Human error is a problem being studied and focused on by many different industries. In fact, there is even an entire branch of psychology being formed around the study of human error known as “human factors.” As professionals learn more and more about human error and the negative consequences, some major changes are happening in most industries to help mitigate some of the issues that come from mistakes made by humans.
According to Reliability.com and a study they did on Industrial Organizational Psychology, there are actually 3 separate realms of human error, and these instances tend to be called by the same name. These 3 kinds of human error are as follows:
- Human Error as Cause: This means that an adverse reaction was caused by a mistake made. In the medical field, this could involve a medical professional giving a drug that a patient is allergic to.
- In the business realm, this could be a paycheck not making it to the employee because an HR representative misplaced the correct address.
- Human Error as Event or Action: This means that the action itself is considered the error, and very little attention is placed on the consequences. In most cases, this is because the mistake was caught by others, or the consequences were luckily minimal. In the medical world, this could be a doctor forgetting to properly file patient records, which then has to be corrected by a nurse.
- In the business world, this could involve a payroll worker not registering a raise and having to be corrected by the HR department or the worker himself.
- Human Error as Consequence: This means that while the human error was an action, the focus is placed on the consequences. In the medical world, this could be a major infection caused by a sponge being left in a body during surgery. The sponge being left was the human error, and yet the focus is put on the infection.
- In the business realm, this could refer to an entire conference being ruined because invitations were not properly addressed and sent. The mistake was not sending the invitations, but the focus will be on the unfortunate event turnout.
It is easy to see how common human error is and how important it is to weed it out of every industry where possible. This is being done through the means of automation. There are jokes about the robot uprising, but when it really comes down to it, technology offers some very important benefits. Utilizing machines to handle the work, that was relegated to human forces in the past, reduces the chances for human error in a big way.
There are a lot of different automation applications in the business world, and HR representatives are the most helped by such advances, especially in the IT realm. Tech Target defines IT automation as, “the linking of disparate systems and software in such a way that they become self-acting or self-regulating.” In other words, it is a system that is able to learn what you need from it and act accordingly. Your common searches will run smoother, and the storage techniques and patterns that arise will be recognized and put into place on an automatic basis.
Document Management Software (DMS) programming is one of the most cutting-edge and useful tech advances that can offer automation in a big way to many departments. As Human Resource departments are tasked with handling sensitive information, making the office run smoothly, and motivating productive work methods, it makes sense that DMS technology can find some excellent utility in these departments.
DMS technology helps to reduce human error in the following important ways:
- Securely stores sensitive information
- Speeds up the research process
- Organizes files according to personal preferences
- Maximizes physical space within the office
- Removes the chance for misplaced files
- Makes file sharing easier
- Streamlines workflow processes
- Simplifies the tax filing experience
- Stores vital files and info for Worker’s Compensation cases
- Minimizes the chance for mistakes in insurance paperwork
- Creates a secure platform for payroll work
- Vastly improves communication speeds
The list of automated benefits of DMS technology could go on and on. These are some of the most important items that are specifically targeted to help those in HR and CEO positions. Human error in these positions has been known to cause very costly issues. The use of automated programs like DMS utilities can remove the danger of a company having to wade through such issues.
Essentially, every important responsibility delegated to the HR department can be made simpler and more efficient with the use of automated technology of this sort. The fear of mistakes will dissipate as will the stress of meeting deadlines, and the trouble of digging through endless arrays of paper files. Improved efficiency, security, and freedom from human error can help a company stand out among the crowd in all the right ways.