Technology influences all our lives, both personally and
professionally. When an organisation implements a major HR
technology solution, it generally affects everyone. It is
common knowledge that few HR professionals could carry out their
day-to-day tasks without a good quality HRIS; it is not therefore
surprising that technology also plays an essential role in an
organisation's human resource activities. In an era of
ever-changing requirements, finding an HR technology solution that
delivers maximum efficiency at minimum cost, without compromising
on quality can be challenging. The route to implement a new HRIS is
rarely smooth, so how can one ensure the implementation of your new
HR system is successful?
Your HRIS should be designed to save you time and provide a
source of information that is accessible for everyone to use. Excel
spreadsheets are still used by a lot of organisations to run their
core HR processes; a better way is to use a technology partner to
help you to change your landscape of working and make the process
more effective. The technology should be flexible enough to
adapt to your business strategy and processes and be used as an
accessory rather than a primary means of managing people. A
successfully fully integrated business tool such as an HRIS needs
to be the servant of business goals, rather than the other way
around.
When looking at a typical, non automated performance review
process for a medium sized organisation; the entire process could
take 60 or more days to complete. With the right technology
tools this can be accomplished in as few as 15 days - saving you
75% of the time it would have taken. Not only will the process be
streamlined, but the data that is provided can be disseminated
easily and can be used to analyse the trends in the organisation.
Similar efficiencies can be achieved for other functions within HR
such as integration with Payroll, automated leave application
processes and online payslips.
Every organisation is unique and has unique needs and budgets,
which often dictate which HRIS vendor is right for them. HR
technology does not come cheap and will require a significant
investment for any organisation, costing thousands and even
millions of rands in capital and implementation costs. The
justification for implementing a technology solution should not
look at Return on Investment only, but also Value on
Investment. VOI is difficult to measure because it
consists of both tangible and intangible components. Tangible
components are the measures such as the time or money saved by
automating processes. The generation of meaningful data is
probably the most intangible output of an effective HRIS. If
the data collected and reported is relevant to the business
performance it will help management make informed decisions - and
in so doing will add immense intangible value.
By using technology to implement significant HR infrastructure
and policy, HR practitioners can start to shift their own role as
HR generalists to functional HR specialists and ultimately business
change agents. So where would one start?
- Be realistic about your requirements and take all the costs and
benefits into account.
- Structure your requirements around the benefits you have
identified.
- Find out what others have done before, get proof that it works
and then apply it in your organisation. You do not have to
re-vent the wheel.
- Partner with a team who are experts and have experience in
delivering what you need, especially those working on the solution
technical design.
- Manage the change by communicating the benefits right from the
start and help the users understand what it will mean for them
personally. Ensure all staff are adequately trained, or they
will not use the solution.
- Don't assume anything will happen unless you make it
happen. If your new solution is going to work everyone has to
know what they are supposed to do. Use your processes to
guide you and a good strategy to win.
Take the Life Healthcare Group, a leading provider of hospital
and healthcare services in South Africa. In 2006, the company
decided to replace their previous payroll system with a single,
web-enabled fully integrated Payroll and HR solution accessible by
all its business units. The world-class Educos solution has
provided Life Healthcare with vastly improved reporting
capabilities, business process automation and improved the accuracy
with an elimination of duplication.
Finding the right solution can be a challenge. Whether
your company is a growing mid-sized venture or a global enterprise
with tens of thousands of employees, using a computerised HR
management system which integrates with your Payroll will enable
you to streamline labour intensive and inefficient processes.
Educos offers an innovative mix of web-based solutions and
outsourcing options which will enable you to do more than manage
your workforce. Using the automation tools that are available, you
and your entire workforce will have all the information at your
finger tips to streamline your current processes, but also reduce
your administrative costs which impact the bottom
line.
With more than 25 years' of experience, we continually advance
our solutions to meet your needs today and in the future, ensuring
that our solutions allow you to realise your software's strategic
potential. Our fully integrated, flexible and totally
customisable solution for managing all aspects of HR, Leave and
Payroll management on an in-house, Software as a Service or
outsourcing model is best suited to your requirements.
Our solutions are quickly deployed and can be tailored to provide
the flexibility and process automation that is required to run your
business more efficiently. Our solutions are able to
integrate with any other third party software and part of our
implementation strategy is to define what system integration would
be required and include this as part of your total
solution.