
is a necessary one."
The
HR-XML
Consortium is focused on standards for cross-process objects,
staffing, recruitment, compensation, and benefits. The Consortium
operates in an open and public process, and requires domain input
for all its work. It focuses on communication between members
rather than object modeling. HR-XML is open to all, and membership
is composed of software vendors, employers, HR service suppliers,
XML technology companies, nonprofit HR-related associations, and
HR professionals. This diverse membership ensures that the vocabulary
created will reflect the needs and interests of everyone who will
be in contact with the system.
Now
that new technology is changing the way we all think about networking,
many of today's outdated systems are being replaced. Thankfully,
a consortium such as HR-XML ensures that the mistakes of the past
will not be repeated. Industry-wide XML standards are on the horizon
and when they go into effect, many of the problems synonymous
with the modern workplace will become history.
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