Yet, from this summer, The Royal Parks (TRP), an executive government agency responsible for administering and maintaining London's 5,000 acres of historic parkland, is rolling out HR self-service and workflow functionality provided by COA Solutions.

Significantly, this will enable 130 members of TRP's staff to access the organisation's human capital management (HCM) system themselves. Up to now, the TRP's HCM system has only been accessible by the TRP HR team.

Using COA Solutions' integrated self-service and workflow functionality, managers and employees at TRP will be able to access and update HR information such as their holiday dates, sick leave and training details. Paper-based HR procedures are being replaced with automated processes which, among other things, allow line managers to have greater control over their workforce.

Teresa Marsh, TRP's HR manager, commented: "With line managers having quick and easy access to staff information, this will aid decision making and allow management to take a more strategic view of the workforce."

Those in sympathy with the authors of the CIPD report will argue that this allows HR professionals to spend more time thinking strategically and less operating tactically. However, could TRP's move be the beginning of a trend not just to continue to marginalise HR professionals in a strategic business (board level) context but to do away with them altogether?

Either way, this move could have some significant implications for those in the eLearning sector.

For over 20 years, Bob Little has specialised in writing about, and commentating on, corporate learning - especially elearning - and technology-related subjects. His work has been published in the UK, Continental Europe, the USA and Australia.
You can contact Bob.