Are you frustrated with your HR Technology? Have you implemented the latest and greatest, but your managers and employees are still telling you that the systems are cumbersome and not meeting their needs?
You’re not alone. The incredible proliferation of HR technology over the last decade has resulted in an infinite amount of options, each promising to solve your HR problems. But here’s the thing: before you know it you can end up with a complex spaghetti bowl of systems each solving a discrete problem, but not working together to provide your leaders and employees with a seamless and frictionless experience.
So, what do you do about it?
How do you make sure your technology is meeting your business needs and giving you the return on your investment you deserve? Check out this video for the formula for HR technology success and read on to learn more.
The bottom line is that no matter what new technology comes on the market, each organization is different with different needs, culture, resources, and capabilities. Most technologies developed in the last several years understand this, which is why they have created systems that are highly configurable and able to be customized not just by IT, but by skilled and knowledgeable HR practitioners. That’s the great news…and the challenge. It’s up to you to make the system work for you.
But, it turns out… simple is really hard. When faced with implementing a new system, it’s so easy either to choose the path of least resistance and implement “out of the box”, or potentially worse, go to the other extreme and over-engineer the system in an attempt to replicate the way things have always been done.
And, the landscape of HR technology is only going to continue to get more and more complex. To keep pace and ensure your HR organization is meeting the business expectations for a frictionless, efficient, and engaging technology-enabled employee experience we believe you have to start with these three foundational principles:
1. Make sure you have an articulated HR technology strategy that is aligned with your business strategy.
What kind of employee experience do you want? Where will you leverage best-of-breed systems versus an integrated core HCM? How much can you afford to invest in maintaining your systems going forward, both in terms of people and financial resources? Knowing your strategic direction provides critical anchors when you are faced with the hundreds of design decisions to be made during a system implementation.
2. Take the time to optimize your processes for productivity and employee experience.
This requires a diligent review of your processes end-to-end and isn’t an exercise just for your HRIS team. This is a cross-functional initiative that needs to deeply engage the HR process owners as well as those closest to the business, putting the end-user experience (employees, managers, and HR) at the center of your design. Now is the time to ask yourself why you do things the way you do and how you can do them better, more efficiently, and in a way that can evolve as your business evolves.
3. Incorporate change management from day one.
Too often with technology implementations change management is an afterthought with teams quickly cobbling together training materials and job aids right before launch. The change management needs to start as soon as you sign the contract. Get business leaders and employees involved at the start to make sure you understand their needs, engage them for input on the design, and bring them along on the journey as you make critical process decisions.
Want to learn more about how we at Nua help our clients develop their HR technology strategy, re-engineer processes, and drive change management? Get in touch, we'd be happy to help!